The Incentive for Excellence

Not everyone has a million-dollar budget and can offer million-dollar dreams for their clients. Depending on the meeting or client, you may have to get crafty in finding space and a destination that is functional and budget savvy! In the event industry, we are always searching for that perfect venue for our clients. Making their dreams come into focus while doing everything we can to think outside of the box for a truly original idea. Here are a couple of unique and cost-effective venue ideas to consider when booking your next meeting.

Incentive travel: two words that roll off our tongues as easy as our own names and, many times, with little thought. I recently was given the opportunity to obtain the CIS (Certified Incentive Specialist) through the support of SITE SoCal and my company, JNR.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, CIS is an entry-level certification program facilitated by SITE to provide a greater understanding of the theory and practice of creative and effective Motivational Programs and Motivational Travel. It was a fun experience to go through this process with some of my favorite industry colleagues, but also enlightening to go “back to the basics” of Incentive Travel and remember why we are in this profession in the first place.

This past month at the SITE SoCal Educational luncheon, we explored the subject of Trust by exploring it on three levels:

1. Globally, from the perspective of Peter Tarlow, Ph.D
2. Our Industry, as Gary Schirmacher explains
3. Personally, by Deb Gee

So, what is trust?

“A firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.”

And why is it important to us in the industry or in our personal lives? And why is this a hot topic for us to explore right now? Here’s why…

As a Corporate Meeting Planner, VP of SITE SoCal, and a single mother of one amazing 8-year-old boy who is FULL of energy, I’m constantly running at the speed of light. My time, energy, creativity, and planning skills are always in high demand. This usually means that I put my son and my work first, and myself somewhere way down the list. Given that Forbes rated Event Planning as the 5^th most stressful job in the world in 2017, that can quickly become a recipe for disaster. But if you’re reading this, you’re likely in the industry, so I don’t need to tell you; you’re living it too.

At our July SITE SoCal luncheon, we had the pleasure of enjoying 3 informative and dynamic speakers who all touched on the subject of “trust” from very different angles. One speaker hit me more than the others, as she was speaking to the subject of personal trust. Deb Gee of lululemon shared her own story of running herself to the brink of hitting rock bottom early in her own Planning career. She shared how working at a company like lululemon, as well as implementing some new tools into her own personal and professional life, has helped her to become mindful of not allowing herself to go back to that place.

As she guided us through a short meditation practice, the room full of 140 people fell still and silent, eyes closed, maybe for the first time ever. It was an incredible feeling to know that all of these people, wired like I am to “go, go, go”, were sitting mindfully, quietly, together. It was powerful.

After that lunch, I’ve made an effort to reflect on Deb’s message. I’ve spent some time making a commitment to myself to ensure that I can practice self-care, and create trust in myself as a planner, volunteer, and mom. Admittedly, the idea of trusting in myself is a new way of thinking for me that will require some practice. So I’m going to share some of the ways I’ve come up with, and hope that you, as a participant of this industry, might incorporate some self-trust into your own life as well.