When measuring the effectiveness of their incentive travel program, many company leaders struggle with how to prove they have recouped their investment. Higher profits are usually the primary goal and the easiest to determine. However, quantifying other important outcomes, such as engagement and motivation of the entire team, is more elusive yet critical to gauging … Continue reading “Measuring the ROI on Incentive Travel”

When employees start a new job, they often receive a couple of weeks for vacation time. Often, they use those days to extend weekends here and there. A vacation day might go to catching up on personal errands. With luck, they may take a week off to enjoy a family vacation. Travel feels rushed and … Continue reading “Get Paid to Travel: 15 Companies That Will Give You Money to Go On Vacation”

Pay-at-risk pay is also called variable pay; the model connects employee pay to the financial health of the company, paying out more when the company is doing well and less when the company is struggling. Across the country, up to 90 percent of companies are using some form of pay-at-risk compensation plan. The intention is usually to … Continue reading “"Pay-At-Risk" Compensation Plans Aren't Unconditional Bonuses”

What is Incentive Travel? Incentive travel is an important subset of the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) industry. It is effectively a travel perk used to incentivize or motivate employees or partners. It is often tied to company goals or top performers. In this report from the University of Central Florida Rosen College of … Continue reading “What is Incentive Travel?”

A tight job market in a healthy economy creates a dynamic that affects business owners and employees similarly, but both groups have different objectives. Each side hopes to get more out of the other. A middle ground does exist in employee reward and recognition programs though; it benefits small businesses through employee engagement, and employees … Continue reading “Rewards and Recognition Programs Guide”

Work anniversaries are a big deal in today’s job market, where half of all employees are leaving their jobs before they hit the five-year mark. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and their most recent Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary, 3.5 million people in the US quit their jobs every month. … Continue reading “62 Great Ideas for Celebrating Work Anniversaries”

What Is MICE Travel?   MICE is an acronym for meetings, incentives, conferencing, and exhibitions. It’s an overarching term that encompasses a niche tourism group dedicated to the logistics of business events. It is a highly lucrative industry revolving around incentive travel, though there is a distinction between incentivized travel and business conferences. Many cities … Continue reading “Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) Travel”

When putting together a major event, communication is key. Everyone involved needs to use the same terminology so that each person knows what to expect. One area where communication can fail, especially for clients, is understanding the difference between event management and event planning.  The two jobs certainly have some similarities, but they serve distinctly … Continue reading “The Difference Between Event Management and Event Planning”

Recently, the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) released new findings about the industry’s outlook for 2020. Overall, the IRF was optimistic about online retail gift cards and brand-name merchandise. Event gifting is also expected to have a positive year during 2020. The IRF is looking forward to a strong year for the incentive industry with bullish … Continue reading “IRF 2020 Outlook and Predictions”

Employee engagement is the backbone of any company. They are why your company thrives, and in some cases, why your company struggles. Employee morale is more important than it ever was before. Keeping your people happy can mean better performance and ultimately a better bottom line. According to Forbes, checked-out employees cost U.S. companies up … Continue reading “Want to Boost Employee Morale? Try Incentive Travel.”