SITE
The importance of free time
PERSONAL FREEDOM TAKES CENTRE STAGE AS INCENTIVE TRAVEL CONTINUES ITS RELENTLESS REVOLUTION , NOTES PÁDRAIC GILLIGAN , CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER FOR THE SOCIETY FOR INCENTIVE TRAVEL EXCELLENCE ( SITE )
A t IMEX America in Las Vegas in October , SITE and our partner , the Incentive Research Foundation ( IRF ), launched the 2024 Incentive Travel Index ( ITI ) which , each year , gives us a snapshot of where incentive travel is headed . One trend stood out – North American planners have dramatically shifted their approach to programme design , and it all comes down to one surprising element : free time .
The surprising rise of ‘ free time ’ in incentive travel Incentive travel , by its very nature , taps into the psychology of human motivation . Any changes in how it ’ s structured reflect broader societal shifts and transformations in human behaviour . This year ’ s ITI data reveals a change in what planners prioritise , and perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the rise of ‘ free time ’ as the top-ranked element for programme success . North American planners now rank ‘ free time ’ as more important than bucket-list experiences or cultural immersion , an unprecedented shift that sets them apart from their counterparts in other regions .
Traditionally , incentive travel was about offering an extraordinary , curated experience as a reward for extraordinary workplace performance . Success was measured by the exclusivity of the destination , the creativity of the itinerary , and the ‘ wow ’ factor of oncein-a-lifetime experiences .
But in 2024 , North American planners have flipped the script . The ITI shows that ‘ free time ’ now outranks exclusive experiences , with 30 % more
“ In today ’ s world , the freedom to choose how to spend one ’ s time is , in itself , a reward ”
Left : Graphic by SoolNua
North American planners prioritising it over the cultural or bucket-list items that once defined incentive travel . But why is this happening ?
Cost concerns or cultural change ? A plausible explanation could be tied to another significant headline from ITI 2024 : Budgetary concerns . For the first time , cost is the leading programme consideration , with 74 % of North American respondents citing it as their top concern . ( In contrast , only 18 % of North American respondents noted that lowering carbon footprints was becoming more important ).
‘ Free time ’ has the allure of being a budget-friendly option , so , when hospitality costs are soaring , as we ’ ve seen with hotel and F & B budget increases of 8 % and 12 %, respectively , it makes sense for planners to lean into lower-cost options like ‘ free time ’.
However , there ’ s more to this than hard dollars . Research from SITE ’ s 2022 Participants ’ InSITEs study found that qualifiers themselves rank ‘ free time ’ and ‘ time with a spouse ’ as their top programme preferences . So what we ’ re seeing in 2024 is really the planners catching up with the participants . The focus has shifted from impressing with a packed itinerary to providing space for personal time – probably in response to the broader cultural shift towards work-life balance .
Personal freedom takes centre stage Professionals increasingly value flexibility and downtime . Today , the freedom to choose how to spend one ’ s time is , in itself , a reward .
So , it ’ s likely we ’ ll see continued emphasis on personalisation , flexibility , and the inclusion of unstructured time in programme design . This isn ’ t the end of extravagant , bucket-list experiences , but rather an evolution towards recognising that the best incentives might just be the ones that give participants the freedom to decide for themselves how to enjoy them . n
ISSUE 133 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 13