Quick and easy pivot from incentive travel to alternate rewards

How offering world-class awards experiences helped a company achieve their incentive travel recognition goals.

For a major insurance company, their annual incentive travel meeting was a high point of the year—a time to bring an important group of independent agents together and recognize them for their contributions. But when a global pandemic made travel and group events impossible, they had to swiftly change course.

incentive award winner browsing catalog options on ipad

Only an Awards Alternative Creates the Right Experience

Our client was faced with three trip reward alternatives: offer producers nothing, give a cash payout or provide an awards experience. The first option was quickly discarded as it wouldn’t fulfill the recognition our client desired to give their producers, and the second wouldn’t generate a meaningful connection back to the brand. To still achieve their goals of providing producers with a special experience that would create a positive brand impression, our client needed something tangible. Something memorable. An experience that creates an emotional connection.

We felt the cash could easily be forgotten. The catalog allowed each person the ability to select items that mean something to them and hopefully remind them of our company when they use them.

AVP Office Administration and Meeting Planner

Shifting From Incentive Travel Is a Breeze

With time of the essence, our client turned to their long-time partner, ITA Group, for recommendations on moving their trip. To create that meaningful connection with the brand, we recommended using our world-class award experiences. This gave producers access to an extensive catalog filled with name-brand merchandise, activity experiences and philanthropic options.

To let producers know about the shift in recognition, we promptly executed a communications solution explaining the reasons for the change and providing information on how to redeem. Ongoing reminders to producers who hadn’t spent their points ensured no one missed out on this opportunity.

Once we made our decision, the transition was simple—ITA Group made the process unbelievably easy for us.

Chief Distribution Officer

The Awards Experience Earns Overwhelming Participant Approval

The awards experience immediately made an impression on producers; they were excited to see the wide range of options available and appreciated being able to select their own meaningful reward. By helping our client face extenuating circumstances head on and quickly pivot from incentive travel to an awards experience, we were able to ensure our client was still able to reinforce loyalty to their brand and achieve their overall goals of offering a special recognition experience to their top agents.

incentive award winner looking at award catalog on laptop

The points program was fantastic for the entire family. We spent a few nights together looking through the multitude of options and everyone was able to pick out and receive many cool gifts. Thank you from our entire crew!

Award Participant

For those who don’t want items from the catalog, the activity options were great. They like being able to choose something special that they can do, not just buy.

Chief Distribution Officer