The higher the socio-professional category of the recipient, the more upmarket the gift," says Charlotte Tequi, Group Director Event American Express Business Travel. The first prizes must make people dream! For example, an elephant safari in India with nights in luxury hotels is best reserved for a group of managers, while a sales force will appreciate sustained activities such as car rallies, Formula 1 racing or boarding a Mirage 2000, which are more in keeping with their competitive spirit.
Nicolas Charruyer, head of incentives and events at Tapis Rouge, an agency specialising in exceptional trips, agrees. "To put it simply, sales people fantasise about thrills and intense operations, while doctors are attracted by high-quality, but above all not flashy, trips. For example, we organised a ten-day cruise on a luxury catamaran in the Grenadines for a medical group, with skippers, hostesses and top-of-the-range services on board. This operation was a huge hit with this very busy and often jaded group. In addition, we took a group of sales staff to New York for an original and invigorating holiday: overnight accommodation in a trendy hotel, an evening of musical theatre, a helicopter flight over the city, a baseball match, etc. The aim was to offer these people, who work hard all year round, a reward worthy of their investment! It's the way we handle an operation that transforms it into a dream incentive... So New York, at first sight an ordinary destination, was transformed by the content of the stay into a magical place and a fairytale reward for the whole group". For her part, Sylvie Paspre, Director of the Sobeincentive agency, stresses the importance of the packaging of an operation and the advisory role of a business tourism agency: "Depending on the type of group and the history of the company, we have to find the best proposal, in line with the customer's budget... We have to trigger emotions and encourage exchanges! Of course, luxury is always a dream, but not the ostentatious kind, but rather the kind that touches on authenticity and the art of living.
Last September, Sobeincentive organised an operation in Romania for around thirty independent asset management brokers, a population that is particularly sought after by the profession and difficult to surprise. "We chose Romania because it's a country that's off the beaten track, with a capital, Bucharest, that's on the move a lot and that needs to be visited before it becomes too trendy and loses its cachet". On the programme: a cruise on Nicolae Ceausescu's former yacht on a lake lined with superb villas, a bucolic discovery of the capital's surroundings, lunch in a castle, a ride in an authentic Baldia (the old Renault 12), a gala evening in a gourmet restaurant, a visit to the House of the People, which reflects the former Communist leader's folie de grandeur, and finally, a fashion show at the home of designer Doina Levintza followed by brunch in her private gardens. "For all the participants, this was a marvellous and magical stay, because it was totally offbeat and original. It just goes to show that dream incentives don't have to be synonymous with exploding budgets! But one of the difficulties we sometimes face is having to deal with a heterogeneous group. So we have to rise to the challenge of not offending some people while appealing to all the participants! This problem arose for a service company that rewarded its best employees by department, from management to maintenance staff. Some people had never flown in their lives, while others travelled regularly! It was important not to embarrass anyone so that the operation would be magical for everyone! All the services were carefully chosen with this in mind... Luxury lies in attention and human values, not in glitter", says Sylvie Paspre.
Presentation and script
However, at a time when almost everything is accessible to everyone, it has become difficult to motivate employees or surprise partners. "We're living in a world of democratisation, and the only way to make a difference is through service: staging a service, presenting a catalogue of prizes, opening certain venues for special events, etc. explains Roland Deponge, director of the Coup de Poing agency. The difficulty for a customer is to hook their target. As practically everything has been done, the difference lies in recognising the value of the individual being rewarded and the service provided. The way in which a challenge ends and a prize is awarded, and the way in which the winner is rewarded, are all very important! As for recognition, this can take the form of simple gestures such as a telephone call from the manager to congratulate the winner or invite him or her to lunch. For example, one company rewarded its best sales staff by replacing their company Clio with a Mercedes! And when a home cinema was donated, a professional delivered the equipment to the winner's home, installed it and explained how it worked.
The attention paid to the guests is also reflected in the way the gift is presented: a holiday in the Sahara... but with a beautiful table set in the middle of the desert, complete with candelabras and a butler; a gourmet dinner... but with the presence of a renowned professional at the table. And if you're travelling by train, it'll be on board a legendary train, with stops in luxurious establishments... As for stays in châteaux-hotels or charming residences, they're still great values, especially if they're accompanied by personalised services: VIP welcome, candlelit dinner in the gardens... "Stays in renowned establishments still hold a certain fascination: the heritage, character and authenticity of the sites are a big part of it, as is the originality of the activities on offer," comments Stephen Winter, Sales Director of Grandes Étapes Françaises. Our customers are particularly attracted by the possibility of offering hot-air balloon or helicopter flights, canoe trips down the Loire, adventure rallies...".
A dream for everyone
The atypical, upmarket and exclusive aspect is part of the dream, as Isabelle Dubern, director of the 10 Vendôme agency, points out: "For example, for 2009, we are preparing a haute couture ready-to-wear fashion show for a major fashion house, inviting around thirty privileged customers... For this type of customer, you have to focus on the unusual, the exclusive and the personalised! The exceptional is also found in the gift boxes and gift cards. Coffrets Liberty is launching the Absolu Card, worth 849 euros. Recipients can choose from a wide selection of prestigious products: Adamence jewellery and diamonds, a Baccarat vase, a complete Alessi and Villeroy & Boch table service, a top-of-the-range spa weekend, a black panther by the sculptor Pompon, a prestigious wine cellar... The card is presented in a superb red box and the recipient can choose from Duo, a range below, two presents instead of one," explains Yolande Large, director of Liberty gift boxes.
Gifts from 76 euros to... 20,000 euros
At Euphorie, the top-of-the-range brand of the Smart & Co group, the dream comes true with prestige services based on several themes: For Her, For Him, Design Hotels, Prestige Weekends, etc. "The range of these gift packs varies from 149 euros to 1599 euros... And it is tending to expand with travel packs of up to 4000 euros", announces Naïma Bensoula, Marketing and Sales Manager. At the same time, Euphorie is launching Pass VIP, a gift voucher offering a choice of over 200 à la carte services ranging from 76 euros to... 20,000 euros. "For some, the dream will be to swim with sharks in South Africa, bungee jump from a helicopter or fly a fighter jet! In short, whatever their target, companies will find a service that suits them. For others, like the two winners of a global challenge organised by Oracle, a software publisher, the gift of a lifetime was a suborbital flight - which is not a space flight - with the experience of weightlessness and a view of the Earth that only astronauts have been able to experience! But what will make employees or partners dream and motivate them can be a long way from overpriced clichés, as Charlotte Pequi, Group Event Director at American Express Business Travel points out: "Companies are increasingly looking for operations where the notion of solidarity is present. For example, during a trip to New York for a group of sales representatives, time was set aside to lend a hand to a charity: all the guests loved it, and for them it was one of the best rewards they've ever had! Didn't the poet Claude Bergame write: "The simplest dreams are the most fabulous"?
