inConversation… Eventful’s Caroline Lumgair on the rise of individual travel incentives

COVID-19 has impacted almost every element of the way companies do business, including how they incentivise and reward employees. Group travel and experiential incentives – one of the most popular and effective ways to drive performance – are difficult to implement in the current climate due to travel restrictions, quarantines and social distancing caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet motivating employees is more important than ever Employers need to re-energise remote teams and reward colleagues and partners that continue to achieve targets. But how?

London-based luxury events agency Eventful believes it has come up with the answer – individual luxury travel experiences. It has partnered with some of the UK’s finest luxury hotels to launch Eventful Experiences – bespoke personalised travel packages that are not accessible anywhere else.

We caught up with founder and managing director Caroline Lumgair to find out more…

Do you think individual rewards will be the next big trend in incentive travel?

2020 has changed the way we look at incentives. Like many sectors, we have had to adapt and come up with solutions that address the understandable concerns around the safety of group travel right now. 

We believe that independent incentive travel will be the direction that the industry will follow for the foreseeable future. Personalisation has always been a key focus for us when planning luxury incentives and events. Our new offering is an exciting alternative to group incentives and will provide clients with the opportunity to reward each participant with an exceptionally personalised experience to be enjoyed individually with their partner, family, friend or even colleagues – all subject to government guidelines of course.

In a nutshell, what is Eventful Experiences and how does it work?

We have curated a collection of luxury hotel experiences, exclusive to Eventful, which will be available to purchase as gift certificates to reward top achievers, in place of group incentives and rewards. These gift certificates provide an immediate solution to businesses that have had to cancel their 2020 incentives, as well as those concerned about committing to overseas trips for 2021.

 We collaborated with fifteen of the leading luxury hotels in the UK to design memorable itineraries most of which include a two-night stay, exceptional dining choices and an array of activities ranging from outdoor adventures to rejuvenating wellness experiences, with almost endless opportunities to upgrade and customise the overall packages. 

What makes this programme unique?

We believe that we are the first agency to have developed bespoke experience packages for the corporate incentive, event and rewards market. 

To have developed these experience gift certificates in collaboration with a number of luxury hotel brands, is ground-breaking and testament to Eventful’s long-standing relationships with these exceptional hotels within the luxury events sector. 

Our hotel partners have also committed to delivering experiences that are not available as packages to guests booking directly, providing winners of Eventful Experiences with a truly unique luxury experience.

Tell us more about your partner properties. Apart from being five-star and luxury, is there a particular type of property you targeted for inclusion?  

The hotel partners we have chosen are the key properties in the UK that travellers currently aspire to visit. They are the innovators in the market-place and they inspire us constantly with their creativity. 

The properties are situated in some of most stunning locations in the UK – from the picturesque Cotswolds to the splendour of the Scottish Highlands, and not forgetting cosmopolitan London. The private and personalised experiences include horse riding lessons to floristry, cooking and cocktail masterclasses, interactive garden tours and luxury spa treatments. 

All of the hotels have their own unique style and personality, with the exceptional service levels you would expect from a luxury hotel, in conjunction with the highest hygiene and safety protocols. We trust our hotel partners implicitly and we are honoured to have each property in our collection. 

Group incentive trips offer more than just an insta-worthy trip abroad – they also provide bonding opportunities and shared experiences for the winners. Can Eventful Experiences offer a similar shared experience?

All of the incentive winners will be treated to one of these exclusive experiences, and even though they will currently be enjoying them individually, there is still a sense of shared participation. We can further build on that shared experience with our additional bespoke services, which include a tailored communication plan and teaser campaign to engage and inspire employees, a virtual or hybrid incentive launch event, and a professionally edited film using content created by the winners during their stays.

What feedback have you received from clients so far?

Since the launch last week, the response has been really positive - and encouraging. This is the first phase of an exciting programme of luxury experiences and rewards to be rolled out under the Eventful Experiences portfolio over the next few months. 

Eventful Experiences will initially focus on the domestic hotel market; however there is the potential for the programme to be expanded to include experiences internationally. Our future growth plans also include luxury private dining and exclusive retail experiences.

Do you see individual rewards as a temporary fix while travel restrictions are in place? Or do you see this as a long-term solution that will complement your group incentive offering?

We believe that the concept will be a permanent option for both domestic and inbound incentives in the future.

When realistically do you think group incentive trips will return?

It’s impossible to predict. We are currently designing incentive programmes for clients for 2021. However some are now considering Eventful Experiences as an alternative option. Clients have confirmed that they feel reassured that our hotel partners will provide the safest possible environment to host their top achievers and guests. 

We are delighted to have a product to offer to the corporate market at this unique time.