The great divide
PÁDRAIC GILLIGAN , CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER AT SITE DISCUSSES THE DIFFERENCE IN SUSTAINABILITY ATTITUDES BETWEEN DIFFERENT REGIONS
W hen I reflect on the content of some recent conferences , webinars and podcasts I ’ m reminded of George Bernard Shaw ’ s much quoted comment about the US and Great Britain being “ two countries divided by a common language ”.
The great divide , this time , however , is not about the correct way to pronounce tomato or spell colour or whether a “ fanny pack ” is a perfectly legitimate way of describing an item of great personal value . It ’ s neither orthography , linguistics or semantics . This time it ’ s about the relative importance of CSR and sustainability as incentive travel recovers following the pandemic pause .
This emerged forcefully last April at SITE Global Conference in Dublin during a panel discussion chaired by Jennifer Attersall , director , Incentive Travel at Destination Canada , in which UK-based Chris Parnham , managing director ; Absolute Corporate Events and US-based Patty Karsten , VP , Industry Relations , Event Solutions , BI Worldwide reported diametrically opposing positions on the relative importance of CSR and sustainability for incentive travel .
For Karsten , programme elements featuring sustainability , or highlighting sustainability practices were not asked for or required by her clients . While for Parnham , these were increasingly central to event design .
The great divide was touched on again in a more recent SITE webinar , again facilitated by Attersall , where Patty Karsten and Canada-based , Ellie MacPherson of Creative Group reported no real change since pre-pandemic days in how their North American client-base regarded incentive travel , or how success was defined and understood .
In his report on a recent UK roundtable that brought together opinions from across the incentive industry - agencies , corporates , venues - Alistair Turner of Eight PR and Marketing , sketched out a dramatically different set of industry trends with CSR and sustainability decisively at the forefront .
Turner spotlighted how the roundtable pinpointed a massive transition in the incentive travel industry from “ corporate junket into something more sustainable , embracing transformative travel , wellness , and cultural enrichment ”. He reported how , “ you can ’ t have a conversation about events ( with a client ) without talking about sustainability ”.
The great divide is borne out too in preliminary , unpublished results from the global Incentive Travel Index , an annual study of the incentive travel
Above : Pádraic Gilligan
industry conducted in June / July 2022 by SITE Foundation , Incentive Research Foundation ( IRF ) and Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals ( FICP ).
When asked to evaluate the relative importance of 14 ingredients or activities to a successful programme , CSR is three times more important for UK buyers than US buyers and sustainability is two and a half times more important . This isn ’ t a mere fissure , it ’ s a veritable chasm the width of the Grand Canyon .
Plus , it begs the deeper , more fundamental question . As agency professionals , is our job simply to meet client needs or do we have a duty to lead clients and meet , as yet , unidentified requirements ?
Many corporations are proactively evaluating their positions in relation to such macro issues as the environment , eco-systems , climate change , consumption , diversity , equity , inclusion – issues generally categorised under the generic labels of sustainability and CSR by our industry .
For those corporations who choose to ignore the signs of the times , do we as agencies not have a duty to lead by highlighting how sustainability and CSR can be incorporated into programme design for the benefit of all , most especially our common home ?
ISSUE 120 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 11