INCENTIVE TRAVEL INFORMATION
As your incentive travel planner, we will help you find the perfect destination and resort for your group. Once you’ve chosen a location, we will assist you in mapping out a great itinerary for your group. Our team can work with you to plan a completely “on-site” event or a mixed event with both “on-site” and “off-site” activities. No need to worry about the logistics – that’s where we shine. Yellow Umbrella Events will always make you look like a rock star planner!
What is incentive travel?
Incentive travel is defined as a business tool designed to change behavior to improve profit, cash flow, employee management, and customer engagement. Basically, it’s a travel perk used to motivate your team members (or even vendor partners and distributors) and increase their overall loyalty, that’s tied to a measurable goal (usually financial or sales based) for the company.
There are many studies on the effectiveness of incentive travel programs, showing that a company could expect returns anywhere from a 20% overall increase in sales volume to increases of more than 4 X the total cost of the incentive trip, depending on various factors. In short, incentive travel can make a major difference in your company’s sales goals!
At Yellow Umbrella Events, we specialize in planning incentive travel events at all-inclusive resort destination locations.
How much does it cost to hire Yellow Umbrella Events for our incentive travel program and/or event?
Our site selection and room block sourcing services are complimentary and include the following:
An incentive travel planner to help you determine the perfect resort for your incentive travel group, based on your specific budget and overall needs.
A dedicated travel professional that will work one on one with you and your guests to help navigate the entire booking and travel process. No 1-800 numbers or call centers – you will receive a direct number to your dedicated travel pro in our Austin area office.
A one-page website with all your event’s travel details, for all your guests to access at any time. Example of the one-page site – https://www.yellowumbrellaevents.com/breakaway2020/
Our professional texting service that allows you to communicate important details to all guests at one time.
There is no charge for our site selection and room block sourcing services because the resorts offer us a room commission after an event group has completed travel. This commission does not affect your room rate because the resorts maintain rate parity and the commission is paid from their marketing fund.
If you’d like assistance beyond site selection, room block planning, and ground transportation to and from the airport, we are happy to help you with planning all on-site events, off-site events, and overall guest itinerary. We charge the industry standard of 15% of the total cost of the event elements, plus all travel expenses. Otherwise, you may work directly with the resort’s on-site coordinator for your group’s on-site event-specific planning.
Who pays for the incentive travel event?
Normally the host company pays for the majority, if not all, of the incentive travel if it is part of an overall incentive program. However, this is not always the case. Some of our clients prefer to work with more of a hybrid system, where they may sponsor the on-site events but may not sponsor (pay for) the trip components, like airfare and rooms. Other clients (like group influencers or MLM leaders) may act as simply the marketer of the event and the attendee pays for all elements of travel.
It’s completely up to the host of the event on what components of the travel, if any, will be paid for by the host. Our team can work with you in whatever capacity you see fit for your incentive travel group.
How involved do I need to be in the planning of the incentive travel event?
You can be as involved as you’d like – very little or involved in every aspect. The most important things that a group leader needs to do is to actively support the incentive travel program to the attendees and any vendor partners and be available to communicate important details to guests.
How far in advance should we plan an incentive travel event for our staff, team members, vendor partners, distributors, etc?
Normally, 6 – 8 months in advance is most ideal. However, we work with companies that like to plan a year or more in advance and we’ve even planned a very large incentive travel event with less than 90 days’ notice! You can decide what works best for you and your company’s goals.
Is incentive travel the same thing as a company meeting or training event?
No, but it does have some similar elements, and we can help you plan both. A company meeting or training is very much a business event focused on the company and it’s plans/directives/info, where an incentive event is focused on the guest (team member, vendor partner, distributor, etc.) and their overall experience. Company meetings and training events typically last 2 – 3 days, while incentive events normally last from 4 – 7 days.
How much does an incentive travel event cost, per attendee?
This answer can be vastly different, depending on the location, travel components, how many days will be included, events hosted during the event, if gifting is included, and more. However, the industry average is approximately $4,000 per attendee, with most events ranging from $3,500 – $5,500 per attendee. You could spend more or less, depending on your specific event needs. We’re happy to hop on a call and talk you through what the overall expenses may be for your incentive travel event. Contact us here.
How long does an incentive travel event last?
This answer will vary greatly based on your overall budget and goals but most of our incentive travel events last from 4 – 7 days and include a mix of both planned daytime or nighttime events and casual “on your own” days where attendees will enjoy some free time.
