search printer phone envelope facebook twitter linkedin pinterest instagram vimeo tag clock caret-left caret-right
Back to Insights
| Written by Marie Johnson, CMP

Two Weeks in Thailand — The 2019 SITE Global Conference

This month, M&IW Director of Incentive Services, Tracy Norum, CMP, CIS, had the pleasure of attending the 2019 SITE Global Conference in Bangkok, Thailand where more than 375 industry professionals from around the world met to discuss current and forecasted trends in incentive travel. 

The biggest takeaway from the conference was how successful incentive programs integrate into an organizations structure and align with overall business and sales objectives. Travel programs make sense from a business perspective; measuring organizational effectiveness and combining continuing education and professional development, while increasing operational sales and performer loyalty.

While in Thailand, Tracy had the opportunity to connect with peers at all levels of the industry. This included tourist boards, airlines, cruise companies, hotels and convention centers, global DMCs, transportation companies, inspirational industry speakers and educators to discuss some of the most significant topics in incentive travel.

Core Incentive Travel Topics Included:

  • Strategic Planning
  • Incentive Program Design
  • Stakeholder Management
  • Human Resources
  • Managing Incentive Travel Programs
  • Financial Management
  • Marketing Communications
  • Risk & Crisis Management
  • Site Management
  • CSR & Sustainability

Breakout session and talk tracks at the SITE Global Conference dug deep into each of these topics followed by peer discussions and one-on-one networking. From these immersive meetings, Tracy had some key takeaways for our clients and community:

Develop a Balanced Scorecard—Build a holistic way to measure your operational effectiveness at all levels of your organization.

Leverage Big Data—Security, safety and technology integration is leading to more metrics than ever, use this data to create a more impactful corporate culture and segment the types of incentive programs your company offers.

Embrace Authenticity—The definition of luxury is changing. The era of big brand logos is now far less impactful than authentic, unique and personal experiences.

Adopt Inclusivity—Inclusivity is a critical concept for incentive programs. Incentive travel changes behavior and builds motivation at all levels of an organization.

Incentivize Diversity—In today’s markets, businesses who wholeheartedly embrace diversity and corporate responsibility continue to see economic growth.

Make Your Own Trends—Rather than choosing between the latest “hot-spots” in travel, consider an out-of-the-box adventure for your team that immerses travelers in localism and culture.

Incentive travel contributes significantly to economic growth and partnerships within and between organizations. Organizations must think globally both internally and externally. It is no longer enough to ‘gift’ your top performers with high-end travel—inspire the rest of your team to reach higher, offer unique experiences and create realistic metrics at each level of your business to properly create stakeholder benchmarks.

Click here to learn more about the SITE Global Conference in Bangkok. For more information about incentive travel programs, visit meetings-incentives.com or call 1+ 262.835.3553 to speak to a Meetings & Incentives Worldwide team member.