Atlantis Paradise Island, in The Bahamas, continues to attract planners for its luxury, amenities and 500,000 sf of meeting and event space. Photo courtesy of Atlantis Paradise Island

Creating a memorable incentive event is more than just finding an exciting destination. It is about creating an overall experience that not only rewards employees, but gets them engaged and excited.

Sometimes, that means “shaking things up.”

Jessica King, an associate director of meetings and events, and a member of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence and Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals, saw that people had been hesitant to travel great distances after 9/11, but she was determined to push the envelope.

Thanks to King’s persistence, last year, her company sent its reward winners to Baha Mar in Nassau, Bahamas. The result was the military-affiliated financial institution’s highest attended incentive trip, topping 2,000 participants, including the top performers, their spouses and, in some cases, their entire families.

“They were excited to try a new destination,” King explains about the popularity of the Bahamas.

As all meetings and events turn to more experiential elements, high-end incentive planners are under pressure to deliver unforgettable moments. Not only do the trips serve as perks for elite performers but also encourage loyalty to the company and excellence on the job.

Incentive programs are widely regarded as among the most effective tools organizations can use to inspire their workers. According to Go Gather, a corporate travel firm that plans incentive travel programs, reward trips can boost sales productivity by 18% and produce an ROI of up to 112%.

A generational shift

“New” and “exclusive” are two terms often popping up as financial and insurance companies aim to match the expectations from a decidedly younger workforce than a decade ago. For instance, the median age of employees at King’s firm years ago was 58; now it’s 43.

Today’s incentive travelers are more likely to have school-age children and, as a result, fewer opportunities to see the world due to their kids’ commitments. Rewards programs sometimes can become the catalyst for a once-in-a-lifetime family vacation, rather than the solo adventures of years past.

Fancy meals, personalized gifts and special perks remain an important part of the program, but the experience as a whole is being raised to unseen heights. Anyone can enjoy the pristine beaches and clear waters of the Bahamas. However, only a well-executed incentive trip can feature a Junkanoo (festival-like) parade, exclusive performances by elite musical groups and events scattered across unique venues within luxury hotels. “Unique experiences drive that excitement,” says King.

Small touches are big

Traditional incentive trips reward recent performance, but a southern-based insurance company took a different approach. It researched sales regions where leadership saw the top potential for growth and handpicked a select number of associates from those areas to attend in the hopes the trip would spark improved numbers. The result was an intimate gathering of 12 company employees and a spouse or family member — one attendee brought their college-aged daughter — at the Shore Club, an intimate and luxurious beachfront resort in Turks and Caicos.

“We’ve got a really good ratio there so we can get people to network and build those relationships,” says their senior director of meetings and events, Allison Brymer.

A bonus ingredient was the addition of celebrity chef Josh Capon, who was hired to cook one meal at the event but independently extended his stay with his wife onsite. “He was the life of the party,” Brymer says. “He became a part of the group.”

Capon may have been a big splash, but the incentive was marked by small touches that made the guests feel like VIPs, including:

• Suites, instead of standard hotel rooms
• Swag, such as custom tote bags, monogrammed towels and high-end sunglasses
• Sky passes to speed through lines at the airport, including customs
• Shuttles to transport attendees into town to visit local shops

Grander experiences included Capon cooking a private meal and a yacht tour, as well as watersports like jet skiing and snorkeling.

Brymer credits the company’s partner, Endeavor Hospitality Group, for helping source the hotel and activities.

Embracing the city

Beach destinations remain popular, but attendees still want to be a part of the big city, too. King planned an incentive trip in New York City a few years ago that drew a record number of attendees at the time, just under 2,000.

The Hilton Midtown’s location and accessibility made it the right fit for the group over prominent hotels in Times Square. There was certainly no lack of possibilities for seeing the city during the tour day. Options included:

• Broadway tickets to either “Hamilton” or “Wicked”
• A “Sex and the City” tour
• Visiting One World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial
• A foodie tour including knishes from Katz’s Deli and a cannoli in Little Italy
• Tickets to the New York Yankees vs. New York Mets baseball game

Local DMCs assisted with transportation, tickets and other logistics.

The event kept it local inside the hotel, including the grand reception highlighting New York’s famed boroughs and neighborhoods. “There was one where you went into the Village and you were having pizza at Joe’s,” King fondly recalls. There were also hot dog stands in the stadium section and other classic dishes and decorations.

For the grand finale, the financial institution headed to Ellis Island, the traditional starting point for immigrants in this country. The company’s private event included ferry rides to capture scenic views of the city, reenactments of early immigration moments and a fireworks show over the Statue of Liberty.

The magic extended to the weather, which was mild by July standards.

“Honestly, New York was my favorite conference I have planned, hands down,” King admits.

Making it personal

Allowing attendees to select tours that appeal to their interests reflects a larger trend toward personalizing incentive programs.

“Overall, luxury incentives are shifting toward delivering meaningful, tailored experiences that align with the values and lifestyles of modern high-end travelers,” says a senior event manager with a global insurance company based in Massachusetts that held two consecutive 600-person programs at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The company prioritizes offering choices wherever possible — whether in gifting options, activities or menu selections. For instance, a make-your-own-ribeye steak at a local cowboy cookout proved to be very popular. Care for the individual continued onto the dance floor, as curated quiet areas were built within the event space to accommodate different comfort levels and preferences.

Attendees were offered myriad off-site entertainment options reflecting Scottsdale’s diverse amenities. The variety of activities included floating down a lazy river and kayaking, cattle drives, bites and brews, golf, hat making and more.

“Rather than just offering lavish gifts or trips, luxury incentives now emphasize unique, immersive experiences that create lasting memories and foster deeper emotional connections,” says the insurance company event manager, noting that engagement with the event app and interactive digital experiences helped tailor the incentive to attendee tastes.

Beyond the beach

As the saying goes, if you can hold an event in New York, you can hold one anywhere. But that doesn’t necessarily make the Big Apple the top dog for domestic destinations. Again, tropical locales, like the Caribbean or Hawaii, remain hotspots. But other locations around the country also are popular. The New England based company not only had events in Arizona, but also Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; and Daytona and Port Charlotte in Florida.

Dan Surette, chief sales officer at Omni Hotels & Resorts, follows the movements of high-end rewards programs closely. The company emphasizes customer care and recently earned the J.D. Power Award for Guest Satisfaction in the Upper Upscale segment for 2025. The good news follows last year’s “peak” for incentives that Omni is also enjoying this year, he says.

Surette adds that the diversity of popular incentive destinations reflects the tastes of a younger generation moving up the corporate ladder. This age group likes the beach, but not all the time, he notes. “What I’m hearing and seeing in our bookings is that groups are veering away from doing the same thing every year. So, I do think there’s an appeal to non-resort beach destinations,” he says.

Speaking to that point, King says that it’s not a coincidence that the attendee numbers spike when new destinations are offered. Her firm purposely mixes up locations each year. New York was followed by the Bahamas, and after this summer in Scottsdale, top earners are headed to Denver, Colorado in 2026.

Family ties

The surge in incentive attendance reflects the effectiveness that rewards programs can have on production. It also highlights the added value of bringing together top personnel. High-end incentives are often taking the place of traditional meetings, meaning excursions and activities are subtly doubling for what would be called teambuilding on a different occasion.

For instance, a financial group at Omni Amelia Island tied in a scavenger hunt with CSR programming for these two activities offered to visiting groups:

• Build-a-Bridge: Using coins earned at Road Rally stations, teams went “grocery shopping” for dry and canned goods. Their goal was to use the items to construct a bridge that meets specific requirements. Once built, teams pitched their bridge to judges. They were encouraged to create a jingle and perform a live commercial as part of their presentation. Afterward, all food items were donated to the local food bank.
• Back-to-School: Teams used Road Rally coins to “shop” for approved school supplies, racing to fill as many backpacks as possible within 30 minutes. Groups then donated the backpacks to a local charity.

Spouses are generally welcomed at most luxury incentives, and the company King works for allows attendees to pay their own way for family to join at the destination. However, it is staff only for the meetings portion.

While incentives are high-budget items on an event portfolio, most financial and insurance companies recognize the value they bring. King says having to cancel a trip to Nashville in 2020 due to COVID was a painful reminder to leadership and attendees. “We realized how lucky we were that we got to celebrate together,” she says.

Future planning

Despite uncertain economic forecasts, inflation concerns and geopolitical troubles, the finance group plans in 2027 to expand its incentives to offer an international trip to the best-of-the-best performers and a domestic trip to others who qualify for a rewards program.

King says, “We’re essentially incentivizing all of our advisors to push to be the top of the top,” adding, “Smaller groups often benefit from a wider range of location options and
greater potential for customization. With excellent vendor
partnerships and clear, consistent communication among all stakeholders, it’s possible to create a high-end program for groups of any size.”

Financial and insurance companies reap the benefits of employing fresh approaches to their high-end incentive events, creating programs that make employees feel valued and ensuring that they are performing at their peak all year long. I&FMM