Prize Programs

High-end gifts -- watches, electronics, jewelry -- are traditional elements of many incentive travel programs. These presents often are left in guest rooms or handed out upon arrival at the venue. But many incentive professionals are elevating the art of gift-giving into high-energy events that enhance the program agenda. Following are a sampling of creative, interactive gift ideas that also serve as one-of-a-kind experiences for top performers.

Maui Jim sunglasses fittings
 

One of the simplest ways to transform gift-giving into an incentive-caliber event is to let participants loose at a custom "bar" to peruse and choose a version of the gift item that best fits their look and style.

Lahaina, Hawaii-based Maui Jim Inc. is among the pioneers of the interact gift bar concept. The company has been showcasing its high-end sunglasses at incentive events around the world for the past 15 years, according to Brett Hatch, the company's senior director of global corporate gifts.

The Maui Jim booth typically is set up early in the program to kick off a festive atmosphere -- and allow participants to wear their new shades over the ensuing days. The gift bars are staffed by stringently trained Maui Jim fitters, clad in blue shirts, who personally work with each attendee to choose a pair of premium shades that will flatter his or her face.

"We try to make it a team-building activity," says Hatch. "Winners can trade advice on what to pick and how they look. In some instances, we have the company CEO or vice president of sales manning the booth and helping with selections; what a great one-on-one experience that is for winners." The idea, Hatch adds, is to make the gift-giving process as memorable as the gift itself.

Maui Jim offers this service worldwide -- not just in beach destinations -- for groups of 15 to 4,000 participants. The key to the success of these events, Hatch points out, is to have enough staff to accommodate the group. "We don't want attendees to have to stand on lines and wait more than two or three minutes," he says.


The Blues Jean Bar experience
 

In a variation of the above, for its 2012 Volvo President's Club trip to California's Napa Valley, the car company wanted to gift winners with something they could wear any time during the casual program and enjoy when they went back home. Upon check-in at their hotel, winners were directed to a "denim bar" -- a custom-created outdoor boutique stocked with hundreds of pairs of jeans -- and were invited to take their pick of any pair.

"Everyone wears jeans, no matter their age, shape or size, so we thought they would appreciate the idea," says Tina Gaccetta, vice president, client services, for Minneapolis-based incentive firm Aimia, which organized the program for Volvo. The incentive firm partnered with the Blues Jean Bar, a brick-and-mortar store that was just beginning to create these events for corporate clients. "They brought displays, changing cabanas and their own 'jean-eologists,' who made sure each of the 50 winners received a perfect pair that flattered them," says Gaccetta.

The custom jeans bar was one element that contributed to Aimia winning a Site Crystal Award for Exceptional Motivational Travel Program last year.

Alex and Ani bangle stand
 

Among the newest gift-bar ideas is the Alex and Ani bangle stand, featuring the cult-status bracelets that deliver inspirational messages imprinted on their sides. According to Brian Boucher, director of North Kingston, R.I.,-based ChoiceGifts, "We bring an assortment of different bangles, color beads and several types of charms with positive meanings -- typically the 'path of life' and 'tree of life' charms."

Participants choose from the different elements to create their own Alex and Ani starter kit. The bracelets are widely available for those who wish to build on their bangles to mark events in their lives.

"Even winners who are unfamiliar with the brand start Googling it and get really excited when they see the different options and all the positive messages," says Boucher. "The men know about them from their spouses and daughters, and they get into it, too." Note: For mixed groups of male and female winners, ChoiceGifts often pairs the bracelet bar with a watch-selection bar for the men.


Canon's Picture Perfect program
 

Cameras and picture-taking are a classic component of an incentive travel program: Sponsors often give the cameras out so participants can capture images from the trip to preserve the memories for years to come. However, few winners really know how to use all the bells and whistles of their new cameras, and even fewer take quality pictures, notes Patrick Corley, vice president, experience events, at Maryland Heights, Mo.-based corporate gift firm Incentive Concepts.

With that in mind, Corley's firm offers the Canon Picture Perfect program. Incentive winners receive brand new SLR Canon cameras when they arrive on-site, where they are joined by select award-winning photographers who provide tutorials on how to use the equipment, as well one-on-one tips for taking top-quality shots. (Canon works with a network of these pros throughout the world through its Explorers of Light initiative.) This program works particularly well on trips that include wildlife tours to such destinations as South Africa or Alaska, which can be led by National Geographic photographers.

"The winners aren't just going to get lucky and get a good snap once in a while -- they're going to get the best photos of their lives -- something they would never be able to do on their own," Corley adds.

For a final touch, winners receive a photo capturing a special moment from the trip or of the winners themselves, taken and signed by their pro photographer/host.


Bose Event experience
 

Showering winners with gifts upon arrival is a great way to deliver instant gratification, but some merchandise works well later in the agenda, as the anchor of a one-of-a-kind party. For example, during a financial services firm's incentive trip to the NCAA Men's Final Four in Dallas earlier this year, guests entered a ballroom that was transformed into the Bose Sports Center, designed to resemble the ESPN Sports Center, surrounded by big-screen televisions and sound provided, naturally, by Bose.

Guests were led to a wall of lockers on arrival, where they could pick out a pair of Bose headphones. The event also featured cheerleaders and sports commentator Bill Walton, who provided "chalk talks" of what to expect from that day's game.

For another program featuring Bose products, Incentive Concepts (which organized the above Sports Center program as well) incorporated the gift handout into a festive evening during a program held at a ski resort in Whistler, Canada.

The client was concerned participants would scatter and head out to different local bars following a day spent on the slopes, rather than mingling and bonding as a group. Incentive Concepts' Patrick Corley worked with them to create two concurrent aprés-ski events: a jazz-themed wine bar/lounge to appeal to the more laid-back winners, and a high-energy club featuring pulsating dance music and Jagermeister shots for the hard partyers. The lure: Participants had to attend one of the events to receive their Bose gift.

"It really worked," says Corley. "Not only did they show up, but they stayed for hours and some of them even dropped into both parties."