Creative Travel India and Duo Turismo Sao Paulo received a Site Crystal Award for Exceptional Motivational Travel Program for their program Garoto VIP Club India.
Site recognized top programs designed to connect motivational experiences with business results at a 31 October ceremony during the organization’s International Conference in Aruba.
Chocolates Garoto, one of the largest and most respected food companies in Brazil and a subsidiary of Nestle, organizes an annual incentive program called The VIP Club for its top distributors.
This past year, the Chocolates Garoto executives decided they wanted to explore a new, exotic destination: India. India was a bold choice, as this would be the first incentive trip from Brazil to India, and The VIP Club had never been held so far away.
Interestingly, the most talked about soap opera in Brazil was a love story based in India that started airing in the beginning of 2009 and had caught the imagination of the country and added to the effectiveness of the incentive campaign.
Chocolates Garoto asked Duo Turismo, the Brazilian incentive house, and Creative Travel India, the destination management company, to create a seamless, exhilarating motivational experience.
The two companies tapped into the current Brazilian fascination with India to produce a mesmerizing, inspiring trip that enhanced the client’s return on investment.
When Creative Travel India was presented with the initial plan, it became concerned that the program would not deliver the kind of impact the client was looking for.
The original program had the feel of a leisure program, with lots of time wasted on travel and few opportunities for the participants to really experience Indian culture. Creative Travel India also felt that the original plan would not live up to the guests’ perception of India.
The very popular soap opera revolved around a heightened version of Indian culture. The experience needed to match the exuberant images of India that were in the high achievers’ imaginations.
After an inspection trip, Duo Turismo and Creative Travel India both agreed that a modified plan was necessary and came up with a revamped program that would provide the necessary “wow factor” to motivate the guests.
They collaborated to transform an ordinary trip into a world-class reward with elements that the participants would never be able to experience on their own.
At first, Chocolates Garoto resisted, wanting to follow the original, lackluster plan. However, Creative Travel India was able to convince its client of that program’s weaknesses and executed a trip that captured what the VIPs had been watching on their TV screens.
Creative Travel India took every opportunity to provide the guests with a uniquely Indian experience, while being careful to make the trip as much theirs as possible. From the moment they arrived, the Chocolates Garoto group was welcomed and celebrated.
Upon their arrival in Delhi, the guests were greeted by a group of Punjabi Sikh dancers and their logo recreated in fresh flowers. The company logo appeared in unexpected places throughout the trip, including the t-shirts of rickshaw drivers and headrests of buses, which excited the honorees.
On a day trip to the Taj Mahal, the guests traveled in a reserved car of a train that had been decorated in the company colors. The participants were able to soak in the colors, sights and sides of the Indian countryside as they made their way to their destination.
The Chocolates Garoto distributors experienced India in a way that that no ordinary tourist could. The group stayed at the iconic Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur and the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur.
The guests were treated to the same kind of entertainment the palaces hosted in centuries past—camels, horses, dancers, musicians and elephants. In Varanasi, one of the oldest living cities in the world, they took a boat ride on the Ganges and witnessed the traditional evening prayer ceremony.
At yet another historic venue, the Samode Palace, the guests were each given custom-fitted Indian clothing. The women enjoyed a visit by local henna artists, and then the whole group boarded decorated camel carts and arrived at the palace to fireworks and the strains of Indian music.
For an even closer look at India’s majestic elephants, Creative Travel India arranged a special polo match, where the travelers themselves were able to play and ride the elephants.
The VIP Club trip to India produced a very welcome return on experience for Chocolates Garoto.
Said the client, “We strongly believe that the ROI from this unique trip is the bonding amongst our key managers and our key distributors. This trip was an important tool for ensuring their productivity in the difficult economic times.”
Chocolates Garoto was so pleased with the event that they have already guaranteed that Duo Turisomo will handle The VIP Club next year, and the parent company, Nestle, has already booked a trip to India with Creative Travel India.
The success of the trip has also benefited the motivational events industry. News of the first incentive trip from Brazil to India has spread, and the success of the program has sparked interest in India as a destination for future groups.
For example, 20 Brazilian incentive buyers attended IMEX in Frankfurt, and all of them had heard about the trip and were interested in creating an Indian experience of their own.
The VIP Club trip shows how one highly successful trip can amplify the reputation of the destination and generate a flurry of interest.
About the Crystal Awards
In 1980, Site created the Crystal Awards Recognition Program as a way to honor top professionals who deliver programs that connect motivational experiences to solid business results.
Today, the Crystal Award serves as a benchmark for industry programs and is regarded as the highest honor in the industry.
Incentive campaigns and special/motivational events of promotion campaigns held between 1 June 2008 and 31 May 2009 were eligible. Entries were evaluated by an independent panel of judges in the areas of return on investment, creativity and mechanics.
The Crystal Award Program is sponsored by IMEX, a worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events. Contributing sponsors include: The Pepper Group.
Image: Rajeev Kohli, Jt. Managing Director, Creative Travel with Ray Bloom, Chairman of IMEX
Related Article:
