Author: Sky Capriolo

From Pandemic to Prospering – How We See the Path Ahead for the Incentive Industry

Summary:

• Incentives are still seen as critical tools
• Group travel recovery delayed by slow vaccine rollout
• Vast majority of stakeholders will return to group travel incentives eventually
• Regional events will continue to increase in 2021
• Virtual and Alternative Award options can be creative solutions
• Now is the time to reevaluate program structures, data points and future goals
  
  

Coming out of 2020, the incentive industry is looking toward 2021 with eager eyes for growth opportunities. The Incentive Research Foundation and the Incentive Travel Industry Index found in recent surveys that incentives are still a critical motivating component at many companies. Merchandise, gift cards and yes, travel, remain impactful tools in 2021, with heavier significance on the former options for the first half of the year, at least. The experts at Motivation Excellence predict a steady return to in-person gatherings, as well as continued interest in alternative award offerings and virtual options. In this article, we will share our thoughts on three industry sectors: Group Travel, Alternative Award Options and Performance Tracking Measurements.

Travel

As of this writing, even with vaccines starting to be administered, California is under stay at home orders and visitors are either recommended or required to quarantine depending on which part of the state they visit. European countries like the UK, Germany and Italy are either fully shutdown or greatly restricting travel.  A second wave and mutations of the COVID-19 virus are still wreaking havoc around the globe.

Where does that leave the outlook for the incentive travel sector? According to the Incentive Travel Industry Index, the overwhelming desire to travel, especially after a year of no or little traveling, will keep incentive travel experiences at the peak of award aspirations. For now, regional travel to non-urban locations will win-out until the world is able to open its figurative doors again. Respondents to the survey look to the future with positivity mixed with a heavy dose of reality.

• 83% of buyers report stakeholders are committed to returning to incentive travel when it’s safe
• Buyers report expected activity in the second half of 2021 to be more robust than all of 2020
• 66% of respondents expect incentive travel recovery to take up to two years in a post-COVID world

Motivation Excellence’s travel team monitors the state of the industry and the virus on a daily basis. We released our first travel industry forecast in Q4 2020 and have since updated it in 2021. Here are some trends Brad Hecht, VP, Travel and Joe Reise, Manager, Supplier Relations & Sourcing expect to see going forward. We’ve broken them down into positives, challenges and things to consider.

The Positives:

• The industry will continue to operate more events steadily throughout 2021, but with smaller groups and regional locations
• Raised health and sanitary standards will continue, mask use encouraged through 2021
• Touchless travel technology will increase
• Better technology will allow virtual and hybrid events to be more interactive, flexible and economical

The Challenges:

• A number of hotels will likely close down in the first quarter of 2021
• Change in supply and demand of hotel rooms in certain markets might spike rates
• Air travel challenges including fewer flights and increase in fares when demand outpaces supply

Things to Consider:

• Clients will increasingly request the use of outdoor spaces for events, allowing for social distancing with larger groups, but making weather a possible issue
• COVID-19 “fear factor” stays with the public for a while, creating new structures for meetings and events throughout 2021 and into 2022
• Proof of COVID-19 vaccine or negative test in order to fly
• Contract language (especially Force Majeure) will change and need to be scrutinized for clients
• Ground transportation for those who do travel will likely swing toward private vehicles over coach transfers, and budget planning should reflect that

It’s important to point out that group travel, on a smaller and domestic, scale did start back up again in 2020. Even though events like the Grammy’s are being delayed in California in 2021, other states are not implementing the same restrictions. The comfort level of the client and their participants will drive the discussion of when, how and where to meet. The virtual world will remain an integral option in 2021. Motivation Excellence predicts as more people are vaccinated, the appetite for group travel and gatherings will increase. Look for larger group travel programs to resume in 2022, with 2023 being a boon year.

If our travel team could implement one measure they think would help speed up the recovery of the travel sector it would be, “to mandate a vaccine passport for air travel and expedite a vaccine for anyone needing to travel by air. This would create a comfort level among travelers and open tourism doors again for those wanting to fly overseas,” predicts Joe Reise.

Alternative Award Options

“Our clients are looking for ways to connect,” says Rhonda Brewer, VP, Sales. After a year of little in-person contact, Brewer predicts companies will thirst for ways to engage and motivate their employees, sales teams and channel partners.

“Trying to come up with creative ways either in smaller, more targeted groups or through virtual channels will continue to be strong in ‘21.”

Award offerings will also need to align with more creative strategies when it comes to motivating behavior change. In 2019, a group travel experience to Hawaii was a top tier reward. In 2020, individual travel options, lifestyle upgrades and gift cards were alternative options that found success.

According to the IRF survey on the Outlook for Merchandise and Gift Cards in 2021, respondents shared a “reasonably optimistic” view of the future with a 7% gain in spending overall for reward and recognition budgets.

Looking at the mix of award types the IRF survey found gift cards and merchandise are expected to far outweigh experiential awards. The expected spend per person is predicted to remain steady compared to pre-pandemic years at more than $700, which is great news for the incentive industry.

Our Motivation Excellence team will continue to help clients find ways to show appreciation and foster engagement in 2021. Here are some trends we expect to see throughout the year:

• Alternative awards will continue to spark interest, especially if there is flexibility and personalization offered
• Virtual experiential events for small groups (culinary, entertainment, team building) will help with engagement and motivation
• Virtual meetings must become more interactive to bring in and keep an audience or better yet be combined into a hybrid in-person event
• Companies will look for unique ways to connect groups of people either in person or virtually
• Companies will want to find easy-to-implement reward and recognition programs/awards

2020 showed us all how important it is to feel connected and appreciated. This critical lesson will continue to make the incentive industry instrumental in corporate culture going forward.

Performance Tracking Measurements

Many companies are still dealing with shutdowns, slowdowns and uncertainty that started in the spring of 2020. Our Motivation Excellence performance tracking team sees this as a perfect time to reevaluate existing program structures, data points and future goals.

“I believe clients are trying to understand the current customer activity and how that will ramp back up in 2021. Past trends and historical performance are out the window. New data points are needed to analyze what their channels need, are capable of, and how to support their customers in 2021,” says Bob Graham, VP, Client & Technology Solutions.

This down time might indeed lend itself perfectly to an introspective evaluation. Collaborating with an incentive company experienced in analytics is a helpful way to begin.  Having an outside company take a look at data, company trends and the competitive landscape often leads to company executives more fully understanding unique challenges and opportunities for success.

“I would like to see our industry embrace technology and data analytics and understand more the value of incentives and engagement. These are powerful tools that can help companies achieve and exceed their business objectives,” adds Brewer.

Successful incentive programs bring an emotional connection and commitment to participants. Part of using detailed analytics is to also look at participant types, demographics, performance history and potential for growth. Pairing the right set of program rules to the most motivating reward creates synergy for success for the participant AND the company hosting the program. Add in easy to access performance tracking for the participant and management and the engagement between all parties increases.

At Motivation Excellence, performance tracking includes user-friendly website design, detailed activity reports based on daily, weekly or monthly data processes and consistent communication to participants about what’s expected and how they can get there.  Trends we see for 2021 include:

• Heavier reliance on technology to communicate, analyze and drive business
• Renewed focus on the participant experience on program websites
• Continued personalization and segmentation of communications and data reporting
• More WFH flexibility leading to increased need for employee connections
• Reevaluation of how to get market share/influence wanted behavior changes
• Need for innovating ways to come out of 2020 stronger

The incentive industry is resilient. Personally, we’ve seen our trusted industry partners adapt and innovate to continue offering top notch service options for in-person and virtual gatherings. Safety protocols are meeting the needs of those wishing to travel and hope will rise as the general population gets access to a vaccine. In our own company, we developed new award options and aligned with similarly innovative partners to bring our clients the best resources available.

While our industry might not ever be the same, we have reason to believe it will be better than ever. Having gone through this pandemic will better prepare us to respond to a similar crisis in the future. Flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances and create alternative solutions quickly is beneficial to our clients and industry partners. The camaraderie of our industry is strong! The spirit and passion we all bring to incentives never dimmed, and you can bet it will shine brighter than before when we fully emerge from COVID-19.

Forecast for Group Travel into 2022 – Updated

Summary:

• Hotel closures on the horizon in Q1
• Airline travel increasing
• Slow vaccine rollout delaying widespread industry recovery
• Regional events planned in 2021
• Group travel bookings starting for 2022
  

The travel and hospitality industries have been hit very hard through the COVID-19 pandemic. The damage ranges from critical to dire, depending on the sector.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association warned its industry is on “the brink of collapse” in an August 31, 2020 report. Among the stark realities: urban hotels are at crippling low occupancy rates and hotels in major cities across the country are struggling to stay open. We expect to hear more about hotel closures during this first quarter of 2021 and it’s not contained just to the United States. You can read about the dire bankruptcy crisis nearly half of Switzerland’s hotels and restaurants are reportedly facing without government aid. Closer to home, late in 2020, an article in the Orlando Sentinel warned of a “tsunami” of hotel closures in Orlando and across the nation. On a positive note, some hotel chains have chosen to keep their larger locations closed based on group size restrictions and plan to reopen many of those locations after restrictions lift.

Airline travel started seeing an uptick in passengers in August, although it was still at an average of 27% of 2019 numbers. On September 27, 2020, the TSA reported screening 873,038 passengers versus 2.45 million one year earlier. That’s 35% of the 2019 passenger count. Holiday air travel did spike upwards indicating Americans are increasingly more comfortable with flying, or at least sick of staying home and away from other loved ones. Regardless, it is a positive sign for future willingness to embrace future group travel.

Airlines are quick to share their safety protocols to combat spread of COVID, like HEPA filters and that cabin air is turned over 10-12 times per hour. Included in the link above is an interesting contrast between two international flights early in the pandemic and how the use of masks affected the spread of the virus.

At Motivation Excellence, our Manager, Supplier Relations & Sourcing, Joe Reise, keeps an eye on all the latest news concerning our industry.  He sees a boom in the future and he’s working with our clients now to get the best scenarios while mitigating risk. When it comes to contract negotiations, he foresees more flexibility the sooner you book. Waiting until after travel and group size restrictions lift will likely mean less wiggle room in contract language.

Looking ahead, Reise originally saw 2021 as a rebuilding year, but with fewer than expected vaccines distributed as of January 2021, he says rebuilding will be delayed. Many hotels allowed group bookings in 2020 to move to 2021, packing the year full of moved 2020 business and already existing 2021 business. As we move further into 2021, we’re seeing group travel business sliding again to later in the year.

“Once we have a vaccine, travelers will see an end game and demand will be explosive,” Reise had commented back in October of 2020.  “If you wait until after the vaccine is widely administered, rates will start to be much higher. It’s still best to start looking now while there is still some flexibility with rates and availability later in 2021 and 2022.”

Companies that have maintained a healthy financial status through COVID-19 are eager to book group travel as soon as it’s deemed safe.

In light of the uncertainties we’re still experiencing, here are our recommendations on how to navigate booking future group events while limiting concerns over hotel closures, increased rates and safety:

1. Avoid airport, convention and big city hotels – they are at the highest risk to close right now.
2. If you want to book a hotel in 2021 choose one that’s had a positive EBITDA/room (sign of financial health) since at least July 2020.
3. In 2021, still consider drivable locations for your smaller corporate gatherings, and look at resort properties outside of urban locations.
4. In 2022, be prepared for higher rates the longer you wait to book.
5. Whether in 2021 or 2022, get the pulse of the people you plan to gather:
   1. Do they feel comfortable flying?
   2. Are they okay following airline and destination-based mask requirements?
   3. Is there a group size they feel comfortable engaging with?
   4. Are they vaccinated for COVID-19 and do you want to require proof?

Reise says demand for non-urban resort properties will be at an all-time high in 2022.

“Especially among financially healthy companies, once group travel is a go again, there will be a flood of demand over a very short window of time.”

COVID-19 will likely affect how we look at group travel for several years to come, but with careful planning and insight into industry information, your company can begin to plan for future events. If you have any questions or concerns, or would like help planning a future travel experience for your company please contact Rhonda Brewer at r.brewer@motivation.redefinedcreative.com.

Anyone Can Be Creative – Here’s How!

It’s Human Nature

Creativity; it’s one of those traits you either think you possess or you don’t, right? But what is reality? According to a Forbes Councils Member contributor, creativity is for everyone! The author, Ben Plomion, talks about two kinds of creativity: Radical and Incremental.

While radical creativity is what we most associate with incredible, mind-blowing artistic or technological feats, incremental creativity is more attainable for the masses – yes, even those people who think they have zero creativity! Think of incremental creativity as evolution versus revolution. It’s the continual work put into creating a solution, solving a puzzle or moving your job/company/personal life in a new direction. It’s not about that huge “A-Ha” moment, but rather all the small steps taken to make an improvement.

Here’s the critical part – creativity is something that can’t be outsourced to a robot! So, encouraging a creative environment at work is important to cultivating not only new ideas but also attracting and retaining quality employees. And, as an employee, showing creativity could be your best value prop.

It’s a Team Effort

We can all recognize creativity when we see it. Here’s a really fun example of how a team in Sweden made taking the stairs the preferred option to the adjacent public escalator.

At Motivation Excellence, our clients rely on us to use our creativity to make travel programs exceed all expectations! We also look for how to creatively report participant activity each month driving them to their program website. Engagement mailings need to spark an interest and motivate positive behavior. It’s not a one-person job ever. Working as a team (lots of brainstorming sessions) is one of the best steps to fostering creativity.

Ed Wojtaszek is our Creative Art Director and an integral part of any design elements that go out for clients or our own marketing needs. He says collaboration is a key component to successful creativity.

“Since most of the projects I work on have a specific goal to reach or message to get across, collaboration is very important. Not so much to decide on the look, but to have all of the facts before the creative process begins. Proper brainstorming can be very useful. Listing ideas…any ideas that others may think of can supply a wide variety of puzzle pieces to use in the creative process.”

As our Strategic Marketing Manager, I personally work with Ed daily. I often say that whatever I give him, he makes incredibly better. In 2020, we embarked on creating monthly MEmes. It was truly a collaborative effort, with our company owner, David Jobes, also getting in on the creative process each month. Here’s one of my favorite examples of what I handed Ed and what he did to make it shine. I came up with the wording and a very rudimentary sketch and left the rest to Ed. It was our September MEme on inclusivity.

(To see all our MEmes and other creative content be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.)

The 1,2,3 of Creativity

For those of you who love a good step-by-step guide, you’re in luck, there are many resources available about how to be creative. Gerard Puccio heads the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State in New York. BBC.com featured him in an article about how to learn to be creative. He shares that creativity comes in four stages: Clarifying, Ideating (brainstorming), Developing and Implementing.

There are also ways to encourage creative thinking. Being in a relaxed mood has been shown to help. Perhaps it’s because an idle mind has more time to bounce between a wide variety of thoughts and ideas. Ed says a change of location helps him, especially if he feels stuck.

“When I get in a rut, a change of scenery is the best medicine. Walking, hobbies, anything that removes me from the topic for a period gives my mind time to put all the pieces together. Most times when I re-engage with a project, the solution comes quite easily.”

One of Ed’s favorite hobbies is working on classic cars. He could be building an engine when a solution to another issue pops into his mind. Our brain’s spark plugs ignite new ideas constantly.

Try it out for yourself the next time you’re searching for how to best keep your dog out of the trash (tell me your answer please) or the best way to get a prospect’s attention. And, remember, the internet is an amazing resource. You might not be able to always figure out the answer on your own, but there’s a good bet someone out there has. Using someone else’s creativity keeps the process flowing. Maybe you’ll add to another’s idea and share it with the world too!

Bouncing Back Better than Before – How You Can Learn Resilience

2020 is priming us all for a great lesson in resilience. A pandemic, job losses or burnout, hoarding at the grocery stores and isolation are a lot to deal with for anyone! Add in renewed calls for racial justice plus another contentious political climate and we all have plenty of reasons to feel knocked down. But, we can’t stay down for long if we want to ultimately rise up better than ever. That’s where resilience comes in.

“I don’t think there is any other option. If you want to be successful in your personal life, or your professional life, you just can’t give up. I think we are sometimes our own worst enemy. If we think we can’t do something, or we can’t get through a life event, we won’t.” Michelle Lien-Burdick has a lifetime of experience with resilience. She’s been with Motivation Excellence more than 20 years and is known for her positive attitude and can-do perseverance.

“I learned all about resilience from my mom. She overcame so many personal and medical obstacles in her life and she really taught me and my siblings all about not letting things you can’t control take over your life.”

Michelle had to build up her own resilience after being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 29.

“I was single, living on my own in a different state than my family and close friends. It was scary, but I was the only one who could fight to beat it. So, I mentally prepared myself for every treatment. I went back to the office as soon as I was feeling well enough. After the surgeries and treatments, part of my “bounce back” self-therapy was volunteering on a Breast Cancer hotline called Y-Me. I listened through a lot of tears on the other end of the phone, but felt the encouragement I was able to give these women (and men) would help them to remain resilient in their battle.”

Utilizing support systems, like the Y-Me hotline, is critical to being resilient according to multiple experts. PositivePsychology.com has a lengthy article on the traits of resilient people and how we can all learn to become more resilient. Knowing that resilient people are able to handle stress in a more positive manner, the author encourages easy exercises we can all do to increase our ability to bounce back.

Like persistence, which we wrote about last month, resilience is the strength to continue toward your goals despite obstacles. Robert Brooks, PhD, shares in a WebMD post that resilient people have a greater sense of control in their lives. The post goes on to also give specific steps to being more resilient.

Contributing factors to resilience include:

• Cultivating positive relationships
• Utilizing support systems
• Being realistic
• Keeping a positive attitude
• Being flexible
• Recognizing and treating stress
• Practicing healthy habits

Michelle has her own go-to steps for keeping her spirit moving forward.

“I try to keep a positive attitude. It’s not always easy, but it makes a world of difference. I do a lot of “self-talking” to encourage myself when I need it. Most importantly, for me, I pray.”

For Michelle, helping others, continues to remind her of their resilience, as well as her own.

“I became an advocate for helping those out with food insecurity. I grew up with little and knew that if food pantries were a “thing” at that time, our family would have been one of their clients. I volunteered weekly at the food pantry in my area (before recently moving) – it was amazing to see how resilient some of the clients were. They came to get a hand-up when they needed it then you wouldn’t see them for a while. They did what they needed to do to feed their families, to remain resilient to carry on.”

Whether in your personal life or professional life, look at 2020 as an excellent reason to learn resilience. We are all eyeing 2021 as a vehicle for something better, but in reality no matter what happens externally, we have to internally decide how it’s going to affect our lives. We have a choice to make, and Michelle says there’s only one option.

“We all have hardships in our lives. How you deal with them will determine the outcome. Be resilient!”

May everyone who reads this have a blessed and healthy holiday season!

Pave Your Way to Success with Persistence – 5 Steps to Get You Going

The street of success is paved with a great number of stories about persistence and perseverance.

• Micheal Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
• J.K. Rowling had 12 publishers reject her Harry Potter manuscript.
• Steven Spielberg was rejected from film school three times.
• Jim Carrey, Lisa Kudrow and John Goodman are three of many famous comedians who didn’t make the cut at Saturday Night Live.

If any of these people, or the countless others at the top of their field, had pushed their passion aside after multiple rejections our world would be a lot less dynamic; The street of success dimpled with potholes.

The mere fact they kept doggedly after their goal is an achievement in itself! How often do you find yourself knocked down and depleted of the desire to push forward again? Imagine getting knocked down 60 times, like Kathryn Stockett did after writing The Help. Her book ended up on the New York Times bestsellers list for more than 100 weeks and was made into a successful film. But 60 literary agents rejected it! I don’t have to tell you what became of Micheal Jordan, do I?

Persistence in Theory

Persistence is, in fact, one of the traits of highly successful people. How do you become persistent? Is it something that can be learned and practiced? While, some of it does come from natural inclinations, there are definitely tips and tricks you can incorporate to enhance your, let’s say, stubbornly purposeful streak.

After reading several variations of habits and traits of persistent people (see links in blog), here is a quick and easy breakdown to get you started down the road of persistence.

1. Know the what and remind yourself of the why – what’s your end game and why is it important to you?
2. Believe to achieve – if you don’t believe in yourself, who else will?
3. Adjust, adapt & repeat – when you hit a closed door, look for the key, or even a window.
4. Join the club – surround yourself with other persistent people and you’ll gain valuable insight and support.
5. Be high on habits – when motivation fails, strong habits will get you through to the next day.

Perhaps you’re aren’t hoping to write the next American novel. Instead, you want to make daily life at work more pleasant by starting a snack bar. It may not be a Nobel Peace Prize level goal, but worthy to go after nonetheless! And it might just take persistence to get it done, depending on the levels of approval you need to go after.

Persistence in Practice

Being persistent while not being annoying is also quite the skill itself. If it wasn’t, toddlers – and adults who act like them – wouldn’t be so exasperating! The lesson here is to be creative in your approach so you don’t get the “broken record” look of exhaustion. Successful salespeople have to navigate this space daily.

Business Development Director at Motivation Excellence, Rebecca Steiner, says she tries to delicately balance her desire to follow up with a client or prospect with what she thinks their needs are. “I put myself in their shoes and ask myself if I have the answer to their problem or a solution that fits their need. If I feel like I do, I keep moving forward. Having empathy for what they’re going through helps me determine my level of persistence.”

Steiner also says changing up the way she reaches out to a person of interest is important. “It can’t always be an email or a voicemail. Sometimes it’s a video message or even a coffee mug with a small package of gourmet coffee and a hand-written note. If you can key into something the person is passionate about, the touchpoint resonates more.”

Most importantly, Steiner says, it’s all about being positive. “I’m there to keep their mood up and bring solutions that will help them, not be another chore on their list for the day.”

Steiner also advises that timing isn’t always right, which makes persistence all the more important. “Early on in my sales career I reached out to a prospect. I built a relationship with him and kept in contact for years with no luck converting a sale. After 10 years, the business opened up and he turned to me and said, ‘Your persistence finally paid off!’”

Sometimes the biggest difference between someone who succeeds and someone who doesn’t, is that the former persisted and the latter quit. As you’re heading out on the road to your goals, big or small, remember that each step you take places you closer to the destination. Pave your road with persistence. It may not be the smoothest ride, but it’ll be a worthwhile journey that can take you all the way to the top!

Group Travel Forecast into 2022 – Plan Ahead Now

There is no doubt the travel and hospitality industries have been hit very hard through the COVID-19 pandemic. The damage ranges from critical to dire, depending on the sector.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association warned its industry is on “the brink of collapse” in an August 31, 2020 report. Among the stark realities: urban hotels are at crippling low occupancy rates and hotels in major cities across the country are struggling to stay open.

Airline travel started seeing an uptick in passengers in August, although it was still at an average of 27% of 2019 numbers. On September 27, 2020 the TSA reported screening 873,038 passengers versus 2.45 million one year earlier. That’s 35% of the 2019 passenger count. Additional airline layoffs are expected to be announced soon, possibly hitting another 30,000 jobs.

Airlines are quick to share their safety protocols to combat spread of COVID like HEPA filters and that cabin air is turned over 10-12 times per hour. In addition, mask requirements and keeping the middle seat open (only some airlines) have led some safety experts to give the green light to air travel, if necessary. Included in the link above is an interesting contrast between two international flights early in the pandemic and how the use of masks affected the spread of the virus.

At Motivation Excellence, our Manager, Supplier Relations & Sourcing, Joe Reise, keeps an eye on all the latest news concerning our industry.  He sees a boom in the future and he’s working with our clients now to get the best scenarios while mitigating risk.

Looking ahead, Reise believes 2021 will be a rebuilding year. Many hotels allowed group bookings in 2020 to move to 2021, packing the year full of moved 2020 business and already existing 2021 business. But as we get closer to 2021, group travel is starting to postpone again through the first half of the year.

“Once we have a vaccine, travelers will see an end game and demand will be explosive. If you wait until after the vaccine is released, rates will already be headed much higher. It’s best to start looking now while there is still some flexibility with rates and availability.”

Q1 2022 is already seeing bookings increase, as well as rates. Companies who’ve maintained a healthy financial status through COVID-19 are eager to book group travel as soon as it’s deemed safe.

In light of the uncertainties we’re experiencing now and into the future, here are our recommendations on how to navigate booking future group events while limiting concerns over hotel closures, increased rates and safety.

1. Avoid airport, convention and big city hotels – they are at the highest risk to close right now.
2. If you want to book a hotel in 2021 choose one that’s had a positive EBITDA/room (sign of financial health) since at least July 2020.
3. In 2020 and 2021, consider drivable locations for your smaller corporate gatherings, and look at resort properties outside of urban locations.
4. In 2022, be prepared for higher rates the longer you wait to book.
5. Whether in 2021 or 2022, get the pulse of the people you plan to gather.
   • Do they feel comfortable flying?
   • Are they okay following airline and destination-based mask requirements?
   • Is there a group size they feel comfortable engaging with?

Reise says demand for non-urban resort properties will be at an all-time high in 2022.

“Especially among financially healthy companies, once group travel is a go again, there will be a flood of demand over a very short window of time.”

COVID-19 will likely affect how we look at group travel for several years to come, but with careful planning and insight into industry information, your company can begin to plan for future events. If you have any questions or concerns, or would like help planning a future travel experience for your company please contact Rhonda Brewer at r.brewer@motivation.redefinedcreative.com.

Being Inclusive Leads to a Better Business

We all know that feeling of being left out, bullied, embarrassed or far worse. For some it ended in childhood, but for others it continues into adulthood.  It’s reported even bullies tend to be picked on by someone, thus learning the behavior they use to torment others in return. So, if most individuals in society have felt picked-on for one reason or another (their clothes, socio-economic status, skin color, sexual identity, name, religion, immigration status, the list really goes on and on), you’d think being inclusive would become a priority as we mature and “know better.” Yet, we face many situations where inclusivity is elusive. It shouldn’t be, especially in our work environments, where an inclusive culture leads to diversity, creativity and innovation!

Inclusion at Work; A Story of Apples and Oranges

There is a history of successful corporations recognizing the value of inclusion. Many state so on their websites and hiring pages. For instance, Apple highlights the statement “We’re not all the same and that’s a strength.” Coca-Cola says, “We are smart alone, but genius together.” Apple and Coca-Cola know the best talent out there value an inclusive work space.

Forbes published an article showing the direct path from inclusivity to diversity. In fact, the author posits that without inclusivity, diversity plummets. After all, why would you want to be an orange in a barrel full of apples who constantly remind you that you’re different, not as easy to eat and your experience as an orange is not valued? If the apples are inclusive and ask the orange its opinion, value its experience and include it in new recipes that enhance the overall flavor of the barrel more oranges will feel accepted. Maybe even a couple bananas, an avocado and a mango will then join in and suddenly the barrel is a full out fruit aisle of diversity! Who likes a fruit salad with just apples, anyway?

Join the Movement to Include

Inclusivity at work can create higher morale, job satisfaction and efficiency, but what about the rest of life? Obviously, it’s important to feel included in daily outside-of-work activities too. Special Olympics launched a five year campaign called “The Revolution is Inclusion.” They recently celebrated the global week of inclusion by highlighting individuals and companies that champion inclusion policies and behaviors.

Special Olympics published five reasons why inclusion is important to all of us in our society, especially in light of publicity surrounding social justice recently. In short, here are the bullet points.

• Inclusion fuels acceptance
• It cultivates empathy
• Allows for positive self-image development
• Drives Meaningful Change
• Makes us see the person first, not the differences

If these reasons speak to you, they encourage you to sign their Inclusion Pledge and pass it on to others in your life too!

Be Inclusive, it’s the “In” Thing to Do!

Whether in personal or work life, inclusivity ultimately leads to better policies, results, culture and ideas. We’ve heard it since we were kids – play together nicely, invite all the kids to the party; and we need reminding as adults too. Here’s your reminder.

Put Your Safety Harnesses On – Innovation During a Pandemic

Image credit: Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

One of the hottest words in 2020 is innovate. Innovation is often born out of crisis and 2020 has been one whopper of a crisis! The “coronacoaster” is taking us all on quite the ride. Businesses most affected are looking for new ways to continue to serve their customers. Educators are finding better ways to engage students online. We all are discovering safer paths to connect with friends and family and continue to enjoy our own little luxuries. Harvard Business School recently wrote about how innovation is the one good thing about COVID-19! You have to look for the positives, right?

Adapting for Safety

The pandemic has hit the travel and hospitality industries especially hard. We at Motivation Excellence are joining our travel partners reimagining how group travel, events and meetings move forward. We’ve seen successes in smaller, local gatherings at places like Wild Dunes Resort in South Carolina. Their use of personal dining concierge stations and Plexiglas barriers at rolling beverage bars were just two ways they developed to maintain top-level service while embracing new safety protocols. For more ways the hotel members of Teneo Hospitality Group are innovating for a better and safer guest experience watch our recorded webinar from June here.

One of our event partners Hello! Destination Management has also seen recent small group successes.  Paul Mears, Hello! President, says being innovative in 2020 for his team is more about reimagining creative solutions than inventing totally new ways to do things. For instance, they recently had an event where they used people walking around with trays, but instead of glasses of wine, they were passing out masks and small hand-sanitizers.

“It’s an amenity that is handy, relevant and convenient, served in a way that people at an event are used to seeing: a smiling person, greeting you with a tray and roaming the event space.”

Mears says his team makes sure they understand the client’s visualization of an event and then adapts their resources to fit current safety guidelines. One client who originally wanted their group of 40 to take a yacht out on a bay cruise in San Diego was unable to do so with new group limits on the vessel. Hello! arranged for them to instead do a sailing regatta event using six smaller boats. The client’s vision of being on the water together, with San Diego as the backdrop, was met and the six-seven people on each sailboat were able to collaborate more intimately and enjoy an engaging activity in a socially safer and locally allowed way.

“We understand what they hoped to do and then adjusted to fit the original feel of the event safely. There can be some tradeoffs on things like food and beverage options in this instance, but it can turn out to be an upgrade in overall experience.”

We’ll be talking more in depth with Paul Mears in a live webinar August 27, 2020 at 2pm CST. Register to join us! It will also be recorded and available on the Motivation Excellence Insights Tab by the end of August.

Do More than Survive; Thrive

Many retail stores now offer contactless, curbside pick-up. Restaurants are turning parking lots into outdoor eating spaces. Temperature readings, mask requirements and health/travel screenings are now the norm at many workspaces, doctors’ offices and schools. Businesses that want to survive are making simple adjustments.

Innovation comes in when your business wants to move beyond surviving and into thriving! If you’re able to turn on your heels and head in a new direction the reward can be fantastic. Of course, you’re often walking blindly and spotting the glint of a golden idea can be near impossible. That’s where being flexible and open to trying new things is important. This pandemic has thrust multiple opportunities on all of us to do both! McKinsey & Company asserts innovation is more critical than ever now for businesses to truly prosper going forward.

Personally, for us, we’ve pivoted multiple group travel programs to a virtual gifting experience in 2020. One of our healthcare clients went from a scheduled top performer reward experience in Hawaii to using our concierge shopping option to great success! This client awarded a generous sum to each of their top performers and our personal shopping experts helped them create truly personalized rewards! One person paid her child’s private school tuition, another used their award to put solar panels on their house, and another put a down payment on a Disney-area timeshare! Luxury items like a Louis Vuitton bag and a Gibson electric guitar made our participants extremely appreciative of the ability to pick a reward that they’d never buy themselves! Participant responses to this shift in reward experience were overwhelmingly positive.

“This would be an amazing program to introduce annually. Making it this personal was meaningful.”

– Healthcare client award winner

This is an example of our team being nimble, but even more, it’s an example of our client being open to something new and trusting this very different, but necessary, award vehicle approach. It will pay off with higher engagement with their best employees being shown such appreciation in a time of such uncertainty.

We are also excited to announce a new reward program born out of the pandemic in every way. MaxRewardsNow is a turnkey solution for business leaders to take a step beyond saying “thank you” to their essential employees by putting retail and restaurant gift cards in their hands during a time they probably need it most. Blocks of cards can be purchased in denominations from $25 to $100 and instantly given out as desired to show appreciation during these extraordinary times. A branded website walks recipients through the redemption process and all the cards can be used immediately if the digital option is selected. It’s a low-cost reward program for businesses and highly valued by the recipient.

Keep Moving Forward

This is an obvious time to feel beaten down. Don’t give into the despair! Being innovative is not necessarily an innate skill. According to a barely pre-pandemic article on Forbes.com it can be learned and practiced! Check out their eight steps to improving your innovation.

No matter who you are, you’ve been affected by 2020 in some way. Looking at things in a new light, being flexible and creative in your approach to problems and working together with others in a similar situation are all ways to be innovative during this time. You don’t need to invent the best thing since the iPad to be successful. Sometimes, it’s the small leaps forward solving an immediate problem that carry you forward the farthest. Just keep making those frontward movements and you’ll be on your way to being an innovative force like Otto Frederick Rohwedder. Anyone up for some toast?

Broad-minded Thinking: Is Your Mind Open for Business?

Let me guess. You’re totally okay with changing your socks every day, but when it comes to changing your mind, it’s an uphill battle from the start? You’re not alone, but wanting to be more broad or open-minded already sets you up for positive change. And just like your socks, a freshly washed mindset helps you put your best foot forward in just about every situation!

If you think you’re right in every situation, and that your habits, worldviews and routines have no room for improvement, you can stop reading. You are the opposite of being ready for open-mindedness. If however, you want to try to experience new things, stretch your mind and shoot for a change of attitude, we’ve got some tips to help you out.  For further reading and other distinct ways to broaden your thinking check out The Good Men Project and Mind Café articles linked here too. 

Always Be Open to Learning

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” – Albert Einstein

We live in an opinion-charged environment with a lot of conflicting viewpoints thrown at us constantly. It’s a human habit to search out evidence that supports our already held beliefs. What takes effort and practice is to challenge our own beliefs, do a little research, and decide if there is a reason to adjust our opinion based on new information. The desire to be well-informed is critical to being able to have educated thoughts in widely ranging areas from politics to fitness.

How many times have you found yourself in a social media “conversation” with someone who has a differing opinion than yours? How often have you taken the time to look up information that supports the other side? If nothing else, this will allow you to learn the “whys” behind their views. It may not change your argument at all, or it may soften its edges. Either way, you’ve opened your mind to a different way of thinking. Growth can start with a single seed!

This doesn’t just apply to the heavy social issues that can weigh down anyone’s mind. Being open to learning a new way to swing your golf club or twirl your paint brush can bring new levels of enjoyment to your hobbies. Taking dance lessons or joining a recreational soccer team can create new fitness goals, not to mention introduce you to new friends who can share their viewpoints too. Continual learning is a giant circle of enrichment!

Be Open to Leaving Your Comfort Zone/Zip Code

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

Sure, maybe you’ve got everything you need within a 30 mile radius of your home, but visiting other areas of your city, your state, this country or even another continent naturally extends your breadth of experiences which expands your way of thinking. 

Motivation Excellence supports Ingage Unlimited, a non-profit organization that sends teams of volunteers to developing areas of the world to provide training in education, business, and leadership skills. No one comes back unaffected by the new people they’ve met, the work they’ve accomplished, and the obvious differences in the way of life they just experienced.

Brooke Barlow was a volunteer team member to the Dominican Republic with Ingage (see pic above). Her involvement expanded her thinking in many ways that stay with her more than two years later. “My experience with Ingage was life-changing. I got to see a whole different culture and experience it firsthand. Getting to see another culture and how they live life was eye-opening. I loved witnessing how they made the most of what they had and were always so positive.”

But, you don’t have to literally travel to expose yourself to new cultures, activities or experiences. Documentaries on TV channels like PBS or National Geographic can open your eyes to other parts of the world, long gone civilizations and recent history. Reading memoirs from the past and the present offers a way to walk in someone else’s shoes without leaving your couch. 

Your comfort zone is well-worn and cozy. It’s hard to abandon it! But each time you leave, even mentally, you create a bigger comfort zone and suddenly there’s enough room to really stretch out and maybe even add a futon and some throw pillows!

Be Open to Collaborating

“A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.” – Frank Zappa

Broad-minded thinking is a critical skill to have not only in your personal life but also in a business environment. Employers look for open-minded new hires. Teamwork, adaptability and tolerance are hallmarks of these employees. Conversely, leaders at a company who are open-minded allow their team to flourish. You can tell within five minutes of any brainstorming session those in the room with a strict, narrow view. These are not easy people to work with or for, but as a student of open-minded thinking, they’re the perfect people to practice your new skills on. See how I turned that around into a positive? ☺

Being able to work with someone with vastly different views is challenging. It’s also a great opportunity to ask a lot of questions and hopefully be asked some in return. You know the old saying about when you “assume?” In case you don’t, let me spell it out for you. It makes an ass out of u and me.  Do not assume you already know everything about a certain subject or about another person’s viewpoint. Quite frankly you don’t know either. 

Acknowledging you have room to grow, and want to do so, makes you poised to take on your challenges. If someone else is willing to have an open conversation with you about their mindset and experiences, take them up on it. Sharing your experiences helps them grow too. This relates to helping a client solve a business problem as well as talking to a stranger on social media about any hot button or totally benign topic (they all seem to be controversial these days though, right?).

Be Open to Trying

“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” – George Bernard Shaw

After reading this and the linked information, are you ready to be a broad-minded thinker? Even if you’re willing to make a few adjustments that’s awesome! As with any new habit or routine, start small and move forward at your own pace. 

Being open-minded is really having the ability to change your perspective. It does not mean you have to agree with opposite opinions. It means you have the mental tools to see things from the other side, or sides.

 It’s not easy, and it definitely takes practice. But just like we teach our kids to change their underwear daily, we too can teach ourselves how to change our minds with gentle reminders (maybe some exasperated pleas too). After all, our minds are even more personal than our underwear, so if we’re down with changing the latter, we can definitely be open to changing the former too. 

It’s Your Circus – Learn to Juggle

Header Image by Evan Clark

That’s it, right? We’re all juggling daily. Between our professional responsibilities and personal accountabilities lies a litany of tasks, errands, desires and dreams to tend to as well. Honestly, there are days getting a shower and a couple solid meals can be a challenge (or is that just me?).

Add in a pandemic with work from home environments and suddenly the time in the day gets a little more blended and complicated. Finding that balance between things you have to do and things you want to do is harder. There aren’t distinct “working hours” or “family time” mapped out neatly in our calendars anymore.

Learning to find that work-life balance is even more critical in our current situation. Keep reading to get some useful tips for employees and employers to consider when walking along the tightrope of our new daily lives.

Two Strikes – Not Out Yet

As Americans we already have two strikes against us in the work-life struggle. We’re known as the “no- vacation nation.” 23% of American workers don’t get any paid vacation time AND 55% of those who do leave at least some vacation days unused each year.  

Of the 36 wealthiest nations in the world that belong to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. is the only one that doesn’t require employers to give paid vacation or holiday time. 

Employees who do get paid vacation time left more than 760 million days unused in 2018. 54% reported feeling guilty taking days off and 30% said they checked their email at least daily while on vacation.

Clearly, as employers and employees we have some work to do on taking it easy. Ironic, isn’t it?

Love or Hate – It’s Not Up for Debate

If you’re fortunate to be in a job that you love, you might feel like you don’t need to worry as much about the balance in your life. Think again. There are many studies that support the fact that taking time away from work allows you to jump back in refreshed and ready to be even more efficient. We covered some of this in last month’s blog on self-care. A break can be anything from a dedicated lunch to a day off here and there to a bonafide vacation.

At Motivation Excellence, our owner and CEO, David Jobes, offers paid vacation, holidays, your hire date anniversary off AND two days off to do charity work each year. There’s also the opportunity to purchase additional days off. 

“It’s about loving what you do and being able to spend time doing what you want as well. It’s an important balance and I want our team members to have the opportunity to be efficient and happy at work so they can enjoy their out-of-work hours even more.” – David Jobes

Employees need to make sure they take advantage of their employers’ offerings. Personally, I keep track of time off in an excel file and I visit it at least monthly to make sure I’m on track to use my time off effectively. We all need to be self-advocates too. No one knows better than you if you’re hitting that CODE RED level and need to take an afternoon, a day or a week off to bring the boiling point back down. If you were sick, you’d take time to rest. It’s the same concept with vacation – and you get to enjoy the day without sniffles or a fever!

Planning & Flexibility – The Yin and Yang of Time Off

Even if you have nowhere to go, planning time off in advance allows you to prepare yourself to leave work for a while. You can get clients up to date and warn your coworkers you’ll be out of touch for a while. 

For people with young children, the pull of family versus work time is real, especially in pandemic times! Scheduling planned time-outs from work can help parents connect with their kids while also allowing coworkers to know you’re out of pocket at this same time every day or week. If you have a flexible work schedule you can make up that time when the kids are settled in for a movie after dinner. If it’s an option, take a half day of vacation here and there to help navigate time on and time off. 

As much as planned time off work is nice, there’s nothing quite like taking a last minute afternoon when your schedule allows! Flexibility is critical to creating a balance between what needs to get done and what you want to do. Some days might end up being very work heavy without that being the plan at the start. Other days might open up without notice (canceled meetings anyone?). Being able to pivot and repurpose chunks of time will help create that balance we all need. 

A Work In Progress – You Can Do It

It doesn’t have to be one or the other: work or life. It’s about incorporating everything throughout the day in healthy doses. And as this is the month we celebrate fathers, please men, remember to shine a light on all your amazing attributes. Be goofy dad and date night hubby, along with respected colleague and BBQ champion. When your life is balanced it makes your whole world and all those who love you feel more at ease in every way. 

The bottom line is we all tend to struggle with work-life balance from time to time. When you find yourself about to drop a plate, two balls, and a lit torch all at once, remember to take a break. You can rotate all those pieces back into the juggling routine (well, you might need a new plate) one at a time. You might find that after some practice you’re actually a pretty skilled juggler.