Meeting Professionals International (MPI) recently announced a substantial upgrade of its Sustainable Event Measurement Tool (SEMT) that will help meeting and event professionals save money, reduce resources and elevate their sustainability credentials. A recent survey of SEMT users underscored the urgency of monitoring meetings and events activity. In a one-year period, planners and suppliers used 7.7 billion liters of water, 6.6 metric tons of C02 and traveled 2 billion kilometers. SEMT provides unique measurement capabilities that allow planners and suppliers to track – and take steps to reduce – their environmental impact. It also addresses the hospitality industry's demands for a common disclosure platform and aligned reporting. The tool is free for MPI planners. Non-members and MPI suppliers have complimentary access to the tool until October 31, 2012. For more information, go to www.mpiweb.org/Libraries/Press/SEMTFINAL.pdf
The Site International Foundation recently released the Site Index: Annual Survey 2012, which identifies insights and measures significant changes in the business performance of the motivational events industry. The 2012 report reveals an optimistic outlook for the industry, with 89% of respondents noting that the overall use of motivational travel will increase or substantially increase over the next one to three years. Other highlights:
Complete survey results are available at www.siteglobal.com
Dittman Incentive Marketing recently announced it has named Lori Jordan to the position of Senior Travel Program Manager. Jordan joins Dittman Incentive Marketing after working with several global pharmaceutical companies on their executive-level meeting and clinical trial programs. She brings more than 15 years experience in international meeting and program management, and has successfully planned events in more than 23 countries within North America, Central and South America, Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific regions. "I'm thrilled to be joining the Dittman Incentive Marketing Team," says Jordan. "I'm committed to their mission of providing the highest quality, and most effective incentive and travel rewards programs for our clients." For more information on Dittman Incentive Marketing, go to
www.dittmanincentives.com/
Sears recently introduced Sears Vacations, a new travel website providing full-service leisure travel and vacation packages. Customers can book flights, hotels, resorts, cruises, car rental, vacation packages and much more. The Sears Vacations service offers thousands of options for unique family vacation experiences that include the service, quality and value consumers have come to expect from Sears. As an exclusive introductory sale, Sears Vacations is offering 100 Vacations for $399 or less. From resorts and hotels to all-inclusive cruise vacations, family vacation deals are available in top leisure destinations including Orlando, Las Vegas, San Diego, New York, the Caribbean and Mexico. Sears Vacations is powered by ICE, a licensed business collaborator of Sears Holdings Corporation and a global leader in travel-based membership and loyalty rewards programs. ICE operates the web-based platform for Sears Vacations, while also providing travel fulfillment and customer support through its world class client services center and in conjunction with Chicago-based TravelBlox, LLC. For more information and to book travel visit www.searsvacations.com
A new website has been created to serve the needs of trade show rookies and industry veterans alike. The website is divided into more than a dozen categories on three levels. The Inline or New Exhibitor category features a series of products especially designed for beginning exhibitors or people who want to start with the basics and build their program on a solid foundation. The Intermediate and Supersized Exhibitor sections include help for those ready to move on to larger exhibits and more challenging topics, and even Lean Six Sigma Training and Certification. Created by Martin P. Smith, President of BuyerBehaviorMETRICS, the website taps into his more than two decades of experience and also features Smith's two books, The New Exhibitor and The Orange Belt for Exhibitors. More at www.bbmgo.com
The latest issue of ESM is out! Here's a look at what you'll find inside:
Former Suncor Development COO Duane Black says engaged employees don't need to be micromanaged, suggesting that managers who act like 'control-freaks' will be less effective than those who function more like partners or mentors. Read more >
An overview of the most important stats, studies and surveys available on all aspects of engagement, citing more than 50 critical sources... Read more >
To make sure you get your copy of Engagement Strategies Magazine, go to www.enterpriseengagement.org/account/login/ and update your subscription today!
How is technology shaping the modern travel consumer? Well, 75% of leisure travelers look to the Internet for travel information – but do they find too much information or not enough to make an informed decision? A recent Travelport study, The Well Connected Traveller, reveals rapid changes in consumer behavior. Want to find out what 62% of travelers are doing now that they probably weren't doing at all five years ago? Travelport engaged The Futures Company to conduct global research into the end-to-end travel process consumers undertake, from inspiration to shopping to booking to post-trip evaluation. Some highlights:
For more information, go to www.travelport.com/customer_community.aspx
A new White Paper, How Social Media is Changing Corporate Performance, discusses how lessons learned from Social Media are helping corporate employee-engagement experts capitalize on the momentum in self-motivated, peer-driven participation. Corporate recognition, rewards and incentive programs for employees are actually the unsung pioneers of the kind of 'social points' activity like we see in Social Media games like Farmville and others. By leveraging the power of online systems, corporations can provide a familiar social environment similar to those in which people have already chosen to engage during their own time. You can bring the power of Social Behaviors to your employees by offering intrinsic/extrinsic motivation rewards and recognition programs. Peer-to-Peer awards let people recognize each other. Team-based activities allow for relationship-building and trust. Wellness programs show that you care about employees' health challenges and that you want to help through education and online tools. Open 'suggestion programs' accelerate innovation by creating a meritocracy. To view the full report, go to www.dittmanincentives.com
Does your organization have a transactional website to handle bulk sales of merchandise to qualified buyers or points programs for incentive companies? The incentive industry is one of the few areas of business that doesn't have a true transactional model to support its end-users and incentive companies. The Corporate Rewards Exchange is a cooperative effort of leading brands, incentive fulfillment firms and incentive companies to build a new distribution channel for sale of gifts to corporations, incentive companies and marketing services firms. The CRE enables brands to tap into a large ad hoc market for bulk gifts and rewards in a way they can carefully control, providing a powerful means for incentive companies to more effectively use their products in reward programs via a highly automated billing, redemption, tracking and customer service system. It's designed to support all of the current players in the incentive marketplace by providing a more efficient means of offering rewards to end-users and incentive companies, at a very low cost. For more information, please contact us for a demo.
Selling Communications, Inc. is a fully integrated, target marketing, media and technology agency that improves results for clients by focusing on the people who matter most. We can help your business grow and save you money by targeting key prospects, getting their permission and strategically integrating your marketing and sales communications with the specific audiences most likely to affect your business performance.
Take advantage of these SCI services to improve your business development:
For more information on Selling Communications, its products and services, contact Jim Kilmetis at 914-591-7600, ext. 229 or send an e-mail to jkilmetis@sellingcommunications.com.
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