Record-Setting Attendance For the Incentive
Research Foundation's 15th Annual Invitational July 07, 2008 The IRF's golf tournament raised funds for a variety of research projects
By Jennifer Juergens
The sky was blue and the water crystal clear at IRF's annual Incentive Invitational at The Atlantis Paradise Island resort in the Bahamas. A total of 420 guests, up from 355 last year in Montego Bay, Jamaica attended. There were 170 buyers at the May 28 to June 1 event, up from 125 last year.
The Incentive Invitational is the foremost fundraising event for incentive industry research. "This year's Invitational raised the bar for quality and exceeded all expectations for results," says Frank Katusak, president of the IRF. "The funds raised at this premier industry event will enable us to continue pursuing the IRF's mission to fund critical incentive industry research."
Hosts of the event included Nassau/ Paradise Island Promotion Board, the Bahamas Tourist Office, Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island, Sheraton Cable Beach Resort, Sunbound (DMC), the Blue Shark Golf Course (where participants happily played) and many other organizations in the incentive community of Nassau/Paradise Island, Bahamas.
During one of the educational sessions, IRF Research Committee Advisor Rodger Stotz delivered a presentation on how existing research can be applied to help manage an organization's incentive travel programs. In the second session, the IRF's Research Committee Chair, Robert Dawson, revealed findings from a new study on working with procurement departments. The study "The Involvement of Procurement or Purchasing in the Incentive Travel Business," offered insight into the relationship between incentive travel providers and procurement departments, notably that 67 percent of respondents felt this department had negative effects on their ability to plan and implement incentive programs. During the roundtable session, incentive buyers came up with ways they could help the situation by taking the procurement director on the incentive trip and help them better understand what an incentive trip is, incentive best practices and ROI measurements.
The signature Live and Silent Around-the-World Showcase auction, which featured incentive travel packages and merchandise, raised funds to promote the IRF's mission of continued research to increase the understanding, effective use and benefits to corporate America. For more information, go to www.TheIRF.org.
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