Incentive trip - why is it worth organizing it?

The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), an international organization associating professional organizers, experts and clients of meetings and corporate events, proposes its own definition of incentive travel. Incentive tourism are employee travel, paid for by employers and being an important motivational tool. This reward for completed tasks or encouragement for further, effective work. This practice, known all over the world, is becoming more and more popular also in Poland. What does an incentive trip give employees?

Incentive trips for employees

Work, by definition, is associated with remuneration, so it is nothing special for employees, but only a due equivalent for employment. There is no consensus as to the motivating role of money - on the one hand, motivating employees through remuneration is considered the most effective method, while representatives of the opposite view claim that money does not motivate people to work. The fact is that money itself does not bring happiness, only what it can buy.

In case of incentive tourism a bonus are the unique experiences experienced by an employee appreciated for his commitment and treated as a VIP during such a trip. There is evidence that the motivational trip reward is a tool for the employee to gain recognition, respect and improve their position in the company. In addition, participants of incentive trips satisfy the need for achievement, education, novelty and adventure.

How to motivate employees?

In order to effectively motivate employees and increase their commitment to work, you must first of all get to know them well. We need to understand what drives their choices. Find out what is important to them and why they work in our company.

The key to such knowledge is employee integration. It is the creation of less formal situations, for example the organization of company trips outside the place of daily work, that creates ideal conditions for deepening relationships. Or interesting training with elements of team building, during which you will have the opportunity to get to know our employees from a different perspective. Almost everyone has some passions and interests that they are willing to devote themselves to. This way we'll know how to talk to that person in the future. And, perhaps, organize an incentive trip with elements that allow her to develop her favorite ones hobby.

The statement that a satisfied employee is the company's showcase is already a kind of truism. But the fact is that happy employee to the guarantee of our customer's satisfaction.

Non-financial ways to motivate employees

The simplest and most common association with encouraging employees to be more efficient and productive is, of course, incentives. Such financial incentives are effective, but they can be a trap in the long term. Improperly used, they cause the employee, after a period of satisfaction or even euphoria after receiving a large bonus, to believe that it should be the norm. At the same time, he does not notice that he himself has slowed down the pace of work a bit, or that he is absolutely no longer a leader in what he does. For the lack of his own commitment, he blames the employer and the lack of financial - and still growing! – motivation.

Benefits for employees

Fortunately, there are many ways to motivate employees without raising their salaries. One of them is an incentive trip. There are different types of motivation benefitsnot related to salary at all. For example, facilitating access to a nursery for children, or even the allocation of a permanent parking space in places where this is a problem. Or paying wellness treatments. Also, a clear career path and help in obtaining new, specialist qualifications or directional education is highly appreciated by employees. Yet another, but according to research, a very important element for which an employee chooses a given company and wants to work in it is the atmosphere in the team or crew.

Incentive trips for companies - advantages

From the company's point of view, incentive travel brings a number of benefits. First, incentive travel participants tend to perform better at work and stay with the company longer than other employees. Incentive trips for companies are also conducive to strengthening ties with the parent company and integrating with the employee team, which in turn translates into shaping the organizational culture of the company. Participation in such trips stimulates the team to solve problems and motivates them to take further ambitious actions. In addition, the employer, by rewarding employees with incentive trips, gains immunity to competition. It also contributes to the increase of employees' knowledge and experience.

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goals incentive tourism are to facilitate communication and networking, to promote corporate culture and loyalty, and to inspire enthusiasm for work. As the famous proverb says, the carrot is better than the stick. The opportunity to participate in paid holidays is certainly a great "carrot" that employees will be happy to reach for.

Incentive travel or motivational tourism

Incentive trips or incentive trips are currently an important element of tourism and a dynamically developing direction of event agencies. It is also an important element of the meetings industry, referred to as the English abbreviation MICE.

Incentive travel is a proven way to strengthen ties and strengthen loyalty, but above all, to show gratitude and appreciation to employees, distributors or other business partners.

To incentive trips fulfilled their role and gave the participants a sense of a certain uniqueness and exclusivity, they must be very carefully prepared and planned. Certainly, they should also contain some elements not available to the average tourist on a daily basis. These can be, for example, entrances to places with very limited access, direct participation in very spectacular events or personal meetings with great personalities.

Activities for incentive travel

An interesting proposition may also be an invitation to an off-road trip, or an active holiday in places considered to be tourist gems. If we know the people for whom our incentive travel is organized, we can focus on their passions and dreams. For example, for fishing enthusiasts, let's offer fishing in the vicinity of the Pole. Aeronautics enthusiasts balloon flight or glider. A tour of the best French or Californian vineyards will be perfect for wine lovers. You can also organize a trip to workshops where works of interest to our guest or guests are created.

Motivational trip to the mountains

Not only the nature of the trip should be tailored to the needs of the participants. It is also key choice of placebecause it is discovering new places that is one of the basic joys of traveling. Some of the most beautiful and interesting are hidden in Karkonosze. Many opportunities to spend time actively are offered in the immediate vicinity of the Karkonosze National Park The Crown of the Karkonosze Manor in Sosnowka. “Skiing and walking routes, company field games, rafting on the river are just some of the attractions that our guests can take advantage of,” enumerates Joanna Hoc-Kopiej, the owner of Dwór Korona Karkonoszy.

Motivational tourism attractions

“We organize cooking tournaments with celebrities, beer feasts, dumpling making workshops, gingerbread decorating workshops, bread baking and many others. In addition, each company is looked after by a dedicated event manager who will match the best offer to the company's expectations,” she emphasizes. A successful incentive trip must be unique, creative and fun. The Crown of the Karkonosze, organized in Dwór, will certainly be one of them.

Incentive trip - characteristics

Incentive trips are an effective motivational tool, the purpose of which is to inspire employees to further action, i.e. to effectively perform their duties and thus contribute to the development of the company. The incentive trip can also be a form of an exclusive, personal reward for the best team members. What for? For overall achievements in the company or for work on a specific project. The employee does not receive an ordinary, tangible item, statuette or additional bonus as a reward. He is gifted with a unique trip to an unusual place. He gets an amazing adventure that will provide him with a huge dose of great fun and lots of unforgettable impressions. That's what it does incentive trips something unique, and at the same time - an effective form of mobilization to work.

Incentive trips have a positive impact on both employers and employees. The employer gains the sympathy and recognition of his subordinates, and they are more motivated to work efficiently and have higher self-esteem. What are the characteristics of incentive tourism?

1. Uniqueness. An incentive trip should be unique and inimitable. It should pleasantly surprise the employees. Create a "wow" effect. Thanks to this, it will bring motivational benefits - it will trigger in employees the desire to win the award again (they will try to reward their actions throughout the year).
2. exclusivity. The incentive trip is a reward for outstanding employees. It's a form of saying "thank you" by the employer. Something to make a person stand out. Participants in the journey should be aware that they have been privileged in some way and can take part in something that is intended only for a few.
3. High quality. An incentive trip should be organized in a perfect way. Each element of the journey must be distinguished by the highest quality, prestige and exclusivity. The trip should abound in unusual, inaccessible to the "average" tourist attractions that will delight the participants.

Incentive trips for companies and employer branding

Organization of integration events, events and incentive trips is of great importance for every company. First of all, it builds and strengthens a positive image of the company in the eyes of employees and contractors. This is also part of the strategy employer branding. Let's add that a necessary element! Externally, we show that the company is strong, dynamic and has interesting ideas for organizing events. We also strengthen internal employer branding, i.e. the one aimed at own employees and potential job candidates. In turn, we show them that the company cares about its employees and is able to appreciate their effort and qualifications. And also that he knows how to thank them and distinguish them. Such actions will also strengthen their loyalty, motivation and commitment.

Incentive trips it is also an important element of building strong and effective teams. Not without significance is the fact that an incentive trip is also an opportunity to rest and regenerate. And what is even more important, it is an opportunity to broaden horizons and look for inspiration for further creative work.

Principles of motivating employees

Most employees, but also employers, perceive motivation in one dimension and limit it to the form of pay. And in fact, it is only one element of effective employee engagement. From various studies and conversations with employees, it is clear that, apart from pay, the most important thing is for them good atmosphere at work. What's more, some of them are ready to work even for slightly less money, but in a place where they feel good and meet people they like.

Relationships at work

Building good relationships and employee integration is one of the basic principles of motivating employees. What's more, trust between employees and mutual support not only keeps people in the company, but also causes them to solve many minor issues at their own level, without involving the management. For example, the issues of substitutions at work or assistance in more difficult tasks, or the transfer of information relevant to employees are natural and trouble-free.

Another important rule is to show employees that we see their efforts and efforts. Sometimes a simple conversation, praise or showing an improvement with its author is enough. Here, too, there is the issue of a certain openness to the employee and allowing him to take his own initiative. Let's remember that thanks to this, he will also feel more responsible for what he does.

Another important principle is to show employees that they have a chance for development in our company. Sometimes it is enough to indicate some stages, after reaching which the employee has a chance for promotion or to support ambitious employees in expanding their knowledge.

Incentive trip - program

Incentive trip can increase the efficiency of employees and mobilize them to work efficiently. In addition, it is an effective form of building a positive image of the employer, as well as a way to shape employee loyalty towards the company. Incentive travel creates company culture, facilitates communication and interaction with management, and is conducive to building and strengthening employee teams. However, in order to bring the expected results, they must be organized in the right way.

What should an incentive trip look like?

What should an incentive trip program look like? First of all, it is worth including interesting attractions that will provide participants with great fun and generate a lot of unusual memories. Attractions should be unique. An example is a fairy-tale helicopter flight, during which you can admire picturesque landscapes, a parachute jump, which will give you a thrill, or a quad or snowmobile ride on a complicated terrain, which will appeal to all lovers of extreme driving.

As we have already mentioned, an incentive trip is something special, unique, one of a kind. It should surprise employees with its exclusive character. It can be a domestic or foreign trip, but the most important thing is that it should be of a high standard and full of amazing activities.

What to do on an incentive trip?

Other attractions that can spice up the incentive trip are:

• meetings or workshops conducted by outstanding personalities, well-known and respected specialists or celebrities,
• sightseeing or employee trips to popular tourist destinations, but in a different, unusual way - for example, a glider flight over mountain peaks,
• participation in prestigious sports or cultural events, for example in star concerts world format,
• gala with unusual attractions.

Why motivation employees is important?

Probably every manager has wondered many times whether his employees are properly motivated? And what are they guided by when choosing this job and not another? After all, their involvement - or lack of it - means profit and development of the company. Or just its persistence and stagnation. Of course, it is not the employees who decide on the directions of the company's development and its strategy. But they have to achieve these goals later. Without the right motivation and commitment of the employee, little can be done, but much can be lost. For example, carelessness or mediocrity in accepting an order or in the production of a product will reflect on the company's image. It can also mean a direct loss to the company. A full-time employee will receive his salary anyway, because he fulfills the minimum that is required of him.

So what can you do to keep employees engaged in their tasks? Well, you have to give them a reason. It should be shown that the company wants the employee to be satisfied and that he is an important element of it. He must also understand that the condition of the company also depends on him. And also that it will translate into the atmosphere at work and the quality of his life.

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Motivational and integration trip

Motivational and integration trips are forms of tourism for employees that are radically different from each other. The first difference is the target group and the purpose of the trip. The integration is addressed to all employees. Its purpose is to strengthen the bonds between individual members of the company's team and to relax the atmosphere. Incentive trips apply only to the best, outstanding employees. The trip is a reward for their excellent achievements, efficiency and contribution to the development of the company.

Integration and motivation

Another issue is attractions. An incentive trip must not be complete without unusual, sometimes even extreme activities. The motivational journey is supposed to be something unique that will surprise the participants and stay in their memory for a long time. In the case of integration trips, companies usually focus on simple, but still interesting, activities. Examples of attractions ideal for integration trip are: workshops, theme party, field game, integration games, tournaments (dancing, cooking, etc.). To be able to organize them, you need to choose the right ones place for an integration trip. Such, where the implementation of this type of activity will be possible.

The last difference is the budget. More is spent on incentive trips. All because of their exclusive character and high standards. The hallmark of such travels is luxury and uniqueness.

Incentive trip - advantages

Incentive trips build bonds among employees. Common experiences, emotions and adventures, which are abundant in motivational tourism, effectively bring the team closer together. In addition, it motivates you to act, as a momentary rest from work allows you to recharge your batteries.

Incentive tourism stimulates the creativity of employees. New surroundings, positive emotions, original attractions mean that after returning to work, unconventional ideas appear as if by magic!