Almost 500 incentive travel professionals gathered in Istanbul,
Turkey last week to network, learn and bridge cultures during the Society for Incentive
Travel Excellence (SITE) Global Conference.
Between 26 and 28 February, incentive travel professionals including destination management organisations, planners, hotels and venues, met at the Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus under the theme ‘Bridge
and build cultures’.
Alongside ample networking opportunities, the packed
educational agenda covered five timely and topical themes:
- New technology and artificial technology
- Shifting demographics
- Business case for incentive travel
- Sustainability
- Diversity, equity and inclusion, and belonging
The opportunities and limitations of using artificial
intelligence (AI) featured on the agenda no less than four times throughout the
conference, highlighting its pertinence for the industry. These sessions considered
the practical uses of AI, the ethical implications of using AI and how the
industry is already using AI in event planning – whether or not they know they’re
using it.
In an AI-themed session led by Nitin Sachdeva, founder of Venture
Marketing, he explained that AI is like karma, “what you put in is what you get
out. The prompts you put into AI platforms such as ChatGPT or Perplexity are
very important, the better the prompt, the better the outcome.”
During a panel discussion on AI led by Lisa Grimaldi, incentive
editor at Northstar Travel Group, the audience learned that the term ‘artificial
intelligence’ was coined 68 years ago, but recent advancements have propelled the
technology into common discourse and common use.
Panellist Frank Robleto Jr., corporate sales manager at Royal Caribbean said, “I’m Nicaraguan, so English is not my first language, yet business is conducted
in English. I use programmes like ChatGPT to check my emails and proposals,
to make sure they sound the best they can.”
New for the 2024 SITE Global Conference
First Timers were invited to a dedicated networking session at the Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus on the first day of the conference. Sponsorship by IHG Hotels allowed this event to take place and enabled delegates who were attending the conference for the first time to network, meet fellow attendees and learn what to expect from the conference.
This year’s conference also saw the introduction of the Destination Immersion experiences for delegates to explore Istanbul through food, art, coffee, and shopping.
SITE Winners
During the conference, Karim
ElMinabawy president of Egypt-based Emeco Travel, was announced as the incoming
SITE president and nine incentive travel organisations were celebrated at the
annual Crystal Awards.
Hosted at the Ciragan Palace
Kempinski and sponsored by IMEX, the glamorous black- and white-themed awards evening celebrated
incentive travel professionals from across the world:
- Arabian Adventures Meetings, Incentives &
Events, for Excellence in Incentive Travel: Africa & Middle East
- Haute, for Excellence in Incentive Travel: North
America
- MFactor Meetings, for Excellence in Incentive
Travel: Europe
- Next Level Performance, for Most Impactful
Effort Toward Corporate Social Responsibility as Part of an Incentive Travel
Program
- PHP Event Services, for Excellence in Incentive
Travel: Asia-Pacific
- Portugal Travel Team, for Best Destination-Based
Experiential Incentive Travel Program
- Spectra DMC, for Most Creative Solution Deployed
to Overcome Adversity
- Streamlinevents, for Excellence in Incentive
Travel: Latin America and the Caribbean
- Synergy Effect, for Excellence in Incentive
Travel: Asia-Pacific
Crystal
Awards committee chair Ellie MacPherson, was also recognised during the ceremony
for ‘reimagining the Crystal Awards programme as the incentive travel
industry’s Oscars.’
“I pass
the baton to my friend and fellow Canadian, Cate Banfield, following four years
as chair of this extraordinary program,” said MacPerson. “Throughout my
career as an incentive travel professional I’ve always strived for excellence
in designing and delivering incentive travel experiences. I passionately
believe that travel experiences, more than any other corporate reward or
recognition, truly transform individuals, companies, and the destinations they
choose. SITE’s Crystal Awards programme recognises that, and honours it
appropriately.”
In 2025, the SITE Global
Conference will take place between 3-6 March in Tulum, Mexico.
