Savvy planners know that a company’s top performers expect authentic curated experiences designed to both create lasting memories and demonstrate how much they are appreciated. Courtesy of Moniker

Retaining top talent is a leading priority for businesses big and small, as the average American worker will stay at their job for just under four years, according to last year’s data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keeping your best on board is critical, as turnover creates instability and unease, ultimately costing a company more. Bonuses and performance-based rewards have long been reliable retention strategies, but today’s elite performers are looking for more. They want stability, a clear path to career advancement and next-level professional development, as well as work-life balance and a corporate culture in which their accomplishments are appreciated.

Meeting and event planners are continuously tasked with creating thoughtfully designed experiences that recognize high performers. Whether the end goal is to boost morale, prioritize unplugging or simply celebrate peak performers, these out-of-office events and extravaganzas invite employees to relax and recharge — and there are myriad ways to reimagine the way a company rewards its employees.

Ultra-curated ‘Aspirational’ Experiences

“Gone are the days where you just bring everybody out and it’s free alcohol and shrimp cocktails, lobster and things like that,” says Gary McCreary, CMP Fellow, CPCE, CSEP.

McCreary — who spent much of his career with the Las Vegas Sands Corporation before becoming a longtime international meeting planner at Young Presidents Organization (YPO) — founded GLM Luxury Events earlier this year and says curated experiences built on authenticity create lasting memories that both stay with attendees and show how much they are appreciated.

“And it’s really trying to either connect with the location … or really creating special moments that you could not get on your own. Whether you’re looking on a very small scale or even a companywide scale, you’re looking for inspiration. You’re looking for connections — something that’s really out of the ordinary,” McCreary says.

For example, on an incentive trip to the Italian island of Murano — renowned for its long tradition of glassmaking — many attendees will make it a point to visit the Museo del Vetro, which tells the story of glass through the centuries. McCreary recalls taking his group to a renowned glass school on the island to learn the centuries-old craft. It was an elevated experience he curated to create lasting memories.

“You spend the day with one of the apprentice students and you’re hearing their stories, learning why they came here and how they spend their time,” he says. “[Attendees] can ask: ‘How do you mix colors into glass, and how do you process it?’ Then you try your hand at it and come home with the glass that you’ve blown yourself, and it’s those kinds of things that really take people out of their everyday life.”

McCreary’s outlook is on par with statistical findings that incentive travelers highly value opportunities to enjoy authentic destination experiences as a local would. The 2024 Attendee Preferences for Incentive Travel report, conducted by the Incentive Research Foundation, found that more than 80% of participants considered unique experiences — the kind that they couldn’t easily plan themselves — as extremely, or very, important to their overall experience.

“That’s what I’m really after, and in a way, that’s what a lot of the market, I think, is after,” McCreary says. “Everybody lives through everyone else on Instagram and TikTok and all of this, and you have more aspirational media to look at these days than ever before, right? So, you’ve got a much higher bar to go after.”

However, while customized incentives demonstrate to VIPs and top-performers that they matter, such events don’t necessarily require a big spend to be effective, says Megan Goldberg, a senior creative marketing manager at RMC, a national destination management services company.

“We had a couple events where we found out everyone’s birthday and then had a really cool custom acrylic astrology card on everyone’s plate at dinner. We found out people’s birthstones then had their gemstone colors for their table setting,” Goldberg adds. “Things like that aren’t too expensive to do, but [they] go that extra mile — finding out that extra information so we can make it extra special and curated.”

Goldberg has planned experiences for groups at Montage Palmetto Bluff, a luxury resort in Bluffton, SC, known as the “Heart of the Lowcountry.” She says that as guests arrived by boat, they were welcomed by a Gullah choir singing traditional spirituals a cappella in an African singing style considered part of the cultural fabric of South Carolina — specifically the Lowcountry. “And the palm basket weaving, that’s really big in South Carolina and the Charleston area. We love incorporating that,” Goldberg adds. The weaving tradition dates back three centuries and gives travelers a hands-on opportunity to enjoy an authentic Lowcountry experience.

Goldberg cites another example of an incentive trip she orchestrated — this time in Aspen, CO, where guests stayed at The Dunbar, a 160-acre ranch retreat that is owned by actor Kevin Costner and located just a few minutes from downtown.

“We work closely with his people, and we’ll have all these activities set up, like fly fishing or Jeep tours or something that is a very unique, one-of-a-kind experience that you can only really [have] in these sorts of locations,” she explains. “It’s all about curated, bespoke experiences … you have to have some sort of incentive for people to have that goal … [of going] to these magical places [to] experience these magical things, and we love setting that up for companies.”

Sean Hoff, founder and managing partner of Moniker, a corporate travel and retreat planning agency, recently worked with a client in real estate development who was looking to reward their top 50 salespeople.

“The client knew that they wanted to go somewhere that, in their exact words, was exotic, glamorous and would seem like a true bucket list experience,” Hoff says. “And so we were throwing around: ‘Well, what about Iceland? What about Rio? What about Morocco?’” Ultimately, he planned an extraordinary trip to Thailand. Apart from a casual breakfast gathering that showcased some of the clients’ upcoming projects, the remainder of the trip centered around fun experiences that explored extraordinary Thai culture and cuisine.

Studies show that incentive travelers place high value on opportunities to experience destinations authentically, as a local would. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

High Performers on the High Seas

Sure, you can plan an incentive trip to a destination, but why not make it multiple destinations, all on one trip?

Neil Brodie is vice president of Experiences at Sea, Charters, Meetings and Incentives for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. He’s worked with a wide range of incentive travel groups, some needing as few as eight cabins while others required full ship charters for 4,000 attendees.

“We have a very simple three-pillar platform that we stand on, which is: ‘Ask, listen and act,’” Brodie says. “We ask: ‘Why are they hosting this incentive? Who’s coming on board, where are they coming from and what are they trying to accomplish? We listen to what they have to say, and then we act. Then we work together with that group to bring a unique, immersive experience to life, so that when someone comes on from that particular company, they’re not just coming on Norwegian Cruise Line, but they’re coming on Norwegian Cruise Line for a very specific purpose.”

Brodie says the market has been making a shift to cruising since the pandemic ended. He credits a number of factors, including the flexibility ships offer to accommodate different group sizes and dedicate multiple spaces to create an exclusivity factor. The Norwegian Viva — the second ship in the Prima Class fleet, with a capacity of 3,219 passengers — has a versatile three-story theater with retractable seating. In less than 15 minutes, it can be easily transformed from a potential classroom or award-ceremony space into a vibrant nightclub.

“That’s just an example of how we’re flexible with the space, and we use some of the lounges or even specialty restaurants as breakout rooms,” he adds. “But we bring that same mindset off the ship as well. We have a department that all they do is help book customized and privatized excursions for groups.”

Brodie says that inclusive pricing also attracts planners. Rates typically include taxes and fees, as well as things such as beverage and specialty dining packages and excursions. “So, from a planner’s perspective, budgeting is incredibly easy,” he says. “Things that typically a group gets charged for on land we do not charge for on our ships, and that would include meeting space, audiovisual and food-and-beverage minimums. None of those things exist on any of our three brands, which obviously is typical at any land-based resort [or hotel] that you go to.”

Brodie echoes the sentiments of many meeting planners right now: Their people are asking for more leisure time during trips.

“More and more research is showing that people also want free time. You can do things where the group feels inclusive, where they have their meetings, have their cocktail parties [and] the group can dine together,” he says. “But everyone wants to do something different and feels fulfilled by doing different things, [whether] that’s going to the spa for a massage or playing in the casino or just lounging on a chair. I think the cruise ship is the perfect venue to give them both that private time with the group, as well as the private time for themselves.”

Hoff agrees, adding that in Moniker’s post-event surveys, he’s seeing more people express a desire for more free time. “That’s something we try to pass on to our clients. Sometimes there’s a tendency to try to overprogram, and we’re like: ‘Not only will you save money by not trying to squeeze in something every hour of the day, but people actually prefer to have, like, one afternoon entirely to themselves,’” he says. “When you overprogram an incentive, it can feel almost like you’re always checking your agenda for where you have to be next.”

While the idea of a cruise might conjure up images of thousands of people milling about popular deck areas, Brodie is quick to point out that groups can be as exclusive, or inclusive, as they choose. For example, he points out that The Haven is Norwegian’s “ship within a ship” concept — a luxurious private section at the top of the vessel that offers complete seclusion and the most luxurious, well-appointed and spacious accommodations available. A stay in The Haven comes with personal concierge and 24-hour butler service, as well as use of an exclusive sundeck and priority status for everything from embarkation, debarkation and boarding of tenders to shore, to onboard entertainment and dining times.

“This is a really unique way for a group that might be between 14 and 123 rooms to have a completely privatized experience without being able to charter an entire ship,” he explains.

McCreary also sees increased interest in taking incentive travel experiences to the high seas.

“I like the whole idea of the yacht piece, because you can show people a lot of different areas, a lot of different experiences, and the background is always changing. The amount of money that companies like Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons are just plowing into creating these luxury yacht experiences … to me, is very interesting,” McCreary says, adding that curated experiences in smaller, more intimate ports of call instill an elite VIP feel.

Whether it’s boosting job satisfaction or reinvigorating a group’s passion for work, incentive travel can show top performers they are appreciated while celebrating their achievements. Today, by thinking outside the box, meeting planners have a new world of opportunities to create elite experiences that inspire, reward and reinvigorate attendees.

Says McCreary: “Instead of your general session in the meeting room, or your gala night, now you’ve pulled into the Port of Dubrovnik and … on the bow of the ship, you have John Legend performing, all of Dubrovnik in the background and all your attendees are sitting … having dinner.” C&IT