Magid’s Rick Garlick featured in multiple speaking engagements on travel for ICEE

NEW YORK, March 25, 2021 – Magid’s Rick Garlick is featured in multiple speaking engagements on travel for The International Center for Enterprise Engagement (ICEE). Based on his knowledge of and experience in the travel, hospitality and leisure industry, Garlick shared his perspective on topics including the pandemic’s impact on group travel, employee engagement essentials, and individual incentive travel. More information and links to recordings of the events can be found below.

Motivational Event Update: Pandemic Spurs Big Changes in Group Travel
The US demand for group motivational events is holding up surprisingly well, with programs already taking place this year, according to the panelists. The post-pandemic future looks like there will be an even greater  focus on experiences, interaction, and creativity.

Key findings:

• The US motivational event business is picking up faster than the Canadian market, as the US market appears to be less risk adverse.
• A greater focus on ROI and clarity of purpose over the last decade has helped hold up demand for group incentive travel better than occurred after the onset of the great recession in 2008. That said, there remains a significant need to educate organizations on the financial value of these programs, as the programs based on supporting organizational goals, rather than thank you programs, have stood up the best.
• Many companies moved group incentive trips to individual programs during 2020 rather than canceling the programs altogether.
• Motivational events in the future will focus much more on flexibility, customization, personalization, and a reimaging of the conference experience to make it more interactive and focused on relationship building.
• The pandemic has reinforced the need to work with professional motivational event planners, as opposed to group-tour-oriented travel agents, because of the need for expertise in contract negotiations; creativity in site, venue, and experience selection; ability to manage hybrid live and virtual events, and other specific engagement tools.

Panelists: Rick Garlick, Vice President, Magid; Stephen Cook, Owner, Lorandus Meetings & Communications; Jacque Salentine Busby, Chief Incentive Strategist, Luxe Incentives; Kate Cardoso, Director, Strategic Services, HMI Performance Incentives.

Employee Engagement Essentials: It Starts at The Top
This EEA Zoom show on Employee Engagement Essentials is designed to provide management at every level a time-efficient way to learn about effective practices in the design and implementation of employee engagement strategies.

Key findings:

• Organizations with high levels of employee engagement consistently outperform their competitors.
• Employee engagement since the pandemic has fallen to record lows.
• If the CEO is not leading the effort, success is unlikely.
• The key challenge with employee engagement assessment surveys is that there is rarely accountability for action.
• Employee engagement should be focused on the goals of the organization, and not engagement as an end.
• Organizational purpose and performance goals should drive engagement design, not satisfaction surveys.
• Today’s managers at all levels have to not only have the soft skills to coach, support, and identify opportunities and challenges, but understand the business of people: how the various engagement tactics work together.
• When selecting an engagement strategy or tactic, ask how it fits into the overall plan, aligns with other tactics, and can be aligned with others.

Panelists: Michael Anderson, Partner at Anderson Global Talent LLC and Chief Human Capital Officer in the Obama Administration, as well as of Housing and Urban Development; Rick Garlick, Vice President, Magid MAGID; Kevin Sheridan, a worldwide expert on employee engagement, author of multiple books on employee engagement, and developer of the PEER assessment product.

Individual Travel Essentials: Surge Expected in Individual Incentive Travel
This Brand Media Coalition Youtube show featuring experts in individual incentive travel finds that while the pandemic halted travel over the last year, many companies replaced group travel with individual programs—a trend many expect to only accelerate as the pandemic recedes.

Key findings:

• When groups began canceling last year, many offered recipients vouchers for individual travel programs.
• Return on investment can easily be built into travel programs by basing the award on the level and value of the achievement.
• Now that more people are feeling comfortable about travel, point redemptions for individual travel in programs are beginning to pick up again.
• The desire for individual travel will surge as the pandemic recedes, not only because of pent-up demand but because Millennials especially prefer individual over group events, but because of the significantly reduced complexity and internal political considerations involved with individual travel over group events.
• As travel resumes, there will be more interest in off-the-beaten path destinations and unique and authentic cultural and other experiences.
• It is critical to work with experienced and established incentive travel vendors to ensure that recipients not only can access their individual awards when they wish but also that they receive the necessary customer support in case an issue arises. This is especially true for bucket-list types of experience, such as major tournaments or entertainment events.
• Look for vendors who can provide the support necessary to make the travel experience as seamless and comfortable as possible to reduce the stress involved with planning and logistics.

Panelists: Peter Friend, Founder and President at Global Hotel Card by Expedia and Global Experiences Card Powered by Viator; Rick Garlick, Vice President, Magid; Marc Matthews, CEO, Founder, Pulse Experiential Travel.

About Magid
Magid is a consumer-centered business strategy company delivering courageous thinking that shapes better experiences, products and services. Since 1957, thousands of local and global brands in over 40 countries have engaged the firm for bold ideas that have helped achieve innovation and success. The Magid team is passionately curious and driven by the pursuit of improving human experiences with every engagement.