How Do I Launch an Incentive Travel Program?

If you’re looking to launch a successful travel incentive program, there are nine stages to follow:

Goals and KPIs: What are you aiming for? What specific metric goals are you trying to reach?
Pre-Planning: This is the stage for focus groups. What incentive will most motivate your employees? What kinds of problems might your program run into?
Measures: How will you measure, monitor and track progress as well as success?
Eligibility: Who will be eligible for the program? What goals or measures must they obtain to “win” the prize?
Messaging: How will you announce the program? What do eligible participants need to know? How will you promote it and get participants excited? How will you keep participants motivated?
Launch: What are your plans for the day of launch? Who will be involved and why?
Reward: Location scouting and planning should include consideration of the information gleaned from your focus groups. There are definite risks to attempting this stage without the help of a professional (see Agency vs. DIY section below).
Recognition: This is when you issue the reward. It’s worth having a ceremony of some kind—the winners should be recognized publicly.
Feedback: After the program is complete, be sure to talk to participants and winners to get their feedback. What was their experience like? What did they think of the reward? Were they sufficiently motivated?