Incentive Encounters: Relationship Building
October 08, 2008
You meet incredible people in this industry…
By Terry Epton, CITE, DMCP
I sometimes reflect on why I've never strayed from the incentive industry. The short answer is that nothing has ever appeared more satisfying to me. After so many years, opportunities have turned my head a time or two, and I imagine that we all re-examine our positions and the companies we work for along the way. However, I have found that having the opportunity to "do it my way" seems to have always caused me to stay.
The long answer as to why I have been in this industry—and have been so passionate about it—seems to be centered on the people that I have met and continue to meet in the course of doing business. Rich experiences and meeting so many astonishing people beats bankers hours every time from my perspective.
Sharing a meal with Sir Edmond Hillary, or walking down 5th Avenue with Donald Trump and actually meeting Maria Von Trapp, comes with some bragging rights, I suppose. But, the incredible people I refer to are the ones you find along the way in the incentive industry. I owe much to SITE as this organization has been a key platform on which I've gained the knowledge, the experiences and met many of the people I refer to. Do you choose your friends or do they choose you? With so many people parading past us in this industry, why is it that some become lifelong close friends and others fade away in no time?
An Industry Built on Relationships
If you have ever heard me speak at a conference, received mentorship or training from me, or perhaps sat in a presentation that I have participated in, you’ve probably heard me say that my approach to business is based on relationships. This is particularly true in the incentive travel delivery area. Trust is critical. Trust is earned not bought. It ultimately comes down to trusting that the suppliers and the individuals involved will rise to the occasion and accept extraordinary responsibility for showing a group of unfamiliar people the time of their lives. It's that word—"extraordinary"—that fuels the passion. Being successful in this business basically requires you become closer than just business associates and colleagues. Just knowing that you are depended on, and feeling the trust placed in you, is something that goes beyond ordinary business relationships.
You Can Never Disappear
It seems that I can go anywhere in the world and see someone I know. My wife has often been flabbergasted to see me walk up to someone in an obscure location, distant foreign airport or small village in France, for instance, to greet a friend or acquaintance. The diversity of our friends and their backgrounds is a blessing we should never take for granted. My best friends, I'm talking very closest lifelong friends, may live on different continents, even in different hemispheres. I wonder where the Federal Witness Protection Program could successfully hide me or many of you!
Read about one of my close relations at this year's Motivation Show and how we met through the industry at The Daily Perk, the official blog of Incentive magazine.
Editor' Note: For more on incentive travel relationships, read "Travel Insider: You've Got to Think It Through" by Incentive online columnist Brian Martenis.
INCENTIVE online columnist and Chief Executive Officer of USA Hosts, Ltd., Terry Epton has been an executive in the incentive industry for 26 years. As past Chairman of the Board for The New Orleans CVB, Terry is deeply involved in marketing and hospitality Industry leadership of New Orleans. Twice President of ADME, the Association of Destination Management Executives and long time member of SITE, Terry served on the Society's International Board for two terms and as an officer for four years. Mr. Epton is a Trustee on the IRF, Incentive Research Foundation. Terry was named "Incentive Travel Personality of the Year" in 1999. With both the Certified Incentive Travel Executive (CITE) designation and the Destination Management Certified Professional (DMCP) designation, Mr. Epton believes strongly in on-going industry education and community involvement.
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