Few folks would paint Fay Beauchine as a starry-eyed idealist. But it's wise to take the executive vice president for engagement and events for Minneapolis-based Carlson Marketing seriously when she talks about the potential to "change some lives through a single event." That's exactly what happened last year when Carlson's UK marketing division put together an incentive for Oracle's Club Excellence program in Cape Town, South Africa. The final numbers proved beneficial all around: 700 participants enjoyed the trip of a lifetime, numerous local businesses enjoyed an influx of $73,000 worth of incremental revenues, and 39 previously underemployed South Africans ended up with full-time jobs that they still have long after the trip ended. "It's an idea that should be replicated, quite frankly, because it had such an incredible impact," says Beauchine. And like a lot of good ideas, it started rather simply.
Community at the Core When the Redwood Shores, CA-headquartered Oracle Corporation approached Carlson about creating a 2007 reward program, the software company wanted a high-end travel event as a motivator for its European software sector. "Every year we organize an incentive for the best salespeople," says Jacqueline Hartop, Oracle's executive events manager, who's based in Geneva, Switzerland. "We typically do something fun and interesting, like a beach destination. South Africa was very attractive because people could continue their trip after the official program."
The winners and their companions stayed at five-star properties: the Mount Nelson Hotel, at the foot of Table Mountain; and the Table Bay Hotel, right on Cape Town's scenic Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. There were shopping and fine dining opportunities aplenty, as well and organized tours and recreation, including a scavenger hunt (a la The Amazing Race) in and around the Cape Town area. From a bottom-line standpoint, Oracle got to maximize its bang-for-the-buck via South Africa's favorable exchange rate, which helped considerably on room rates and other expenses.
At this point the program might well seem like most other typical, albeit posh, incentives, but for Oracle's desire to include a social responsibility component in the itinerary. "In every city or country, we try to use what the destination gives us," says Hartop. "Cape Town was attractive in that respect, because parts of the area were both rich in culture and in need of some economic stimulus. The area needs a lot of help—the poverty is something you can really see—so we thought it would be a very good idea to buy the presents for the attendees from within the local community."
For that part of the program, Carlson reached out to Cape Town's artists and craftspeople. "There was no specific umbrella group, but we had made several good contacts locally," says Carlson Global Account Director Kelli Plachecki. "People were quite eager to work with our team and were even early on their deadlines, which made the process quite easy for us."
In return, Oracle was rewarded with some ingeniously themed, quality amenities. Gone Rural, a crafts company that makes decorative accessories and decor items using indigenous materials and production techniques, contributed handmade grass mats that worked perfectly as place settings for Oracle's gala evening event. Abacus, Jane Bedford's contemporary Zulu beadwork company, contributed hand-fashioned necklaces for the women in the group, while Mamelodi Wire Works designed silver corkscrews and bottle stoppers in a wire gift package for the men.
"We could have just used teambuilding activity to construct a house, which is something we've done on other incentives," says Hartop. But immersing the program in South Africa's culture and economy did much more for everyone involved, including the participants, many of whom were visiting the country and continent for the first time. "Before this, most of the participants had never been to South Africa and would not likely be back any time soon," says Beauchine. "By the time we were finished with the official program, people had gotten a pretty good tutorial. They'd had the opportunity to talk to local guides and interact with local merchants and residents, all in the comfort zone of their own group. They could then seek their own post-incentive adventure on safaris and other trips, feeling aware and well informed."
Creating New and Lasting Jobs It was the Orange Farm Maranatha Revival Ministries, though, that truly raised the bar on the program's community involvement. The origin of Orange Farms, about 29 miles south of Johannesburg, is similar to that of the squatter camps that sprouted up all across South Africa more than a generation ago. Roads, running water, education, and employment—all services most Western countries take for granted—were practically nonexistent.
The ministries' garment manufacturing project—a crew of 27 local, talented seamstresses—was designed to help fight poverty by creating a sustainable job base within the community. For Oracle's event, the workers got particularly inventive, designing a "veldt svelte" line of amenities for the winners that included Nelson Mandela-style Madiba shirts for the men and a series of skirts and sarongs for the ladies. "Everything we gave the participants on site contained a note with it, telling them about who made it and where it came from," says Hartop. "It was quite a surprise for them, and they really appreciated the effort."
Even more of a surprise awaited the craftspeople of Orange Farms Informal Settlement, where unemployment runs as much as 63 percent.
The women, who worked around the clock for three months in order to fulfill the 700-person garment order, earned $29,000 for the project. Nine months later, and due in no small part to that income, the church was able to purchase new sewing machines and build a sustainable business, providing permanent, full-time employment for 39 people.
In February, the program earned Carlson an Award for the Most Outstanding Sustainable Incentive Event, a new category in the annual Crystal Awards given by the Chicago-based Society of Incentive & Travel Executives. It also helped secure Oracle a place in Orange Farm's heart. "You may never realize and know what this [garment] order meant for the men and women who made them," wrote Maranatha's Director and Senior Pastor Peter M. Sekhonyane in his thank-you to Oracle and Carlson. "The number of new staff has risen to 39, and we have new products such as the manufacturing of suits, wedding dresses, school uniforms, and track suits."
For her part, Fay Beauchine also appreciates the lasting effect Oracle's program has on the winners themselves. "We're in the business of creating lifetime experiences, not just trips, and this was a wonderful program, one that really did shine for the participants," she says. "People come away not just feeling that they've been on vacation, but that they've been in a learning lab. It's the best practice, and there's hardly anyplace on the globe that wouldn't welcome something like this."
Hosted buyer programs
that offer career-enriching accredited education with industry experts and pre-scheduled one-on-one appointments with destination suppliers
RSS