Corporate Travel Destinations

Meetings in other countries have been a popular concept for businesses over the past several years, especially as air travel continues to become increasingly affordable. Several countries have developed entire regions dedicated to earning the business of enterprise clients and this business serves many purposes:

• Businesses get great deals on accommodations and entertainment, often with amazing all inclusive packages. The prices offered by many developing countries on goods, services, and accommodations are absolutely unbeatable and in volume can even make up for the price of airfare.
• Attendants of such events or meetings get a chance to travel and see the world. This broadens perspectives, increases loyalty, and even gets the mind working in entirely new ways. Who knows what the benefit will be of stirring up the creative juices with new stimuli, but they are bound to be profound and lasting.
• The communities in developing nations that have invested heavily in building the infrastructure necessary to attract business customers benefit from having tourists and may even have other business opportunities worth looking into. Some countries develop business-oriented tourist facilities in tandem with plans to build business parks and production facilities that could further enhance the relationship between a developing country and businesses looking to lower their bottom line. The result can be a win-win situation if the circumstances are right.

If meetings in boardrooms and convention centers are starting to feel a little passé, then consider a meeting at sea. A meeting at sea could prove to be just what an organization needs to breathe new life into it and revitalize its image, but there are many other benefits. Here is a short list of some of the top benefits of planning a meeting at sea:

Concierge service – whatever you want, however you want it, without all the hassle. That is what a concierge service is in a nutshell, and they make planning a meeting at sea a simple affair.

All inclusive – most companies that offer floating meeting rooms wrapped in luxury liners also offer all inclusive options. Imagine easy pricing that makes budgeting as easy as planning.

Exotic locations – A change of scenery can stir new ideas, and that could be all it takes to revitalize flagging spirits and sagging morale. Even if only a select few can attend a meeting at sea each year, the opportunity could be all it takes to inspire greater effort from entire teams.

Bonding entertainment – developing teamwork is extremely difficult in many cases, especially for larger companies that are already have a corporate culture built around competition between divisions. Putting people from different departments on a cruise where the fun begins when the meetings end can build unity and loyalty.

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.

Corporate incentive travel is meant to be fun, memorable and a bit on the luxury side. Above all else, it should truly feel like a reward for the hard work and loyalty of staff members, and should make them feel appreciated and acknowledged. As a corporate travel planner, this is likely already at the top of your list when planning incentive travel packages; however, you are likely also always on the lookout for small, inexpensive ways to improve the experience of incentive travel winners, while still being able to easily stay within your predetermined budget.

One easy way to do this is through the use of incentive travel gifts that are related to the destination. Many gifts of this nature can be purchased affordably and are a nice addition to travel packages that will surely be appreciated by the recipients. Gifts can be as simple as a map of the local area or a guidebook listing attractions and information of interest to visitors, or they can be more extravagant, such as gift cards to upscale area restaurants, tickets to the ballet or opera, or personalized luggage. There are also many fun options that can be location-specific, such as sunglasses and beach towels for beach destinations, or hats and scarves for trips to ski resorts.

Recent research suggests that people making retail purchases are examining their expenditure more closely before making decisions. In other words, there is a lot less of the willy-nilly cash throwing that the upper-middle class to the wealthy had been guilty of for so many years during the height of their prosperity. Now these same people are looking for better value and asking themselves if they really need this or that. And now, this research shows, they are happier as well.

What this means to meeting planners and their business is not so much that you will have less of it–although that could happen and may be happening now–but that you will have to focus your attention on value as well. This focus will, of course, be on the client’s behalf, so you may end up working a little harder to bring home your bacon. Continue reading »

An all-inclusive incentive travel deal can save you money, and that’s good news for corporations! If you are looking to motivate your staff by sending them on an incentive travel trip, all-inclusive bargains make a lot of sense.

For one, these all-inclusive bargains save you a lot of money as everything is included in a single package. By ‘everything’ we mean, stay, food, amusement, additional facilities and activities as well as outdoor sight visits. Some all-inclusive resort hotels also provide additional benefits for example flight bookings and airport transfers. Each item is neatly delivered on a platter and there are no surprises when the bill comes. Continue reading »