Editor's Note: Snoopy, Cisco and Our New Incentive Travel Survey October 13, 2008 October 2008
By Jennifer Juergens
There I was at The Motivation Show when I happened to run into Snoopy. Actually, MetLife Auto & Home sent him (actually a her in costume) out to Chicago to pass out copies of the latest issue of Incentive magazine: September featured Tommy Lee Hayes-Brown, MetLife Auto & Home's first recognition chairperson, in our cover story. Hayes-Brown not only was an excellent cover subject, he spoke at our Platinum Partners awards ceremony at the John Hancock Building during the show. He joked about being appointed the company's recognition chair: "I thought I was being punished," and about his role on the executive board of Recognition Professionals International. Our Platinum Partner winners loved hearing from him, and it was truly a spectacular event celebrating the best merchandise and travel suppliers in the business.
Another great company graces our pages this month: Cisco Systems. A global company, it is always working on ways to keep employees connected. Read Andrea Doyle's interview (on page 14) with Christine Castle on how Cisco created a consistent worldwide sales reward and recognition program that was not only motivational but easy to administer.
Managing Editor Alex Palmer's story on page 28, "Incentives to Improve," talks about keeping employees engaged by giving them ample opportunities for continuous improvement in the form of professional development. "Without such opportunities, employees may become apathetic about their work, or just look for employment elsewhere," he writes. Organizations are finding that incorporating merchandise and travel into improvement programs is a potent way to keep a workforce growing, Palmer says.
Speaking of travel, we're excited here about our Incentive Travel IQ, the first survey of incentive travel buyers we've done in a long time—and it's the first time we've collaborated with the Incentive Research Federation. From the economy to airline woes to the importance of keeping your programs intact during the rough patches, our readers, IRF members and others we surveyed had a lot to say. The survey report starts on page 66.
RSS
