Marc Matthews, Pulse Experiential Travel: It's Time to Focus on ROI

While the pandemic has all but postponed the group incentive travel business to the second half of 2021 at the earliest, the shift has created significant opportunities for Pulse Experiential Travel, a leader in individual travel experience and getaway certificate programs. Despite that growth, founder and CEO Matthews believes it’s more important than ever to focus on program ROI.

Unlike most travel suppliers, Pulse Experiential Travel has experienced brisk business, as many companies have transferred group trips to the company’s individual travel packages that enable recipients to pick options for up to three or more years from now. To Marc Matthews, the company’s founder, it’s no time to rest on laurels. He says he’s focused on helping his clients achieve a clear return-on-investment from his company’s offerings and to maximize the reward experience. 

 

Matthews recently received a Spirit Award from the Incentive Marketing Association for his commitment to expanding the field. 

 

“Two of the biggest opportunities for organizations are to motivate that middle 60% of people who often get overlooked by offering them very clear options that help inspire them, and to provide a more clear bottom line benefit to the organization for their programs.” To that end, his company has developed a set of templated plateau programs that enable companies to establish tiers based on the level of performance as well as establish a clear return-on-investment measure. 

 

“In the current climate, we believe it’s critical to have ROI measures,” Matthews asserts. “At the same time, it has to be simple. With this program, all companies must do is establish the value of the desired goal or behavior and then establish awards that would be desirable for those tiers of accomplishment. Each time someone achieves that award, the company automatically knows the bottom-line ROI benefit.” 

 

The web site offers easily customizable program templates for different types of industries to give clients ideas of simple ways to keep people feeling excited about the prospects of goal achievement, he says. 

 

“Of course, it’s important for the the company to address the issues related to communications, assessment, coaching, effective measurement setting, etc., that go into effective program implementation. Today’s methodologies and technologies are making that easier and easier.” Matthews says his company is looking at more ways to help companies profit from technologies to make direct connections with key stakeholders that incorporate his award platform.

 

The other focus for Matthews is the reward experience. In addition to the company’s events and experiential offerings around the world, it has created a unique combination of carefully selected merchandise options for the home that can be combined with travel certificates. The company is also working on adding online book for hotels, cruises and airlines in the coming year in anticipation of a recovery in travel as 2021 progresses, Matthews adds.