Dealer Incentive Travel - ESG Incentives : ESG Incentives

Introduction

Many people dream of traveling to an exotic location, but few can afford the time and money necessary to fulfill that dream. Imagine if you could make this dream come true for your top-performing dealers, while reaping long-term benefits for them and for your business.

Many manufacturers rely on their dealers to give their product priority. A manufacturing company’s success depends on highly motivated, driven, loyal and well-versed dealers. After all, the dealers are the first impression the public has of your company. You want that first impression to be as positive as possible to grow sales and ensure your continued success.

When your company arms your dealers with knowledge of your product and establishes their brand loyalty with an effective incentive program, it creates a strong, mutually beneficial partnership. These distributors become the perfect push for customers who are on the fence regarding which product they should choose to purchase.

In order to develop partners like this, you need an incentive program that educates them and makes them want to give your product top billing. You want a program that is so well-executed and enjoyable that participants returning home are eager to engender additional product support from their colleagues, causing them to want to participate in the next event, starting a virtuous cycle.

But how do you even begin to create an incentive trip to an exotic location? Your specialty is manufacturing, not hotel accommodations, flights and special event planning. That is where ESG Incentives comes in.

Background & Objectives

Global Furniture Group is a leading manufacturer of office furniture, including seating, desks, workstations and storage. It aims to provide solutions designed and engineered for the workplace, education and health care markets. The company’s vertically integrated suppliers, dealers and distributors bring Global’s products to markets worldwide.

Above all else, Global strives to be a good partner – including with its dealers. To that end, it created the Global Grand Getaway, a channel incentive program that would send participants to an event at Grand Cayman. The objective of the program was to build brand loyalty among the company’s top dealers and to incentivize lower-tier dealers to level up. In addition, Global wanted to build loyalty and trust with their dealers, getting to know them on a personal level in order to share best practices to build their Global business.

Practically, the program was set up so that if dealers hit a specific sales number, they were rewarded with the trip. Global’s overarching goal was to craft an exceptional, unique trip that would far surpass any competitor’s dealer incentives, causing their dealer base to purchase and sell Global’s product to their customers. In order to achieve this, ESG Incentives needed to create an unrivaled experience that included unexpected, well-executed surprises and experiences at every step of the way.

The Challenges

The challenges began before the first plane ticket had even been purchased. Since the trip was in an international location, all branded material being sent to the location would be slapped with a significant customs tax. Global wanted to keep the incentive budget-friendly, so the tax would need to be either reduced or eliminated altogether.

The program required two chartered flights – one from Toronto and one from Montreal. The day the trip recipients flew in, Murphy’s law took full effect: Construction was underway in the Cayman airport, and there was a 250 percent spike in airport traffic that day. As if that was not enough, the airport authorities wanted the recipients to be processed in a private location, which would be slower than using the commercial facilities.

If the arrivals were processed in time, they would begin arriving at the hotel at 11 a.m. – hours before the earliest allowable check-in time. Therefore, special accommodations and a guaranteed speedy turnaround time from the hotel staff needed to be procured.

The final evening of the program was to be a three-part event. But due to outdoor noise ordinances, the atmosphere of the space and other difficulties, a solution needed to be created for the “grand finale” that would allow it to be executed according to Global’s goals.

On top of the logistical and accommodation challenges, the Global Grand Getaway presented an immense qualitative challenge: to create a one-of-a-kind enticing, engaging trip. The Alice in Wonderland theme needed to be upscale, classy and perfectly on-brand, while integrating details that went far above and beyond what both Global and their dealers might expect. And all of that needed to be done under budget.

The Solution

After carefully evaluating the scope of the program and determining the client’s specific needs, ESGI began development of the “Global Grand Getaway 2017.” With Grand Cayman as the destination for 325 award recipients, ESG Incentives personnel worked hard to create a perfect, memorable experience for every single one of them.

The first goal was to cut through all of the red tape. ESGI worked directly with the Grand Cayman Tourism Board and the Grand Cayman government to get the significant customs and import tax entirely waived; this played a large role in keeping the program within budget. The team also worked its magic with the airport authority to have all guests processed through the commercial side of the airport in a dedicated customs and immigration line. This win meant that two groups of 180 people each were processed through customs in under 30 minutes.

ESGI also leveraged its excellent relationship with the hotel to procure early 11 a.m. check-in for arrivals. When the onslaught of guests began arriving at the hotel, they were met with 100 percent room-readiness – down to the very last room key.

For one hour each morning, informational seminars regarding the company culture and its products reinforced the branding experience. Astonishingly, 94 percent of the attendees rated these daily business sessions as “Just Right.” Other events included a “Dine Around,” which assigned each recipient to one of several area restaurants for an evening out. The “Global Splash” event was an optional daytime activity that included competitions in kayaking and water balloon volleyball as well as a scavenger hunt.

Global is a family-owned business, so the trip needed a very personal feel. Corporate executives attended all events to thank each reward recipient for their efforts, adding to the family atmosphere while reinforcing the company’s brand and its appreciation for dealer loyalty. As a result, dealers felt completely accommodated and genuinely celebrated.

The culmination of the whole experience was the three-part event on the final evening. Together with the Global team ESGI created a unique space to fit Global’s needs. The finished space consisted of an airy outdoor tent with Alice in Wonderland themed décor and unique finishing touches from floor to ceiling. It was a wonderful, unexpected surprise, and one well-received by the attendees.

The many other unexpected experiences woven into the getaway served to surprise and delight the participants every day. Using creative solutions like the Alice in Wonderland champagne drink wall for the cocktail reception and an LED jet pack performer, ESGI used “disruption in a good way” to firmly establish Global as the top incentives provider in their sector. When asked to rate the overall Global Grand Getaway experience, 75 percent of the respondents rated it as “Totally the Very Best” in the industry. What’s more, while the trip had a rich, luxurious feel to it, it came in within budget.

The Outcome

ESGI’s time-honored approach to meeting and exceeding client expectations paid off. More than 98 percent of participants rated the entire experience “Loved it!” – or better! And in keeping with the goal of increasing brand awareness, the branded gifts provided by the Global team “Exceeded Every Expectation” for more than 60 percent of the recipients.

Both Global and ESG Incentives received stellar reviews across the board. Following the end of the trip, Global received more than 50 personal messages from their dealers – the majority of them expressing how greatly the trip had exceeded their expectations. Sentiments were overwhelmingly positive, with one distributor remarking: “You feel like you belong to the Global family.”

Many messages complimented the exquisite attention to detail, and expressed interest in future trips with Global. Of equal importance, the reward recipients immediately began serving as ambassadors to encourage fellow dealers to strive toward the next reward. “Loved it! I know a lot more salespeople from our company will be on our next trip for sure!” wrote one participant.

ESG Incentives staff is dedicated to creating memorable incentive travel programs tailored to your audience. We take care of the most minute details, including your budget and branding, so that you can show appreciation for your reward recipients, meet your goals with the incentive experience, and enjoy the trip as much as they do.

Contact us to learn how we can help you create a successful incentive and recognition experience of your own.