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The Site International Foundation Board of Trustees and leaders of the Site Germany Chapter announce the release of the 2010 Study of the German Incentive & Motivational Travel Market. Seen as one of the world’s leading source markets and destinations, Germany serves as a guidepost for an interconnected Europe. The study looked at a diverse sample of industries and returned results from organizers who plan an average of 15 incentive programs a year. The report provides point-in-time-benchmarks specific to German incentive travel programs both domestic and outbound.
Fay Beauchine, CITE, Site International Foundation President and President Engagement & Events at Carlson Marketing stated, “This study provides relevant data that clearly documents behavior and practice in the German marketplace. It reinforces the growing trend to work collaboratively with procurement and the need for planners and their partners to proactively prove value and adopt a methodology for measuring results. Whether your business is in Germany or elsewhere, this study delivers solid data on what is occurring in our industry today.”
The study was carried out by tmf GmbH in Munich under the direction of Project Chair Dr. Patrick Pat Sridge. Main findings include:
Structure of award
– On average, incentive trips last 3.2 days.
– Incentive trips mostly range from 20 to 99 participants. A quarter of the incentive agencies / corporate planners carry out incentives with 250 and more participants (domestic and outbound).
– Nearly all incentive planners collaborate with hotels directly, whether a destination is well-known or not. DMCs, specialized domestic agencies (e.g. for teambuilding or outdoor programs) and convention bureaus are commissioned more often if destinations are less- or not well-known to the planner.
– The average budget for domestic incentive trips is 435 euros per participant per day; the main range is from 201 euros to 600 euros. For outbound incentives, the budget is 605 euros on average; every fourth incentive travel planner can apply a budget of 800 euros and more.
Trends in procurement/organization
– Rewarding employees is presently viewed as the main objective of incentive / motivational travel. An increasingly important reason for organizing incentive travel is improving performance by motivating and educating participants.
– Half of the incentive agencies questioned had to cooperate with their clients’ procurement department, mostly concerning costs for flights and hotels.
– Within corporations, about every third in-house planner has to consult management when making decisions concerning incentive / motivational travel.
– For sourcing out services, incentive organizers most frequently work with preferred partner agencies.
Future perspectives
– Incentive trips are becoming increasingly shorter and are carried out in Europe more often than overseas and in Germany more often than abroad.
– Programs are becoming more intensive and dense and include more elements (e.g. meetings/ conferences, education, training and business plus leisure, fun, sports, and social issues).
– Variety, originality and the inclusion of lifestyle topics will gain in significance and importance in the future.
Patrick Patridge, PhD, Project Chair and Vice-President Site Germany stated, “Incentive/motivational travel is a fascinating instrument that may be employed in helping to tackle many of today’s economic, organizational and indeed social and ecological challenges. This study will hopefully serve as a basis for improved planning, for informed and lively discussion and as a platform for future research and MICE industry development.”
This study was conducted in celebration of Site Germany’s 20th Anniversary in concert with the generous support of Berlin Convention Office, the German Convention Bureau, Munich Tourist Office, Cologne Tourist Office, tmf GmbH and Tourism Marketing & Public Relations.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
