Black Meetings and Tourism

March/April 2011

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COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS ADD NEW TWIST TRAVEL PROGRAMS (AND CREDIBILITY) TO INCENTIVE BY MICHAEL BENNETT The ripple effect of Wall Street abuses – its unfettered greed and lack of financial discipline unleashed an avalanche of ruin across the planet that wiped out entire industries and forced others into serious survival mode. It’s been 40 months (as of this writing) since the greatest financial collapse many of us will ever experience. Despite the meteoric rise in the stock market many governments, businesses and consumers teeter on the brink of col- lapse. Most destinations are highly dependent on the trav- el industry for revenues, employment and infrastruc- ture. Unfortunately, most businesses in the industry operate on wafer thing profit margins. A small hiccup across any sector of their business could easily lead to financial ruin. What we experienced was far more than a small hiccup. Many in our industry have gone out of busi- ness and the long-term implications on our local juris- dictions are just beginning as services we all took for granted and were supported by travel tax revenues are being gutted to balance budgets. The need for community service projects has never been greater. Who in our industry will ever forget the public flog- ging American International Group (AIG) took from Congressional leaders, media and other watchdog groups back in September/October 2008. Just weeks after receiving an $85 million bailout from the American taxpayer, AIG spent over $440,000 on what was billed as a corporate retreat with all the perks at the St. Regis Resort Monarch Beach in California. This single well-publicized, and might we add over- hyped event marked the beginning of a full-fledged assault and public relations nightmare on incentive travel. Hundreds of companies pulled back or elimi- nated these programs all together to avoid the nega- tive press surrounding such events. The words “incentive travel” represented a beehive 36 of negativity despite all the positive contributions this form of travel makes to our economy both here and abroad. It took a meeting with the President and a massive publicity campaign to convince others that incentive travel has many positive benefits not only for the cor- porations that conduct them, but also for the global economy, which brings us to 2011. History is doomed to repeat itself if we don’t learn its many lessons and this is one lesson as an industry we should never forget. Perception is reality for many. When the general public, Congress and even some of our corporate leaders think of incentive travel its usu- ally to far off exotic places in the Caribbean, Hong Kong, Australia or Hawaii. That perception is part of what got AIG in trouble with the public. The word resort conjures up images of some swanky hotel in a tropical paradise. It’s incumbent upon all us to promote incentive travel and change that public perception. One way to fix the negative perception of incentive travel is through community service programs. We hear about faith-based groups making countless trips to our bothers and sisters on the African continent to help in areas of food, medicine and education. It’s more than a donation of financial resources; it’s a hands-on experience that affects the lives of those who give and those who receive. Corporations should follow the lead of these reli- gious groups. Imagine if AIG had taken a group to Africa to help with famine or AIDS as opposed to the perception of a group of extremely wealthy individuals spending their days golfing, receiving spa treatments or frolicking on the beach with some exotic drink in their hand. We’re not suggesting incentive travelers not enjoy those activities, we’re suggesting becoming better corporate citizens for the good of us all and changing perception. Here’s another perception problem, or myth that needs to be dispelled – incentive travel is only for the wealthy among us. Many corporations reward their employees and top sales people with trips as a thanks for a job well-done and of course to give an incentive to others to strive for excellence. Many of these people are not wealthy indi- viduals; in fact, most live mod- estly and have earned such trips through performance. In fairness, many companies have incorporated charitable giving into their business models. Black Meetings & Tourism March/April 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com

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