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Travel Insider: Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged
November 11, 2008
Many of the world's great masters and philosophers have often said it, but so few people "get it." What should incentive travel planners always keep in mind when planning that trip of a lifetime?
By Brian Martenis
When planning an incentive travel program, never, never, NEVER judge the taste level of the group by your own taste level. Whether it be food, venue or activity, I have seen planners time and time again base decisions on their own likes and dislikes—what activity they would enjoy, what destination they would like—and it always ends badly.
I once worked for a man who did not like cruising and his wife would get sea-sick. It did not matter that cruising is one of the top incentives and he stood to make a lot of money motivating customers with a winning cruise program. His only thought was that it was not his—nor his wife's—"cup of tea.
As a result, cruises were out. But his decision questions where his priorities stand—he certainly did not have the interests of his largest producers at heart.
The Art of Choosing for Others
A successful planner knows it is always best to try to put yourself in the place of the guests, who are at the mercy of your judgment—the destination, the activities and the food functions and menus are chosen for them. I cannot tell you how many times I have been forced to reserve the same tour, serve the same uninteresting dinner or plan the same dull activity. Then I remind myself that to most of my participants, the destination is exciting and new. The uninteresting food function is actually pretty spectacular if you are the guest and experiencing it for the first time. Group activities may seem "dull" to you, but are great team builders and wonderful ways to get the group to bond, get to know each other and finish another magical aspect of incentive travel. Participants, though many times strangers in the beginning, all have one thing in common: They are your guests. And there is also a common denominator—guests immediately know something about each other—YOU.
Got Personality?
Whether you run the program for your own motivational benefit, or you are an in-house planner, or part of an incentive travel house, you are the personality of the program. You are in charge of not only the reservation, venue choices and the activity flow, but you are in charge of setting the very special "mood" of an incentive trip.
The trip of a lifetime needs to be more than a great destination, hotel, and food & beverage. Your energy is essential and your enthusiasm is important. When things go awry—and they always do—your sense of serenity will be contagious. For example, when a flight is delayed or, worse, cancelled, screaming at the counter person is just plain silly. Instead you should be trying to obtain information and figuring out how to keep your group as comfortable as possible during the delay.
Additionally, I have learned over the years that people "feed" off of my energy as the leader of the group. That's fine with me and I fully understand the responsibility involved with that. The planner MUST make an effort to remain calm and in total control at all times. (I always channel Cary Grant or Clint Eastwood. For the ladies, Grace Kelly would be my first choice.) I have a personal dislike for planners who, when faced with adversity decide to become part of the "drama"—the wringing of hands and yelling at people not responsible for the problem. The planner may think he is coming across as working for the group (another bad judgment), but he is actually becoming part of the problem and is actually associating himself with the problem, not the solution.
Your behavior on a program is constantly being judged. And if you can’t handle that, find another line of work.
Make the Right Choices
I always find it odd that most people actually enjoy being led. Let me pull on a story from one of my past columns to explain: When Ronald Reagan left the White House, he was asked what the best part of being President of the United States was. Without missing a beat, he replied, "The travel. All arrangements were made for me. Everything was planned and presented to me ahead of time. All I had to do was get myself to the hotel lobby." Does this sound familiar?
Surely, it is the basis of every incentive "trip of a lifetime" ever designed. Tell them where to be at what time. Give them an itinerary and make them comfortable. Feed them food they like (not what you like) and give them venues and events that are special without being intimidating.
My best example here is a meal of spring lamb in London that I served a group one April many years ago. What was I thinking? I love lamb, but most of them did not (I will never serve lamb to an American group again). The point is, you are in control, but you must make the right choices. I am sure when Mr. Reagan was experiencing his presidency, there were plenty of delays and missed connections. I'm sure there were electrical problems at hotels and the occasional day-old muffin for breakfast. But I'm sure that, just like an incentive planner, his assistant swooped in and made him as comfortable as possible in a quiet and dignified manner so that only the great experiences would be remembered.
The Final Verdict
Remember: You are not one of them, but you are the best of them—the calm and collected individual who is always in control and knows the answers, or at least knows where to get them. You must know their likes and dislikes and make things happen. Spend time studying the demographics of your group and find out what pleased them in the past. Show them the best time of their life by going outside yourself and thinking only of them. The great incentive travel planners know that judgment is all about you. And the outstanding programs are all about them.
INCENTIVE online columnist Brian Martenis is Managing Director of Boutique Incentive Travel, a division of Gil Travel. After 10 years as sales promotion director for one company and 19 years as sales incentives manager for another, Martenis was named managing Director of Boutique Incentive Travel. Brian brings to the company nearly 30 years of designing and implementing very successful incentive travel programs all over the world. Brian is passionate about every aspect of his programs and is often asked to write and speak about incentives, incentive travel and motivation.
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