Reimagining Business Meetings and Incentive Travel Post-Covid

Despite a lot of talk about reimagining business meeting, association, and incentive travel formats after the end of the pandemic, and research from multiple sources that attendees highly prefer to spend time with one another than being lectured to in keynotes and panel discussions, there is evidence that the MICE (meetings, incentive, conventions, and exhibitions) is going back to business as usual, except perhaps in the area of environmental sustainability. This Enterprise Engagement Alliance RRN YouTube show will interview five highly experienced meetings and incentive travel specialists to find out what’s happening at the front lines.

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Four meetings and incentive travel executives and a research expert on all aspects of engagement will join an Enterprise Engagement Alliance RRN at RewardsRecognitionNetwork.com live and streamed EEA YouTube Show on “Reimagining Business Meetings and Incentive Travel in the Post-Covid Era.”

Have business and association meeting formats changed from the traditional keynote and panel discussion formats that can now be so easily produced via live and streaming video? Are business and association meetings still mostly comprised of auditorium formats versus interactivity, except for breaks, meals, and free time? During the pandemic, experts talked about completely reversing the time spent in plenaries/panels (usually 80%) to 20%, focusing mostly on how to foster collaboration, interactivity, relationship building that can't occur in an auditorium. Are organizations that use incentive travel actually embracing unique, authentic experiences and new destinations, as the research suggest? Is sustainability in meetings and incentive travel and corporate social responsibility for real or just greenwashing?

Register here for the live program on Tue. Nov. 28 at 11 am ET or stay tuned afterwards for the summary article and link to the show for streaming on the EEA Enterprise Engagement and Human Capital YouTube Channel.

According to the latest Northstar/Cvent survey on incentive travel, “programs are building in more flexible agendas to meet participants' varied preferences. The latest Hilton Trend Report predicts “that travelers of all ages will value connectivity and personalization, seek out culture and unique experiences, and embrace new business travel trends as travel boom continues.” In the latest Incentive Research Foundation/SITE 2023 Incentive Travel Index, Stephanie Harris, Incentive Research Foundation President, writes “Incentive travel is expected to be fresh and exciting, with 71% of our respondents indicating an increased demand for new destinations not used before.”

This show will address what’s actually happening at the front lines. Are association and corporate planners so relieved to be back in business that all the discussion of innovation and transforming experiences was talk or can we expect serious changes in event formats across the spectrum? Is sustainability hype?

Panelists are Jacque Busby, Founder, CEO of Luxe Incentives, a 32-year-old meetings and incentive travel firm; Kate Cardoso, Director, Strategic Services, HMI Performance Incentives founded in 1980; Charlotte Frederick, Vice President, Special Markets, EGR International, founded in 1970, Dr. Rick Garlick, Founder, Rick Garlick & Associates, with decades of research experience in all areas of customer and employee engagement and eperiences; and Melissa Van Dyke, Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing and Innovation, The Creative Group, founded in 1970.

Register here for the live program on Tue. Nov. 28 at 11 am ET or stay tuned afterwards for the summary article and link to the show for streaming on the EEA Enterprise Engagement and Human Capital YouTube Channel.

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