Incentives
Inside the 2025 IRF Study on Incentive Travel and Performance
In a business landscape dominated by AI disruption, shifting employee expectations, and growing economic and geopolitical uncertainty, top-performing companies are turning to a surprisingly human motivator: experiential rewards.
IRF Program Builds the Next Generation of Incentive Leaders
If you're a senior-level incentive planner looking to develop your team—and maybe even line up your eventual successor—the IRF Accelerate program offers a golden opportunity to support and elevate the emerging leaders in your ranks.
Hilton Adding 2,000 Rooms in Hawaii
Hilton’s aggressive expansion in the islands is giving planners even more options to design programs that fit diverse budgets and participant preferences while capitalizing on the enduring allure of the Aloha State.
Standout “Cell-ebration” Venues
Why Former Prisons Are Your Next Unforgettable Event Venue The Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield – now an in demand event venue thanks to its starring role as the site where The Shawshank Redemption was filmed – is just one of many former prisons getting a second chance as unexpectedly popular venue options. Once formidable […]
Shawshanked: A Historic Prison-Turned-Incentive Venue
Once a penitentiary, then a film set, now an event venue—Mansfield’s Ohio State Reformatory finds unexpected redemption in the incentive travel market. For meeting and incentive planners searching for the next unforgettable destination, one unlikely location is doing hard time as an event venue: the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio.
Recognition Isn’t Fluff—It’s Fuel
According to a new study from the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF), "Building a Culture of Recognition," organizations that treat recognition as a strategic priority — not an afterthought — are seeing measurable gains in employee engagement, performance, and retention.
SITE NITE at IMEX Frankfurt
SITE (Society for Incentive Travel Excellence) brought together a record-breaking 500 incentive travel professionals for a night of meaningful connections, celebration, and cultural exchange at SITE NITE Europe 2025, held the night before the start of IMEX Frankfurt.
Incentive Case Study — How a Disney Name Badge Became a Recognition Award
In companies with a deeply ingrained culture of recognition, even simple, everyday items can transcend their functional purpose to become powerful symbols of appreciation and belonging. Even something as commonplace as an employee name tag can take on a meaning that far exceeds its basic function.
Jungle Fever
Naviva, a Four Seasons Resort, in Punta Mita, Mexico, presents a unique opportunity with its resort buyout experiences that grant top achievers exclusive access to 48 acres of pristine, oceanside jungle, a secluded coastline, and a level of personalized service that redefines luxury.
The Truth About Incentive Award Budgets
When it comes to employee and channel partner motivation, the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) has unveiled a crucial finding: more isn't always better.
