Incentive travel is about motivation and destination. It’s a reward for outstanding performance. For a broader pool of employees or salespeople, that same incentive trip serves to motivate current and future performance. An incentive trip’s impact depends on the attendees’ full experience, how memorable the trip is, and the buzz it creates throughout the company. Making the most of the selected destination is central to the lasting impact of the incentive.
To explore how to maximize the value of a destination, in partnership with Destination Canada, we gathered industry professionals at the iconic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, the landmark luxury hotel of Quebec City, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most beautiful, and walkable, cities in the world. With its cobbled streets lined with centuries-old buildings, top-notch restaurants, and European atmosphere, Québec City offered the most unique and unexpected scenery to inspire our roundtable discussions. The group included a mix of corporate program owners and third-party representatives from the US and UK.
Over two days, the group discussed how to position and develop programming around a destination for impact, and how resources like Destination Management Organizations, Hoteliers, DMCs and others can be used to maximum effect, while experiencing Quebec City first-hand during incentive-style activities. Their insights and perspectives, shared in this paper, help shed light on how to partner with suppliers to harness the motivational power of the destination, how to position destinations to senior leaders and attendees, and how to create lasting impact among attendees.
Inspired by Quebec City’s history, culture, and specific sense of place, the incentive professionals immediately discussed authenticity as a key element to a special destination. The group had sampled local cuisine, gone on walking city tours, and participated in a moccasin sewing activity. Their welcome dinner showcased locally-sourced ingredients transformed with creativity and innovations by Chef Gabriel Molleur-Langevin of Champlain restaurant during a dramatic Dinner in Darkness at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. A cultural highlight had been experiencing a storytelling session in a traditional longhouse at the Huron-Wendat Museum located a short walk from Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations in Wendake, an indigenous owned hotel on the Huron-Wendat Nation. The group discussed how these types of authentic experiences, that give a true sense of history and place, could create lasting memories for incentive travel participants.
Incentive travel is about motivation and destination. It’s a reward for outstanding performance. For a broader pool of employees or salespeople, that same incentive trip serves to motivate current and future performance. An incentive trip’s impact depends on the attendees’ full experience, how memorable the trip is, and the buzz it creates throughout the company. Making the most of the selected destination is central to the lasting impact of the incentive.
To explore how to maximize the value of a destination, in partnership with Destination Canada, we gathered industry professionals at the iconic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, the landmark luxury hotel of Quebec City, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most beautiful, and walkable, cities in the world. With its cobbled streets lined with centuries-old buildings, top-notch restaurants, and European atmosphere, Québec City offered the most unique and unexpected scenery to inspire our roundtable discussions. The group included a mix of corporate program owners and third-party representatives from the US and UK.
Over two days, the group discussed how to position and develop programming around a destination for impact, and how resources like Destination Management Organizations, Hoteliers, DMCs and others can be used to maximum effect, while experiencing Quebec City first-hand during incentive-style activities. Their insights and perspectives, shared in this paper, help shed light on how to partner with suppliers to harness the motivational power of the destination, how to position destinations to senior leaders and attendees, and how to create lasting impact among attendees.
Inspired by Quebec City’s history, culture, and specific sense of place, the incentive professionals immediately discussed authenticity as a key element to a special destination. The group had sampled local cuisine, gone on walking city tours, and participated in a moccasin sewing activity. Their welcome dinner showcased locally-sourced ingredients transformed with creativity and innovations by Chef Gabriel Molleur-Langevin of Champlain restaurant during a dramatic Dinner in Darkness at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. A cultural highlight had been experiencing a storytelling session in a traditional longhouse at the Huron-Wendat Museum located a short walk from Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations in Wendake, an indigenous owned hotel on the Huron-Wendat Nation. The group discussed how these types of authentic experiences, that give a true sense of history and place, could create lasting memories for incentive travel participants.
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