“Shaking Things Up”
Section Four
An Interview with JNR Incorporated–
Top Professionals Share How They Deliver the Wow Year After Year
This is the fourth of four sections on how meeting professionals create new and memorable programs, year after year, with the same clients.
JNR Incorporated
JNR Incorporated is a full service incentive marketing company headquartered in Irvine, California. Jim Jalet, President and CEO developed the company over twenty seven years ago offering corporations the highest level of product and service available. JNR’s sixty-five employees deliver award winning programs that produce exceptional results and lasting impressions. JNR’s wide range of marketing programs include corporate incentives, incentive travel, meeting or convention, debit card program, merchandise and recognition, special event or entertainment. Two of JNR’s top professionals were interviewed for this article.
As event planning professionals, the one comment we both dread and love to hear is, ”How are you going to top last year’s program—it was fantastic!”
Ever wonder how industry pros pull off their award-winning programs time after time? The secret is a magic formula of client and product knowledge and a good degree of the old crystal ball technique—forecasting what will be new and exciting in the year to follow. I interviewed two of the industry’s top event planners to see what they had to say on the subject.
Economic Shifts
A great corporate event planner must accept and embrace changing times. There are both external and internal shifts in client and national economics that can create an entire paradigm shift in an existing incentive program. One of JNR’s top automotive clients has been offering a high profile travel award program annually for over ten years. 2008 is the first year Vicki can ever remember that that client will not be offering their program as a multi-destination cultural program in Europe. “Not only did the client completely change strategic direction, they also changed the demographics of the winners at the same time.”
Adopting a new approach for 2008, the client combined top sales producers with parts and service achievers, which instantly changed the structure of the event. “Because of the varied business disciplines involved, we needed to create a much more casual program—one that better accommodated a diverse group of attendees. With our client’s selection of Hawaii as their destination, we will be replacing the museums and cultural opportunities with high energy activities and interactive evening events.”
European vendors are also developing offerings and strategies to help overcome the weak position of the dollar to the Euro. “Hotels are quoting rates in dollars vs. Euros. They are guaranteeing an exchange rate for a prescribed period of time. They are offering excellent deals in shoulder periods.” Vicki also mentioned that she is exploring alternative locations to the first tier cities in Europe. “Instead of offering Paris, for example, we might suggest a program in Carcassonne, France or Barcelona, Spain, where the dollar will go much further.
Cruises are also a popular trend for meetings and incentives to help stretch budget dollars. You can purchase the cruise in U.S. Dollars and your exchange rate is guaranteed, regardless of the destination or cruise itinerary. This provides a huge benefit for incentive planners looking for ways to maximize available resources. “While you may have less flexibility for customizing the program, cruising will always be one of the most economical solutions for incentive clients. And, for marketing sizzle, a cruise can hit all the buttons, particularly if sun and fun cruise destinations are selected.”
Giving Something Back
“The socio-cultural phenomenon of people wanting to be larger than themselves is increasing yearly and is widely making its way into incentive programs,” Vicki observed. “You will see the concept of sustainable events more and more in future programs. Take for example SITE’s new Crystal Award Category called ‘Most Outstanding Sustainable Event’. They offered two new awards in this category in 2007.”
“I think it’s more than a passing trend when an organization like SITE acknowledges outstanding efforts in this area. This is a sign that our incentive awardees want to be “bigger than themselves” and want this activity to be part of their incentive experience.” The incentive industry might be a bit slower to react to this growing trend than in other areas of our society. “But, as event planners and partners, we need to push our clients and tell them that it’s here to stay. We are responsible for helping our clients change things up for their participants. Yes, it’s still about awarding and being recognized, but we’re taking this concept to a new, broader level.”
Another approach that JNR embraced on a recent program was “Feeding a City”. “Our industry needs to be very aware of how we impact the environment with our programs. Another one of JNR’s clients was very concerned about excess food not consumed at their events and we found a way to donate the leftovers to a worthy cause.” This type of outreach is highly promotable and creates that bigger picture focus that clients want to showcase not only to their participants but to the community and their respective industry as well.
Overcoming Speed Bumps
When asked about a trend that has created challenges for event planners, Vicki mentioned the phenomenon of “instant accessibility” of information on the internet. The internet provides a wealth of information, and not all of it accurate, regarding rating and information on hotels and resorts, not to mention on airfares. “This instant information accessibility can be frustrating for the planners when we recommend certain Five Star rated properties and true incentive quality hotels or resorts to a client, only to have the client respond, “Why don’t you try this hotel? It was given a great rating on a major travel magazine’s website.”
“The difference in a rating from a travel magazine and ratings that incentive companies rely on is tremendous,” explains Vicki. “Travel magazine ratings are often Readers’ Polls and the information has been compiled from the FIT traveler. Factors that we keep in mind, such as the ratio of group to FIT guests and the quality and reliability of the banquet and conference services department, just for starters, are not taken into consideration. Unfortunately, our planners have the challenge of explaining the differences to the client.”
Alternative Destinations – Future Trends
For the meeting and incentive industry, travel trends are changing. New and fresh
destinations that offer unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences are being chosen over the tried and true choices like Europe and Hawaii. More and more clients are asking about South America, in particular Buenos Aires and Peru. Incentive travel experts need to be prepared to inform our clients about these locations. Growth in Asia, China and Dubai is creating new perceptions and demand from clients. This, coupled with the weak dollar and the desire for increased connectedness, is going to open up entirely new destinations and opportunities in the years ahead. And, according to Vicki, “It’s not going to go away. It will all depend on how it’s presented to the client. The possibilities are endless. We can offer these new and exciting locations as well as the opportunity for participants to come back feeling even more connected and rewarded. It’s up to us as the professionals.”
