promote casual interaction. The savings could be used to invest more money in other perks.” Peer-to-peer recognition is another part of the incentive program that experienced a net gain of 37% for respondents. It is important for them to have the chance to bond with colleagues and leadership, since so many employees are working remotely. Other program attributes that participants focused on included a preference for luxurious accommodations, and no out-of-pocket expenses. Bringing a guest was another popular component to a program, coming in at 81%. As for length of program, four to six days seems to be the sweet spot with 50% of participants, while 38% prefer a seven to 10-day program. GO-TO DESTINATIONS Sun and fun continues to be the number-one choice for incentive trips, while interest in travel to large cosmopolitan cities and wellness spas has increased. “Hawaii is always on the bucket list—it’s got variety, luxury, activities, food and culture. It’s a place that people always want to go to if they’ve never been, or want to go back to,” says Rudy Garza, vice-president of operations, Brightspot Incentives & Events, based in Texas. He adds, “that, in itself, is part of the problem, there is a lot of demand so affordability and availability becomes a challenge.” GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT (continued) FLEXIBLE AND REMOTE work can no longer be considered rewards in themselves. Rather, for many workers, they are an expectation—conditions of work that infl uence whether they join a fi rm or stay. So, rewards and incentives are needed to engage and motivate remote workers, to foster remote worker communication and collaboration and to encourage employees to come together (virtually and in-person) at a frequency that serves their needs and those of the fi rm. During COVID when incentive programs were abruptly shut down, fi rms turned to merchandise rewards to motivate and incentivise workers working remotely. CUSTOMIZED REWARDS Travel isn’t the only way to engage and motivate employees Joanna Wiseberg, president of Red Scarf Gift Co., based in East Gwillimbury, Ont., has been approached by an AI fi rm based in Toronto, to curate a boutique, customized gift program for 400 employees. “Because this company is relatively young, they want me to supply a range of gifts for different years of service, ranging from two to seven years." The gift program will be on the employee Intranet and gifts will be available for employees to choose from based LENGTH OF STAY 4-6days THE SWEET SPOT WITH 50% OF PARTICIPANTS 7-10days 38% OF PARTICIPANTS Western Europe has seen a pickup in interest in Italy, Ireland, the UK, Spain, Greece and Switzerland, although transient rates for hotels are high, therefore group rates are high as well. Mexico, says Rick Garlick, chief research advisor for the Incentive Research Foundation, “was a top-booked destination last year. It was number fi ve in the top-ten destinations, because of ease of access, affordability, quality of properties and the different experiences you can have in different regions.” Areas of growing interest included the Middle East and Dubai, with great lift, stunning hotels and knowledgeable DMCs. The full report can be accessed here: theirf.org/research_post/incentive-travel-destination- preferences-their-impact-on-motivation/ > Winter 2022/23 | Ignitemag.ca | 61
