With many international meetings and events, business goals come first, with personal experiences a distant second. By contrast, an incentive program held in an overseas location aims to provide an unforgettable experience as a reward for a job well done.
This was certainly the case with the Trip of a Lifetime planned by Chicago-based agencyEA for Oprah Winfrey and her staff members two years ago. The ambitious incentive really took “company retreat” to the next level, with a cruise ship escorting 1,700 Harpo Production staff members to eight cities in five countries around Europe.
“The sheer magnitude of the trip posed both exciting opportunities and a mountain of challenges,” says Keeley McKinney, agencyEA’s senior production manager. “Our initial challenge was to create experiences that would appeal to all 1,700 diverse guests, who ranged from age 1 to 81. And some guests had never traveled outside the United States and some had traveled the world; finally, we dealt with a wide range of physical ability among the guests. We took all of these factors into consideration with almost every single decision. ”
The resulting journey was such a huge hit that attendees even celebrated with a post-trip gala to savor their amazing memories and countless photographs, and agencyEA has since planned an equally successful Australian adventure for Harpo. McKinney credits an early assessment of the group’s goals as key to an unforgettable experience.
“The first step in conceptualizing the trip was to understand our client¹s main goal and objective, which was to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience for employees and their families,” she explains. “Understanding the end goal allowed us to uniquely create and manage every detail, including customized air travel, tours, excursions, entertainment and special events.”
As for input she might give to someone planning an excursion of similar scope, McKinney doesn’t hesitate before sharing her words of wisdom.
“Stay organized! The early planning stages are vital to create and maintain a timeline that keeps the team and project on target,” she emphasizes. “With a project of this complexity, it is imperative to create a communication plan to keep the team on the same page.”
