We were recently interviewed by Future Pharmaceuticals magazine! Our in-depth chat will be featured in the upcoming Q3 issue due out this month. For the full article and podcast visit their site.

Click below to download our new white paper entitled:

Seven Ways to Ensure Your Incentive Travel Programis Cost Effective and Runs Smoothly

This timely white paper covers the seven best strategies for achieving maximum return on investment for your incentive travel program while assuring a flawless reward experience for your top producers, your most valuable asset. The strategies are simple and easy to implement, making this whitepaper a great resource for both large and small businesses.

Barre, MA, September 12, 2009 — Innovative Incentives, Inc., together in partnership with The LiveCooler Foundation answered the call of President Obama to make September 11^th a day of community service. LiveCooler visited low-income housing in Roxbury with participating organizations and a local state senator to install CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs.

LiveCooler purchased and installed energy-efficient CFL bulbs through charitable donations. These offsets will cause a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and reduced electricity bills for low-income home owners. Once installed, less electricity is used, thereby burning less coal and putting less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The low-income families using the CFLs save roughly 5-10% on their electric bill every month for 10 years, which is the estimated lifetime of the CFL light bulbs.

“Through the generous donation we received from Innovative Incentives, we were able to make our Community Service Day a great success”, remarked Jay Barnes, founder of LiveCooler.

Innovative Incentives’ donation for Community Service Day provided for the installation of 178 energy efficient light bulbs for 45 low-income families.  After 5 years, those bulbs will have reduced at least 24 tons (US) of carbon dioxide and the 45 families will have collectively saved over $7,000 in electricity bills.  After 10 years, assuming that just 50% of the bulbs are still installed and working, the families will have saved a total of $11,900.

Each resident that received bulbs got a brief education about how they work, why they are good for their bill and for the environment and the location where they should take the bulb when it burns out.

“Innovative Incentives was pleased to support this hands-on effort to provide families in need with cost-saving light bulbs. Through LiveCooler’s innovative approach to social responsibility, we now have a viable and effective option for a human-centered solution to a global problem”, said Sarah McMaster, representing Innovative Incentives, speaking after the event.

The LiveCooler Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to fight global warming while helping the less fortunate. They install free energy-efficient light bulbs (CFLs) in the homes of low-income families that can’t afford them.

Innovative Incentives, Inc. is a travel incentive company located in Barre, Massachusetts. They provide incentive programs and services to the business community. Their Corporate Social Responsibility Mission for 2010 includes ongoing support of LiveCooler and other local and nationwide charitable organizations.

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A new study in the August issue of the Journal of Consumer Research indicates that experiential purchases, such as travel, have a greater affect on one’s happiness than a similarly priced material purchase, with a caveat that the experience must be a positive one, understandably.

This is another study that points to the higher perceived value of travel awards over merchandise in the sales incentives arena. Your contest winners will carry forward greater positive feeling about a successful incentive trip than they will over a comparably priced merchandise award. While the goodwill of a TV or watch award fades after a few weeks of months, the memories of a trip-of-a-lifetime will motivate and resonate for many, many years to come.

• Post the contest rules and rewards in the break room, cafeteria, or kitchen
• Personally ask your sales team to participate
• Ask past year’s contest winners to relate success stories and favorite moments
• Keep your contest simple and easy to follow
• Encourage friendly competition by announcing contest standings quarterly

Sometimes it’s the simple things that make a big impact.

In these tough economic times, charitable giving is often the first thing to go, even as those charities and non-profit organizations face budget cuts and loss of revenue themselves. It is imperative to the success of our local community and to the global community at large that these organizations are able to continue the services and outreach they provide.

Even with tightened belts, we remain committed to support the causes of children’s health and literacy, environmental protection and conservation, assisting the homeless and hungry, and veteran services. This month Innovative Incentives, Inc. began a new partnership in keeping with that commitment.

Friendly House, Inc. runs the Friendly House Family Shelter, a short-term emergency shelter for homeless families with children. With facilities to accommodate up to thirteen families, located in Worcester, Massachusetts, Friendly House provides services, shelter, and assistance when families facing hardship need it most. For over twenty years Friendly House has served families in the Worcester County area under the mission to provide a continuum of comprehensive and coordinated basic neighborhood services, including housing search assistance, life skills training, advocacy, and parenting support.

Friendly House relies on the generosity of individuals, businesses, and other organizations to fulfill its mission. They accept donations of supplies and volunteers, as well as cash and in-kind gifts. Items that are needed now include linens, cleaning supplies, baby items, and bus tickets. For more information, Friendly House Staff can be reached by phone at 508-792-1799.

In these tough times, let’s ensure basic neccesities are available to everyone. We at Innovative Incentives urge you to reach out to a local charity in your area today.

Just this past week, we had staff sourcing new vendors and updating our files on existing vendors in gorgeous sun-drenched Greece. In order to keep up with hotel refurbishments, new hot spots, up-and-coming restaurants, and interesting activities, we constantly travel to see what’s going on first-hand. Take a tour of what we discovered in Greece:

The Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens offers amazing views of Syntagma (or Constitution) Square and the iconic Acropolis beyond.

Stop for a refreshing drink at Brettos in the Plaka district.

For an amazing meal with even more amazing views right on the water, go to Plous Podilatou in Athens.

After exploring the gems of Athens and the bustling city experience, cool off by the brilliant Mediterranean at Mykonos’ Hotel BLU.

The Santa Marina Resort is another great option in Mykonos with spectacular ocean views and world class amenities.

Greece will not disappoint.

I take groups all over the world, which entails quite a bit of flying, and I’ve perfected a strategy to ensure a smooth and painless travel day.

It all begins at home when you pack your suitcases and carry-on bags. First, give yourself enough time to complete your task. Think about where you are going, the climate, the time of year, the activities you have planned, and the local customs. Choose your clothing and accessories based on these factors. It makes no sense to bring your wool sweater to the Caribbean, even in January, and its equally inefficient to pack your full-size shampoo and conditioner bottles into your luggage. Pack smart, and leave behind what you don’t need. Make your luggage as light and efficient as possible. It’ll help your time at the airport seem less stressful if you are not constantly wrestling with your bags.

Make sure you have all your paperwork in order. Whenever I fly, whether its across the globe or two states away, I carry my passport. It is your definitive form of ID, acceptable at all borders and security checks. Plus, should your flight encounter bad weather, or another unforeseen problem, you could be re-routed to land somewhere else. What if you are flying to Hawaii from Chicago with your driver’s license and your plane is re-routed to land in Toronto? Carrying your passport ensures that an unexpected change of plans will never catch you unprepared. Make two photocopies of your passport’s information pages. Carry one on your person while you travel and leave one at home with a responsible person, ideally your emergency contact person. Other paperwork you should have with you includes copies of any medication prescriptions you’ll be taking with you (in case you need to replace them), your eyeglass prescription, copies of your flight confirmations, hotel reservations, and any other pertinent information you will need.

Packing your carry-on is another area where you can prevent mishaps with a few easy tips. Here is what I pack in my carry-on and not in my checked bags: my passport, boarding passes, jewelry pouch, a full set of clothes, my money and credit cards, copies of my paperwork, my toothbrush and small toiletries in TSA-compliant sized containers in a TSA-compliant Ziploc baggie, my iPod, cell phone, and some reading materials for the flight. It only takes losing your luggage once to have this simple packing strategy pay off.

When you get to the airport, check-in right away. You can browse for a magazine on the other side of security. Check your luggage and proceed through security to your gate area. Keep your carry-on with you at all times and have your passport and boarding passes easily accessible to you. Many security areas at airports have two types of lines now: one for individual passengers and one for families or people traveling with children. If you are traveling with children, use the family line. This way you won’t feel rushed to get every one’s shoes off while harried business travelers tap their feet impatiently behind you. Conversely, if you are traveling alone or are in a hurry, use the other line. In addition, be ready. Take off your shoes and belt before its your turn to proceed through. Have your laptop out of its bag and ready to be placed in the security containers by itself. Have your boarding pass and nothing else in your hands as you walk through the metal detector. This will help you get through as quickly as possible. Be patient; remember that the TSA agents are only doing their job.

Lastly, choose a seat close to the front of the plane. You will board later, but get off the plane quicker at your destination. Besides, when you board later at the gate, its only the difference between sitting in your seat longer and waiting for boarding to finish, or waiting in line to board a little longer. Free bulkhead and exit row seats are assigned at the gate, first come first served.

Traveling light without checked bags? Here’s another tip: Use the kiosk check-in. You can purchase first class upgrades at a reduced price and avoid standing in line with everyone else.

These few tips will help you enjoy your trip more and get where you’re going more easily. Trust me, I know!

Quick post today: Here’s a link to an excellent article about employee engagement, customer retention, and the changing environment of corporate culture and incentives. Enjoy!

A new study from the San Francisco State University reaffirms that experiences such as travel awards have a greater impact than cash or merchandise awards in keeping employees happy and motivated.

“People still believe that more money will make them happy, even though 35 years of research has suggested the opposite.”

Cash awards quickly lose their luster, as winners use them to pay off bills and credit cards, and then are quickly forgotten. Experiences such as travel, on the other hand, give winners lasting positive memories that they associate with hard work, loyalty to their employer, and the high value of the experiences.