From a millennial worker to a boomer employer: Why do we want experiential incentives?

Did I tell you the best part yet? It’s fully paid and approved by my employer and sometimes even during working hours - YES, please, sign me up!

This trip I am talking about is called an incentive. You probably heard of it, but in case you didn’t, an incentive is “a thing that motivates or encourages someone to do something”. For example when you want to encourage your team to reach a specific target you set for them. And the “thing that motivates” is a stunning trip that we can organize for you! If you work in the travel industry, you surely have organized one or two incentives yourself already, and know what all the buzz is about. However, you should still keep on reading this blog, especially if you have a lot of millennials hired in your company. Perhaps you’ll learn some new facts about them that you can use in your sales pitch and about the Netherlands as your next incentive destination!

Millennials are becoming a major part of the workforce, however employers often do not fully understand them. Even if millennials usually have to work the typical 8 hours on a regular day, the environment in which they complete those 8 hours should be as pleasant as possible, including a friendly atmosphere and motivating company culture. Things like a good work-life balance and flexibility are also very important. That being said, millennials still want to pursue their career and require sufficient feedback from their employer to help them achieve their goals. What about incentives you might ask yourself? Do monetary rewards motivate a typical millennial? The answer is no. In fact, they would rather engage in a company that shares their personal values rather than focussing on just increasing numbers on their payslip.

The thing about a reward is not so much the reward in itself, but rather it’s meaningfulness. Here’s when the term “experiential incentive” comes into the equation. An experience will get your millennials and other employees much stronger and long-lasting emotions than a simple monetary transaction. As a result, they will increase their productivity and motivation to win the next experience and be part of the fun. Add a bit of social FOMO (fear of missing out) for those who did not get the chance to win the last incentive, and you have it - the perfect reward that will not only make your team work harder and happier, but also increase their loyalty and make your company look attractive to new talents.

Now you might ask yourself how do you create a unique, once of a lifetime experience that is worth all the hard work. No worries, we got you covered! At Holland Destination Management we are experts in organising amazing, well-designed and planned incentive trips to many of our interesting and surprising destinations in the Netherlands. A trip, all expenses paid by the employer might sound costly but that’s an illusion! We cater to all sorts of budgets and many site seeing places in the Netherlands can be considered for free. Think of Amsterdam and it’s beautiful canals that turn the city into a stunning open air museum. Are your company’s winners interested in specific themes such as sustainable agriculture or modern architecture? We can completely tailor your experiential incentive to your special interests and needs.

Sounds good, right? Grab your phone, give us a call and we will start directly to plan your next incentive!