Building a Successful Partnership for Incentive Travel Programs

When we say “successful partnerships,” what (or who) comes to mind? Batman & Robin? Fred and Ginger? Bert & Ernie? Carrousel Travel and your organization?

Okay, “successful” might be a bit of a reach for some of those (sorry, Muppets). But no matter what came into your mind, there are some commonalities between successful partnerships. Things like good communication. Honesty. An ability to respect the skills of the other party, and understand how they complement your own.

If you are just starting on your journey toward working with a travel management company, chances are you’re still developing some of these factors. Carrousel Travel is the kind of TMC that takes the time to get to know our clients, particularly when it comes to what we need to do to build one of those strong partnerships.

Planning an incentive travel program that meets the needs of your organization requires that kind of partnership. Just like it takes two to tango, it definitely takes some coordination and understanding on the parts of both parties to create a seamless, enjoyable trip for all involved. At Carrousel, we have unlimited combinations of options, destinations, and more. We can put together experiences that meet your every need. But to do that, we have to know what those needs are. And as a client, there are some things that you can do to prepare for success as well.

Steps for Incentive Trip Planning Success

1. Where have you gone? Where do you want to go?
   Location is, of course, a huge part of trip planning. Providing us with a list of past locations--and clear indication of whether or not you would go back to them--not only gives us a starting point, but also an idea of what expectations are.On the same point, any ideas about where you want to go in the future can help us plan not only for this trip, but for the future as well.
2. What’s the timeframe?
   It’s been said before: timing is everything, and it has multiple implications in this field. We need to know how much time we have to plan the trip, which in turn might help scope out things like location and destination (which resorts have openings, etc). We also need to know how long the trip will last. It’s not always fun for participants to spend multiple days jetlagged and then have to turn around and go home. Additionally, when do you want to go? Seasonality can play a huge part in determining location as well (we know you’d probably prefer to avoid a hurricane or monsoon season trip). And lastly, Carrousel can help promote the trip as well. Knowing the timeframe can give us an idea of how to best advise your organization on things like your communication campaign, creating a registration website, and more.
3. How should we budget?
   Budget is arguably the most important thing to have in place when it comes to partnering with a TMC. Planning a trip is a combination of these three elements, but budget has the most impact on the other features.

As you can see, we have years of experience helping organizations plan their travel. We’ve seen a lot of things, and welcome the chance to leverage our experiences to help make yours among the best. When you meet with our representatives, we’ll definitely have a lot of questions for you. But having these three things in place when we start will ensure a smooth start and lead to a successful partnership!