Business Tourism Partnership Mission

contact, customer interaction and the ability for the customer
physically to feel, see, taste, smell, test and try the product
• More organisers are looking to increase the number of public
shows. Public shows are seen as being informative, as well as
providing marketing and sales opportunities, brand building
and entertainment, all of which add to customer value and
experience
• Organisers will continue to succeed in direct proportion to
their ability to identify niche markets for new exhibitions,
which are targeted directly for a specific market
• The exhibition industry is continually endeavouring to increase
the ‘internationality’ of its shows in order to enhance the
opportunity for exhibitors to increase their export markets
• The exhibition segment is taking important steps forward to
meet the demands for sustainability. Action is being taken to
improve performance in waste management and
environmental issues, adopting new techniques to improve
recycling and reduce overall waste
• Successful event exhibition formats are being cloned and
rolled out to regional and international markets
• Other sectors of the media mix are recognising the benefits of
face-to-face marketing and are investing in the medium to
communicate with their audiences.
e) INCENTIVE TRAVEL
Definition and Background
Incentive travel is a tool used by organisations to motivate their
staff and/or external sales agents, with the objective of improving
performance at both individual and corporate levels. This tool offers
individuals or teams the chance to qualify for an exceptional travel
experience, subject to their attaining preset goals.
While corporate organisations routinely offer a range of employee
rewards, including vouchers, merchandise and cash bonuses, travel
has been found to be the most effective motivator. It is also the
most expensive, with rewards ranging in value from £500 to £5,000
per head. Travel rewards are generally used by those industries
producing a product or service that carries a high profit margin –
such as cars, computers and financial services. Companies in these
sectors invest accrued profit from sales to fund incentive travel
programmes, which will, in turn, boost sales.
The earliest recorded incentive travel programme took place in
1906, but the industry only became fully established in the 1960s,
coinciding with the onset of global tourism. The United States was
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