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IRF Annual Tackles Adaptation
June 10, 2009
Top incentive professionals and buyers network and brainstorm at the Incentive Research Foundation’s Incentive Invitational
By Leo Jakobson
Nearly 400 top-level suppliers and buyers came together in Palm Springs, CA, last month at the 16th Annual Incentive Research Foundation Incentive Invitational for four days of networking, fundraising, and, of course, research and discussions about the state of the industry.
Despite the many diversions offered by the beautiful Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa (including its golf course—and other nearby links) in the desert hideaway put on the map by celebrities ranging from Bob Hope to Frank Sinatra —to say nothing of activities like Desert Adventures’ great Jeep Eco-Tours and the views from the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway —the most popular and best-attended activities may well have been the two IRF Research Roundtables.
While the event’s roundtables have been growing steadily for several years, the topics and the timing certainly gave a sense of urgency this year. The first, on Thursday May 14, was “Incentive Travel: Making the Business Case for the ‘New Economy,’ “ which kicked off with some sobering words from IRF Chief Research Officer Rodger Stotz, who noted a few facts from the latest IRF Pulse Survey, performed in March and released in Palm Springs.
“We’ve allowed others —the media, the government —to establish our brand,” Stotz said of the incentive industry. He added that when the survey’s respondents were asked how to best communicate the value of the industry’s offerings, the top answer was explain and educate about the value and return on investment of incentive programs (37 percent). That was followed by targeting that effort specifically at the government (35 percent) and at the media (30 percent).
Discussions followed in groups of 10, and the conclusions generally followed the responses of the survey, notably pointing to the need to explain and educate corporate executives and provide more detailed, data-driven case studies. One group came up with the idea of rebranding the industry to eliminate the word “incentive.”
That led into Friday’s roundtable focusing on adapting to the new reality. One participant said he had been “meeting with executives I’ve worked with for 15 years to toughen them up,” and suggested reminding them that “those 20 people going to Monaco kept us from having to lay off 50 people.”
Other tables’ conclusions included the need to educate without being defensive, the need to avoid the competitive bloodletting of a race to the bottom on price, and the need to focus on educating procurement departments —a point discussed in greater detail in Incentive’s own 8th Annual Roundtable (this month’s cover story, page 10).
Beyond that were a series of evening parties and dinners that took advantage of Palm Springs’ long evenings and showed that other properties in the area, such as the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa and the Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa, also know how to put on incentive-level events.
“For the amount of networking I can do, this is one of the best events for pure incentives,” said Brett Hatch, global corporate gifts manager of Maui Jim Sunglasses, an IRF Annual sponsor who hand-fitted all attendees with sunglasses at registration. “All the key players are here on the buyer’s side. And it’s not just mainly travel, it’s a diverse group.”
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