Pulling off an Incentive "Trip" during a Pandemic

Flashback to February 2020, when the world of an Events Person was seemingly predictable. No one knew our entire industry was about to be decimated. We had our annual Company Kick Off and announced our Incentive winners on Feb 24, like so many other companies. We had our destination selected, had done the site visits, met with vendors, etc etc. We even had someone from the property talk up the experience at the awards dinner...then it all happened. 

COVID-19 Rears its Ugly Head

When we started planning the incentives trip, COVID-19 had gone from a story happening on the other side of the globe to something that could affect us, but we were hoping things could potentially still happen at the end of May. We started with a wait and see approach. I think we all knew how that went. With the reality of pandemic upon us, we decided to push to the end of summer early fall. As the days ticked off the calendar and cases continued to do what they did, we had to start reassessing even that pushed out timeline. 

The Positive in the Big Picture

Given the circumstances, I knew having a conversation with our CEO, Satyen Sangani, was going to be insightful. Sure enough, “cancelling” the program in its entirety was never even on the table. He knew how hard these team members had worked, he knew how much they needed their support networks, and he wanted to make sure they received the acknowledgement and recognition they deserved. People are digging in deep this year to keep the business moving forward. We can’t ignore what they did last year and have to set ourselves up for success next year. Cancelling this would send the wrong message. So, what do we do?

Back to Basics and Objective

What’s the point of an incentive right? Oohs ahhs and the good old “surprise and delight” that we all try to make happen every time. We knew we wanted to have an online meeting so that we could get a chance to get everyone together and thank them. How do we make that exciting? Talk to your trusted partners! I spoke with our global Four Seasons rep Jeanine Cliffe, and asked her what kind of virtual programs they had done for their customers. We got to talking and brainstorming about what some of the most memorable programs were. Given the spectrum of attendees, sales, engineering, male and female, we needed a couple of things everyone could appreciate. So, here’s what we did. 

Logistics

We decided to bookend the meeting with experiences and use those experiences to drive our gifting strategy. We sent out a box with the items to everyone to arrive the day before. We also sent out a calendar invite w a list of obscure ingredients that we asked people to obtain prior to the call. That served as a logistics buffer as well as helped build the anticipation of the event. We were kicking off the call w a cocktail and mocktail, so we sent Tiffany shakers and glasses. We had everyone keep the boxes closed and everyone opened them together. Then we had them unbox each thing through the duration of the call. So after kicking off the call, we asked everyone to pull out the teal boxes and open them. As they opened them we revealed we were “Going to the Four Seasons Cabo to make the perfect margarita” and then had Chef take the call over and do a cocktail and mocktail class with everyone including Q&A. 

After everyone had a drink in hand, we all toasted and our VP of Sales Tim O’Neill and our Chief Customer Officer Bob Block thanked everyone for their contributions and toasted everyone. But, we kept going. Next up, we had them pull out the largest boxes in the box which were Four Seasons Robes and Slippers that we ordered in advance, sent to our embroider, and had customized just for them. As they started to unbox those, we announced that we were going to the Four Seasons Oahu for a "Make your own Spa Scrub" class. At this point people had a cocktail or two and watching people smear scrub across their forehead on a Zoom call was everything I could have hoped for. 

We closed out with a big fat gift card for the Four Seasons. As our company is spread out and people have different comfort levels, we wanted to empower them and their support team to be able to make the decision they were most comfortable with. If they were okay with flying to a destination that is open, great. If they felt better driving to a local property and enjoying lots of room service, awesome. Or they could go shopping in the retail store and outfit their homes with all kinds of Four Seasons goodies. 

Why We Picked What We Did

People are at home. Items that may have been used sporadically are now getting a lot more use. We wanted to help replenish some of those items and renew their home with things that remind not just the “winners,” but the people that support them of how important they are to us. We repeatedly asked everyone to make sure their guest was on the call so their importance could be included and recognized. 

What Will Next Year Hold…

Well, I have read a LOT of articles about how events will be “Post Covid,” and I personally will say, “who knows.” I don’t think anyone really knows what the future will hold, but we as meetings and events professionals will continue to innovate and overcome.