Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com | 13 COUNTRY: AUSTRALIA ORGANISER: CWT Meetings & Events HIGHLIGHTS: In January, we organised the trip for a client in the healthcare industry who wanted to celebrate the achievements of their top salespeople. Held in Gold Coast, the programme was crafted to allow participants to experience a different aspect of Australia every day. During an Outback experience, they got to meet and cuddle with some of Australia's favourite animals; for the Underwater Lagoon experience, we transformed the hotel's pool into a performance stage with mermaids and dancers. Finally, to commemorate their achievements and the trip, we personalised mini wine bottles labelled with the event branding and photos of the winners and their loved ones. The Australian Outback. COVER STORY: INCENTIVE TRAVEL CREATIVITY AND SURPRISE KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL INCENTIVE AOS Incentive, the incentive arm of 40-year-old Kuala Lumpur-based Asia Overland Services Tours & Travel (AOS), believes the two key elements to a successful incentive are creativity and surprise. Incentives that are "experiential in scope, have an element of giving back (CSR) and sustainability, and a cultural aspect – qualities that define AOS' programmes – are very successful," said Lisa Tee, AOS' manager for destination management services. She stressed that the surprise element "helps to give a lasting and memorable impact to the incentive travel experience", and cited the example of a journey by boat to the longhouse of the Iban tribe in Sarawak as one that wowed participants. Enroute, there was a surprise "attack" by the Ibans, as native girls, with flowers in their hair, emerged from the jungle to serve guests By Corinne Wan welcome drinks in bamboo cups. Tee also highlighted a cooking experience with local tribesmen using local ingredients, which ended with a meal at the longhouse. It was truly an immersive experience that gave participants insight into the Ibans' culture and way of life. With a group of experienced staff and its own fleet of vehicles, AOS Incentive has been able to handle various group sizes ranging from 10 to 800 people, shared Tee. Despite its string of successes, the company has, at times, faced hiccups during operations and delivery. The secret to handling them is to "always remain calm and focus on recovery," said Tee. She related one incident involving a last-minute change in venue – a dinner that was pre- arranged in a specific restaurant had to be switched to another on the same day. "We spoke to the organiser and decided to divert the group to a trendy rooftop bar for a round of drinks before heading to the new location. The decision was accepted, and the group, as well as the organiser, was satisfied with the arrangement," said Tee. So any advice on the time frame needed to handle a large incentive group? "Ideally, this would be between three to six months before arrival. This allows for better preparation, sufficient time for negotiations, and increases the chances of finding available accommodations and function venues," she said. Credit: Vincent-Ng/iStock Iban dancers. Credit: taoty/iStock

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