SITE
Rethinking incentive travel in a changing social landscape
PÁDRAIC GILLIGAN , CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER , SITE , STRIKES A FEW LESSONS FROM ‘ BOWLING ALONE ’
T he leadership of most professional associations – SITE included – are likely familiar with Bowling Alone ( 2000 ), Bob Putnam ’ s seminal work on America ’ s declining social capital . Association leaders turned to Putnam ’ s research to better understand the precipitous drop in membership numbers . Putnam attributed this trend to a broader cultural shift , where Americans increasingly disengaged from social institutions – clubs , societies , teams , federations , associations and church communities . He linked this phenomenon to several factors : the rise of technology , generational changes , suburbanisation , evolving work patterns and growing economic inequality .
Fast forward to today , and Bowling Alone has returned to the spotlight with Netflix ’ s documentary Join or Die , which revisits Putnam ’ s thesis more than two decades later . The documentary is compelling , especially for those of us in the business events industry , as it offers a stark reminder of the challenges our industry associations face in remaining relevant .
Interestingly , Putnam ’ s findings offer valuable insight into one of the latest trends in incentive travel programme design : the growing preference for ‘ free time ’. This was prominently highlighted in this year ’ s Incentive Travel Index . In recent surveys by SITE and the IRF , incentive travel qualifiers – the employees who earn a spot on these programmes – prioritised ‘ free time ’ over structured , companywide activities . As Putnam observed , this mirrors a broader trend where individuals prefer personal downtime over communal experiences .
This trend presents a significant challenge for incentive travel professionals , particularly when considering one of the key objectives of such programmes : fostering community , company culture and workplace relationships by bringing employees together in inspiring destinations . This ‘ soft power ’ function of incentive travel – nurturing connection , fostering engagement and building camaraderie – has increasingly become a core objective , sometimes even overtaking the traditional goal of delivering a measurable ROI for the sponsoring company .
However , for this ‘ soft power ’ to be effective , participants need to interact and engage with one another . If they ’ re busy with ‘ me time ’, those opportunities for meaningful interaction diminish .
There ’ s no chance to strengthen workplace relationships , no casual conversations where colleagues discover the human side of their corporate leaders and no shared experiences that convey the company ’ s culture and values in a visceral way .
This issue has been on my mind for some time , and it resonated even more when I came across an article in a` recent weekend edition of The Financial Times titled ‘ Competitive socialising lures Britons from pub ’. It seems that while Americans may be ‘ bowling alone ’ ( or not bowling at all ), Britons are flocking to venues that promote social interaction in new and engaging ways . The number of bowling alleys in Britain is rising , as are urban minigolf courses , escape rooms and venues offering multiple activities . Interestingly , these activities are often replacing traditional pub culture , with more people socialising earlier in the evening and drinking less alcohol .
For incentive travel professionals , perhaps the solution lies in creating experiences that blend ‘ free time ’ with engaging , low-pressure social activities that encourage organic interaction – activities where participation feels voluntary rather than obligatory .
Incentive travel , at its core , is about creating memorable , shared experiences . If we can adapt to this shifting dynamic – finding the sweet spot between structured interaction and personal freedom – we can continue to deliver programmes that not only reward but also connect , engage and inspire . n
ISSUE 134 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 13