in CONVERSATION - Fiona Thompson, Ulterior Events

Inside incentives - what’s changed in 20 years? Clue: it’s less than you think!

by Ulterior Events Director, Fiona Thompson

Travel's been my passion for as long as I can remember. So much so, that at the age of 17, I arranged for my first work experience placement to be at a company called Teamwork Travel Management, an incentive agency where I started to learn the ropes of what makes a great group incentive. Little did I know then that the company would go on to become Ulterior Events, where I am now a Director with over 22 years’ experience - and an official 'A-List Event Planner' - so say C&IT!

Since becoming a Director a few years back, I've often been asked about incentive travel trends - ‘What's new? What's the next big thing? Where will the industry be in five years time?' - and whilst it would be handy (not to mention lucrative) to be able to predict the future, the truth is that the core incentive travel product and the motivators behind it are the same as what they were when I started out.

Incentive travel back in the 80s and 90s was all about a hard-won reward for work well done and that’s still at the heart of it today. Our job is still to plan truly incentivising trips to motivate people to do their best work, boost loyalty and encourage them to do the same again the next time around.

Of course, technology has changed systems and processes. When I very first started, winners of an incentive would fax us their confirmation of attendance, providing their personal information, passport details and dietary requirements and then we would spend many hours writing all our rooming lists, dietary lists and flight lists - and rewriting lists as last-minute name changes occurred. It’s the same work that needs doing now, it’s just a much quicker process, less paper and no more Tipp-Ex!

Not all technological changes have been for the better though, some customer service has been lost along the way. Back then it would be a trip to the airport just days before the events to sit with the airline’s flight team and allocate the group seats together to make sure our guests were sat with one another. Although this sounds like a longer process it was stress-free and so much easier than it is nowadays as staff were always happy to help and would ensure guests were seated together - especially those couples that don’t have the same surname! Compared to today’s press of a button which allocates seats via an algorithm and can often take you hours on hold to amend.

I am sure a lot of the younger readers will be astonished to know that our national airline would set up an off-site check-in desk in a hotel so that they could issue boarding passes to the group and would transfer the luggage to the airport giving the guests a truly VIP experience from start to finish. As we know all too well, that service has fallen away, and it saddens and annoys me as it could and should be so much better. Since 9/11, and the more stringent security protocols, I wouldn’t for one minute expect an off-site check-in but from that to where we are now (even pre-Covid) is a shift in customer service, especially with groups that some of the airlines should address urgently.

Ease of communication has been a total gamechanger and taken a lot of the guesswork out of some of the hairier moments. Long gone are the days when you couldn’t get an iota of signal in the middle of the African Bush, WhatsApp keeps our team in constant communication, whether it’s to know when guests are departing, having another drink in the bar, arriving ahead of schedule or if there’s a sudden change to the itinerary. Our onsite app is a more recent technological addition; push notifications before an experience or where to meet and what time, serve to enhance the guests experience.

Ulterior Events’ Director, Fiona Thompson

On the flip side, clients now have access to a lot more information via the internet, so we need to show our value in increasingly innovative ways. We love that our guests have a greater understanding of different destinations and are interested in doing their own research but not all information out there is helpful… or true. Take holiday review site Trip Advisor for example, a terrible one-off review from a single disgruntled customer can have a huge and lasting impact on even an established and well thought of hotel or venue that we know provides a stellar offer and works wonderfully for groups. We have restaurants that know how to cater and look after groups, and we will stand up for them even if Brian and Brenda rated it one star because they were having a rubbish holiday!

The things that have brought about the biggest changes to our industry are things no one could have predicted, from 9/11 to Covid - but if the world ever stops turning it’s only ever temporary - and then on the other side there are always news processes to learn and adapt to. From the flight and security regulations that came into effect after 9/11 to processes and protocols to protect health and wellbeing in this, the Covid-era.

The other major change for the better is something that’s affected every industry - and that’s the better understanding of our planet and the need to act responsibly to preserve it as best we can. It's great to see both our clients and their guests become increasingly mindful of their footprint as they travel, and keener than ever to engage with host communities and leave a positive legacy.

Something that’s stood me in good stead over the past two decades is trusting my gut, if something doesn’t feel right - a venue, an experience, delayed flight - it probably isn’t! With experience you learn to lean into that feeling and to make an alternative decision.

From long haul to short haul, action-packed city breaks to coastal fly and flops, wellness retreats to wine-tasting…travel trends will come and go but when it comes to incentives the fundamentals are still the same and we make it happen, it’s just the processes that have changed around it. Giving our guests a mind-blowing journey of adventure, excitement and relaxation is what is all comes down to - just as it was 20+ years ago.

I truly believe that our industry is in a great place right now and am looking forward to seeing what the next twenty years will bring!