Meeting planners looking to stretch every dollar possible can save both money and time by co-locating a face-to-face meeting or incentive program with a previously scheduled event.
For example, we recently developed an incentive program for an eye-glass company who was in town at the same time for the Vision Expo. While the incentive program itself did not cut corners, co-locating it with a major trade show afforded our client two advantages - both in money and perception. First, the company's top performers were able to consolidate time and save airfare by traveling only once. Secondly, with incentive programs coming under so much scrutiny from politicians in Washington, DC, the meeting planners we worked with loved keeping the incentive event very low-profile by having a business-only event to boast at the same time.
Co-locating can also take place within the same company. For example, we have also just scheduled a business conference for a Pharmaceutical client in 2011...who is holding an incentive program for part of the group immediately afterward. The same advantages I mentioned above apply here - one airfare and hotel reservation per person, low-profile, and huge time savings.
