How Corporate Gifting Experiences Elevate Incentives & Recognition
One of the things we are so passionate about at M&IW is creating amazing experiences. We are always on the search for partners who bring the very best and help elevate programs and the incentive experience. Hence, when our Director of Incentives, Tracy Norum, CMP, CIS, thought of the idea of showcasing an incentive gifting experience at our annual M&IW summit, our team didn’t hesitate! M&IW Summit is now just over a week away and we are beyond excited that one of our valued gifting experience partners, Cultivate, is joining us and showcasing a fun, unique and custom gifting experience. We wish we could tell you what it is but it is a surprise! (Stay tuned for a post update after the event to find out or follow us at #miwsummit to see it revealed live next Wednesday, August 8th.)
What we can share with you is how adding a gifting experience to your program makes the program meaningful for guests and partnering with the right partner makes all the difference. We chose Cultivate because they shine at making the process easy for planners with a turnkey service and featuring brands that the attendees and guests love. To dig a bit deeper, we asked the President of Cultivate, Tom Romine, three simple questions to help us showcase how great gifting experiences elevate events and incentive programs.
Tell us about your mission and how your gifting service elevates events and incentive programs?
Our core purpose is to work together to appreciate and inspire amazing people. In other words, we want to make sure those attending an event or who earned that fantastic incentive trip truly feel appreciated. One way we believe this can be accomplished is through gifting. Here’s how. With the right amount of choice on-site (of course guests should be able to select their own gift), to brands guests aspire to own (but wouldn’t necessarily purchase for themselves), to an item(s) they will use frequently – these types of gifts will often remind guests of the program they attended or incentive trip they earned, long after the event concludes.
How do you feel that your gifting service adds value when motivating employees and creating amazing experiences?
When guests arrive at our gift experience, they instantly feel transported to a beautiful boutique where the level of service is top-notch and the atmosphere is fun and inviting. When it comes to gift programs, it’s as much about making memories as it is the gifts given. Yes, we have a second to none brand selection, bold and modern displays, but what we do best is create the experience for everyone in attendance.
How do you feel that your gifting experience empowers employees and organizations?
When the gift experience is memorable and guests return home, we’ve learned they’re often asked by their friends and family, “Hey, where did you get those new sunglasses?” It’s in this moment where they can talk about the hard work they do for a great company, the incentive trip they earned and why they earned it, and how proud they feel to belong to an organization that appreciates and inspires them. Appreciation and inspiration are the cornerstones of empowerment after all!
With the experience economy still in full effect and coupled with the fact that today’s consumer wants everything brought right to their fingertips instantly, either through online shopping, meal and grocery delivery services and the like, today’s incentive experiences need to bring all of these dynamics together to create a great experience. It is becoming more challenging to elevate and WOW the incentive attendee. However, that is where creativity, service and presentation come into play. These are factors that will never go out of style when creating the epic experience!
We are excited to bring our attendees and clients this experience at our M&IW Summit. Stay tuned for an update on the experience! We can’t wait to share it with all of you!