Corporate Travel Destinations

A recent survey conducted by MeetingNews found that most meeting planners expected meeting budgets to increase or stay the same over the first six months of 2010, when compared to meeting budget trends over the last six months of 2009. This optimistic outlook may be further proof that companies across the country are beginning to recover from the recent recession. The survey, which included 220 participants, found that only 19% of responding meeting planners anticipated further budget cuts or smaller meeting budgets in the first six months of 2010. Additionally, seventeen percent of respondents actually reported increased spending in the last half of 2009, showing that some companies continued to prioritize meeting spending during the economic downturn or were already beginning to enjoy financial recovery at that time.

Just over half of the survey participants (51%) expected meeting budgets to stay the same during the first half of 2010. These results support the hope that deep budget cuts are now behind us for the most part and indicate that things may start looking up for the corporate travel and business meeting industries. This is good news for meeting and travel planners who learned tips and tricks for cutting costs without losing quality during the economic downturn and will now be in an excellent position for providing exceptional planning services with increased budgets.

The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) has released data from a 2010 survey showing the top destinations for summer travel in the United States. Topping the list for eight years running, Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada continue to be the most popular summer travel destinations, which will surely come as no surprise to travel planners. These hot summer destinations offer sun, warm weather and a wide variety of attractions that appeal to couples, business travelers and families, making them a good choice for both corporate and leisure travel. Due to their popularity, choosing one of these cities as a conference venue or incentive travel destination is sure to increase interest in the event or award.

In addition to Orlando and Las Vegas, other cities in the top ten include San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Honolulu, Seattle and Washington, DC. ASTA also provided data showing the most popular summer travel destinations for 2010 at the state level, which included:

1. Florida
2. Nevada
3. California
4. New York
5. Hawaii

These destinations prove to be among the top summer travel spots year after year, which is important information for corporate travel planners. Knowing the trends regarding the most popular destinations provides valuable insight into which locations will likely be most enticing when selecting destination cities for corporate events, business meetings or incentive travel programs.

If you are planning corporate travel to the Seattle, Washington area, you will soon find that the vast array of local attractions makes planning excursions and entertainment easy and convenient. Because the Puget Sound area is home to several major corporations and leaders in a variety of industries, Seattle continues to gain popularity as a top choice for conferences, international corporate meetings and conventions. The nearby cities of Renton and Bellevue are quickly growing into major business centers in their own right, which is further increasing the need for corporate travel planners to become familiar with the Seattle area.

While much of your planning will undoubtedly be centered on the event itself, if you will also be providing organized excursions for participants, optional outings or a list of area attractions to include in welcome packets, here are several options that participants are sure to enjoy. As an added benefit to you as the planner, each of these Seattle excursions can be easily planned and are surprisingly affordable.

Must-See Seattle Attractions and Excursions

1. Space Needle
2. Pike’s Place Market
3. Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour
4. Savor Seattle Food Tours
5. Ride the Ducks Tours
6. Museum of Flight
7. Seattle Science Fiction Museum
8. Chinatown Discovery Tours/Wing Luke Asian Museum
9. Seattle Art Museum
10. Seattle Asian Art Museum
11. Seattle Aquarium

European river cruising is generally considered a summer affair, largely due to the inclement weather that is common across much of Europe during the winter months. When most travelers are considering a cruise, they are most often looking for sunny, warm weather that allows them to explore ports and lounge in the sun when on board. While this is not an option in much of Europe during the dreary months of winter, Spain is still enjoying sun and welcoming weather, even while some countries are covered in snow or experiencing freezing winter rainstorms.

This makes Spain group river cruises an ideal option for corporate travel planners who like the idea of European river cruising, but need to plan winter travel. It is particularly appealing for those who are planning a corporate cruise for participants that live in areas that have cold winters. The participants will enjoy having the opportunity to escape the cold and spend time in warmer weather, while the travel planner will enjoy the ease and convenience of planning a corporate cruise on one of Spain’s rivers.

River cruising is most appropriate for smaller groups, since river barges are considerably smaller than oceangoing vessels. Group river cruises are particularly appropriate for executive retreats, incentive travel programs and small corporate meetings.

MIAMI, FL (May 17, 2010) – A driving force in the cruise meetings and incentives business, and widely known as an innovative entrepreneur,  Joyce Landry, CEO of Landry & Kling and co-founder of Seasite.com, was named to the Forum Governing Group of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

WBENC’s national standard of certification is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business, its records and an office inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women. Visit www.WBENC.org for more information.

There are many reasons for corporations to plan events close to their base of operations, but those reasons might be overshadowed by the benefits of selecting far away destinations. Here are the top four reasons to plan a corporate meeting far from the office.

1. New scenery and events shake things up, and there is nothing that will help get the creative juices flowing better than change. Staring at the same walls every day has employees trapped in the same rut, and an exciting change is likely to yield exciting results. A trip to the local park might not be as exciting as business cruise to a sun-drenched tropical getaway.
2. A cruise event might also be a great idea, as it combines both work and play. Team building exercises tend to work best when participants know each other well. Is there anything better than well-planned corporate travel/events to encourage teamwork?
3. Inclusive travel options mean that a cruise meeting or weekend retreat can be had at a fixed price. No more haggling, no more uncertainties, just a known quantity. This will keep the event planning sessions short and the accountants happier as well.
4. Employees, partners, and supplies may all appreciate incentive travel options. Rewarding performance and loyalty are excellent ways to build rapport.

When it comes time to plan a large corporate retreat, savvy meeting planners and/or event planners need to consider at least four different factors.

Distance & Travel – how far will the destination be from all parties? Remember that organizations with far-flung offices will need to find ways to transport the relevant from those offices to the destination in question. This can become an expensive venture rather quickly, but planners can mitigate this by planning ahead.

Scheduling & Jet Lag – Corporate travel is always a combination of work and play. Whether it is a cruise meeting, incentive travel, or a retreat, event planners should always try to strike a balance between work and play. Remember that jet lag may be a factor to contend with, so start off slow with events and meetings if possible.

Allergies & Location – Planning an outdoor event or a team-building getaway in the woods might sound great until Susan in accounting turns out to be allergic to the grass and Bob from sales cannot stop itching for some reason. Remember to consider allergies before planning any corporate event. If guests are being brought into the event, be sure to inquire as to their health needs.

Food & Drink – Many corporations prefer to self-cater, but it does not really matter who does the catering if those who have certain dietary needs are not being met. With vegetarian and vegan lifestyles becoming more popular, and a handful of religions taboos on foods, it pays to spend a good deal of time on food.

Some travelers swear by self-catering accommodations and would not dream of spending the night in a hotel during business or leisure travel. Other travelers cannot stand the thought of not having 24-hour reception, 24-hour room service, at least one on-site restaurant and concierge services.

Self-catering lodgings have either kitchenettes or fully-equipped kitchens, and often have other convenient amenities, such as laundry facilities, DVD and book libraries, swimming pools, fitness centers and reserved, private parking. They range from urban apartments to country cottages and offer more privacy than hotels. However, they usually do not offer the same range of amenities and services that guests will find when staying in luxury hotel rooms.

Self-catering apartments are ideal for holding small business meetings and entertaining clients and prospects. Additionally, the ability to cook some meals in the apartment – rather than dining out for every meal – is a cost-saving measure that is convenient and appealing to many travelers. Of course, a nice hotel room is also good for entertaining potential clients and customers, but a private apartment has the added benefit of giving the impression that your company maintains an apartment for use by its employees when they travel on business. This type of impression will not go to waste on prospects of a particular ilk and can assist in leaving a positive image of your company in your prospects’ minds.

Many companies are trimming their budgets to adjust to the changing economic climate. When it is time to cut costs, the travel budget is usually one of the first items on the chopping block. For some companies, this may mean canceling travel plans altogether, but for others it simply means finding ways to stretch your corporate travel dollars and get a bigger bang for fewer bucks.

One option that has recently increased in popularity is staying close to home. When business meetings, team building activities, retreats, conferences and incentive travel take place closer to home, this can significantly cut down on transportation costs, as well as increasing attendance. However, opting for nearby destinations and venues comes with its own set of challenges, including creating excitement about the event and maintaining its appeal when you do not have an exotic location to rely on to do that for you.

Here are three ways to make your local event more appealing and create excitement among attendees:
1. Choose a unique venue. Think outside of the boardroom and opt for a museum, wild animal park, theme park or docked cruise ship.
2. Spring for better entertainment. If your budget will allow you to have a well-known headliner, this alone can make up for the lack of an exotic setting.
3. Invite an enticing guest speaker. A well-known guest speaker may or may not be more affordable than a great headliner, so check prices for both before deciding which will work better for your particular situation.

A little competition can go a long way, particularly when it comes to team building activities. Team building challenges that break your group up into smaller teams competing against each other are a great way to build camaraderie, encourage participation and get your attendees working together in new and different ways. This type of team building activity can also be particularly useful if staff members who are of different levels in the company work together as equals on each team. When friendly competition and small working groups are involved, you will often see your natural leaders shine, your staff’s wallflowers become more involved and the rivals begin to work together for the greater good.

There are many types of competitive activities that can be used in team building. One example is requiring each team to build a solar powered vehicle using provided materials. This timely activity is a great way to increase environmental awareness while building your team, which makes it an even more appropriate choice for this era of increasing environmental concern. Of course, it is not enough to simply build a solar powered vehicle; in order to really have some fun and encourage some friendly competition, there must also be a race. This activity is a great way to blow off steam at the end of a long day of more strenuous team building activities, or even a fun way to spend an afternoon during a regular work day.