Incentives

When a company sets its sights on making its employees feel appreciated—by arranging everything from a special luncheon or a Christmas party, to a monetary bonus or an incentive program that pulls out all the stops—spirits do indeed lift and the enthusiasm throughout the office is tangible. It's those moments that the workforce of today's world remember as they soldier on performing their daily tasks at hand.

Wonderful incentive programs—and we're not talking about your run-of-the-mill 18 holes or hot stone massage—are designed to both motivate and thank top-seeded salespeople and other corporate types who contribute greatly to a company's success.

Fortunately for planners, who are often considered the champions of said incentive agendas, there are heaps of opportunities these days for companies to escape the status quo. Though time on a golf course or at a spa is certainly appreciated, an incentive itinerary with an adventurous aspect is increasingly expected, regardless of age range.

According to Bill Boyd, president and CEO of Dallas-based Sunbelt Motivation and Travel, and the 2005 board president of the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives, Gen Y-ers and Gen X-ers (or 20- and 30-somethings), particularly thrive on an incentive program that is action-packed.

"They like getting out of the hotel room," he says, citing various activities, including zip lining, ocean kayaking, kite surfing, boogie boarding, motor biking, wind surfing, and horseback riding. "You just better have some adventure option or you'll get a bad evaluation. Even hiking is active. Staying active doesn't mean you have to risk your life; biking down a  mountain isn't dangerous, but you're still getting into the fresh air."

While Boyd feels that golf is currently a "ho-hum" option in the incentive world, Andjela Kessler, president of Atlanta-based Incentive Travel & Meetings, thinks otherwise.

"Golf is extremely hot and will never die out," she says. "In fact, most itineraries have a golf option and a lot of young people play golf."

Be it a golf outing or a planned bike ride, Kessler agrees with Boyd that incentive programs, particularly for the younger crowd, should involve an active element. She explains that there is a recent trend of marrying adventure with a cross-cultural component.

"If you have a group from Chicago coming to Atlanta, introduce them to the history of Atlanta—tie it into the program," she says, citing sightseeing tours of the area's architecture, a visit to The [Dr. Martin Luther] King Center, or a gospel performance. "Introduce them to art and the African American aspects of Atlanta and add adventure such as a sailing regatta or a Stone Mountain hike."

In San Francisco, Kessler suggests highlighting the city's magnificent art with  sightseeing tours of its various museums and architecture. To round out the itinerary, add some adventure, such as a helicopter ride over the city or a visit to wine country, where groups can pick and sort grapes together before a wine tasting.

"Taking knowledge away with them makes incentive programs more memorable and meaningful," she says.

Take It to the Extreme

Some industry experts, including Kessler, are optimistic that budgets for incentive programs are rising.

"We're seeing RFPs reminiscent of what we saw before 9/11," she says.

If the budget applies, a planner might want to check out San Diego-based Absolute Adventures Shark Diver. The company offers a five-day excursion to a site near Mexico's Isla Guadalupe, complete with three days of dives to witness great whites in what Patric Douglas, CEO, calls "a cradle of white shark civilization in the Pacific Ocean."

"It would be like finding a family of gorillas that have been living in Central Park for years," he says of the recently discovered site. "The population is remarkable."

As are the politics involved. While Shark Diver is a profitable outfit, it is also involved in working to get Mexico's government to recognize the site's worth and to ban the currently lawful slaughter of white sharks.

"The race is on to get this site protected by the government," Douglas says.

In the meantime, the adventure proves a perfect option for a high-end incentive trip and, in fact, the company just added a 78-foot yacht to its fleet for corporate events.

"We're trending back to the days of companies spending money and finding different kinds of adventure," he says. "There's a perceived element of danger, but at the end of the day people have a cigar and a nice meal and talk business. Being in a cage together surrounded by 16-foot great white sharks is so unique that at the end of the day, people have bonded and a memory is created."

Offered from June through December, Douglas says that a group can successfully merge business with diving, as there are rooms for meetings and screens for presentations on board.

"We can tailor to any needs," he says

In Florida, Fort Lauderdale-based ZERO-Gravity Corp., known as ZERO-G, offers a high-end outing that takes a group of 27 incentive recipients to the sky.

For 50 years, according to Noah McMahon, chief marketing officer at ZERO-G, NASA used a Boeing 727 Airplane, like the one ZERO-G uses, to educate and train astronauts. After years of effort, an aircraft that offers passengers, or fliers, a weightless experience finally became available to the public this past September.

"We give you more weightlessness than Alan Shepard," McMahon boasts, explaining that each passenger enjoys 10 minutes of weightlessness. "You can do what you've never done before in zero gravity. This flight is the only way to achieve this outside of actually being in space. Fliers can float upside down, do flips and walk on the ceiling."

While ZERO-G's flagship is located in Fort Lauderdale, the company has executed flights from other cities as well, including Los Angeles; Reno, Nev.; Atlanta; and Jacksonville, Fla. McMahon adds that the hope is to eventually operate out of multiple cities and that plans are in motion for Las Vegas to be the outfit's next hub.

"We're finding that association leaders and planners who want to be the talk of the organization choose ZERO-G because it's the most thrilling experience delegates can have," McMahon says.

Like Shark Diver, the experience is widely accepted across generations.

"It's not sudden or turbulent; it's like magic," he says. "Anyone who's dreamed of going to space or of being Superman wants to do this."

Cruisin' Concepts

With 19 ports in destinations including Miami; New Orleans; Los Angeles; San Diego; Honolulu; and Anchorage, Alaska, Royal Caribbean International is trying to change the misperception that cruises are merely relaxing getaways.

"Cruises aren't only for newlyweds, the overfed or the nearly dead," muses Lisa Bauer, senior vice president of sales with Royal Caribbean International. "Our brand is about the explorer mindset."

The most popular duration for an incentive itinerary on Royal Caribbean runs four to five nights, which is the perfect time frame for participants, according to Bauer.

"A cruise will drive and motivate people to perform," she adds.

On board, guests may enjoy rock climbing walls, miniature golf courses, ice skating, and bungee jumping, which is being introduced on the fleet's Enchantment of the Seas before possibly being added to other vessels.

"Plus, there are also multiple shore excursions at every port," Bauer explains. "We can pre-book these excursions for the incentive market, like dog sledding in Alaska or swimming with stringrays in Grand Cayman. Planners love it."

Planners will also appreciate getting the bill up front. Except for shore excursions, personal shopping and alcohol, Bauer explains that a cruise on Royal Caribbean is basically all-inclusive.

"There are meeting rooms, a health club, entertainment, and planners can even pre-determine a beverage package, so essentially attendees could very well leave their wallets at home," she says. "Planning is hassle-free and it's a great value."

She adds that while the cruise line delivers on adventure, there are also relaxing options on board, including lounging poolside and visiting the spa.

"Guests can both explore all day and unwind at the end of the day. It's not an either-or situation, which is great," she says.

Incent the Team

Adventurous team-building events, such as those offered by Golden, Colo.-based Soul Adventures, pack a hearty punch to incentivize employees, according to Chief Adventure Officer Liz Hafer.

"People love this kind of program because it's different and they'll remember it and talk about it afterward," she says. "Plus, the majority of people are doing something they don't normally do, and so they get excited about it. It's fast and furious, and pushes people to their personal edge without throwing them over. And they get to know their colleagues better working together at this level than they would with a passive activity."

Soul Adventures, which travels anywhere in North America to execute events, generally puts together competitive adventure races for teams of up to five people of varying talents and ages.

"We string together activities for the client depending on the level of activity they want," she says, citing rafting, zip lining, mountain biking, hiking, and cliff rappelling. "We give them a map on where activities originate, rules of what they can and cannot do, and the key is to strategize quickly. It's fun with so many activities, and people shift leadership roles since different people have experience doing different things; it gives everyone an opportunity to shine."

One event based on television's Amazing Race works well with groups of 50 or fewer people. Teams need to get from point A to B on foot or by another means of transportation.

"As they drive to the first point, they have to figure out their strategy as a team and they get excited. When they get to the first stop they get the next set of instructions, which could be to kayak to the next clue, and then from there get on bikes to the next clue," Hafer explains.