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Incentive Travels: how to organize the perfect one
From Corea to Italy: Serena, GAYA Events’ event manager tell u show to organize incentive travels. “Producing an emotion gives more joy than experiencing it”
In this article we return to the subject of incentive travel, and we do so through a concrete case, that of a multinational company and an award trip to Italy. But let’s proceed in order.
It is always nice when clients renew their trust in the agency job after job, but it is even nicer when the job in question involves an activity in which an event manager (who also works in tourism) can express herself and unleash her creativity.
This is what happened to our senior event manager Serena Tagliabue, for years in the industry and above all a curious and demanding spirit, who was able to imagine and coordinate a trip-event for a group of Koreans who-with amazement and wonder-visited our Bel Paese for the first time, in a 7days-tour that touched the main Italian cities. But let’s give Serena the floor to hear how it went….
What was the reason for the engagement and why was Italy specifically chosen as the destination?
The company that gave us the assignment is a company that operates worldwide through articulated and widespread distribution channels, from Europe to America to even the ends of the Eastern world. That is why we were not surprised that the recipient of the trip-award that the company decided to give to its best distributors-was a group of Koreans!
Italy and different cities were identified by the company as the preferred destination for the group of agents to have a unique and exciting experience. Our beautiful country is the perfect destination for those who need to combine cultural needs and desires and entertainment, with numerous activities that can be observed or performed or enjoyed to make the most of the trip.
From brief to planning: tell us a little about the stages of the incentive trip?
The 7days-tour began with the group’s arrival in Milan-after more than 11 hours of flight time. After a night of rest, the group was taken on a walking tour through the streets of the city center, touching all the main monuments with a visit to the Cenacolo Vinciano and the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
A short drive to Pero also allowed guests to participate in an adrenaline-pumping activity, experiencing the thrill of standing in zero-gravity spaces in the Aero Gravity wind tunnel.
Fortuitous chance had it that on the dates identified for the trip one of the most watched pop events in Italy took place in Milan: the “derby of Madonnina”, Inter-Milan at San Siro! Inter scarf around their necks, the guests enjoyed the match from the winning perspective, with a goal by Lautaro Martinez sealing the match’s fate after half an hour.
Fast forward to Florence, where the group was accompanied (as indeed they were throughout their stay in Italy) by an Italian-Korean translator on a visit to the Galleria degli Artisti where Michelangelo’s world-famous David is preserved.
But that’s not all! In Florence, the guests also participated in a workshop on leather working, a typical Tuscan craft that is famous all over the world.
The last stop –Rome– was reached the next day, after an excellent dinner at Galbi, a Korean restaurant selected to make the guests feel comfortable.
In Rome, the group concluded their experience in Italy, peppered with excellent Roman-style food and a gala dinner tailored to their needs.
What do you think was the most exciting moment?
In my opinion (and also according to the video-photo testimonies I received) the most exciting moment for the group was the exclusive and unique entrance to the Vatican museums and the Sistine Chapel.
In fact, we were able to obtain, thanks to special knowledge of our agency, a permit for an exclusive visit to the Roman site: at dawn, immersed in an evocative atmosphere, the group was able to enjoy all the rooms exclusively, literally “opening” the doors of the Vatican!
Is there any detail that was taken care of in particular?
At each stop of the incentive tour, in agreement with the company, guests were given a small cadeaux based on the experiences they would have or as a simple celebratory gift.
In Milan they were given a magnet-souvenir that guests found in their hotel room, and on the transfer that took the group to the San Siro they were given official Inter scarves.
In Florence they received a leather cadeaux as a result of the workshop experience, and waiting for them in their rooms in Rome was a lovely souvenir, a Vespa with a snowball.
These small details made all the difference in the perception of the guests who experienced them as a real pampering!
“Producing an emotion gives more joy than experiencing it,” so say those who are passionate about their work as event managers. What has it been like for you to take care of such a special event?
This event gave me the opportunity to express my creativity more than the classic hospitality!
It was particularly challenging to devote myself to the realization of a project that had to combine different needs, on the one hand of course the fun and satisfaction of the group and on the other hand the needs of the company that rightly screened our “travel plan” according to logics also of rigor and professionalism.
The effort and time devoted to this event was repaid by the well-confirmed perception of the participants’ satisfaction.
Every incentive trip and every event in general, for me, represent a starting point to do better and better and to grow as a professional in my field.
