In determining how best to motivate their employees or express gratitude to faithful clients, business leaders often find themselves in a quandary. Yet, acknowledgment of diligent teamwork or long-term customer loyalty can significantly facilitate rapport-building.
One effective method is corporate hospitality. More than just amusement, it serves as a platform for fostering team unity and cultivating client relationships. A multitude of travel agencies are available to simplify the logistics of organising enjoyable corporate excursions.
JWT’s Martin Toomey provides evidence for this. He observes that many business owners express their gratitude to regular clients by gifting them engaging sporting tours such as Six Nations Rugby or Formula One weekends. For Hardcore rugby enthusiasts, JWT even presents the alternative of voyaging on the Leinster team’s chartered plane.
The exhilaration of rugby tours varies in terms of duration, from one-night stand trips to the extended 10 or 11day South African tours. Often, business owners engage their workforce in these trips as well. Toomey notes that customers commonly make reservations for huge numbers without specifying names. As the trip approaches, they select the top-performing clients or employees from recent months and assign them a spot on the trip.
For significant finals, spots are likewise booked on short notice. It’s a substantial investment, with costs ranging from €700 to €1,200 per person, but it’s seen as a highly effective strategy for maintaining a positive morale among clients and staff.
Alternatively, some businesses opt to purchase one or two spots on the trip and raffle them off, creating intrigue within the company or trade them off as rewards to star employees. This has been found to generate considerable buzz within their organisations, observes Toomey.
Becci Franklin from Cassidy Travel identifies the increasing challenges to acquire tickets for sports events as one part of the growing interest in such excursions. Outstanding examples she highlights include a thrilling visit to Cheltenham or Aintree, featuring extensive horse-racing, inclusive of flights and lodging, or an exciting trip to Wembley Stadium for an NFL contest between the New England Patriots and Jacksonville.
Moreover, these trips provide an excellent platform for business networking. Toomey explains how people strike up conversations right from the airport check-in, which turns into valuable networking for business owners.
Among JWT’s offerings, Rugby-centric trips are the most favoured, though F1 is “picking up speed”. They also provide trips centred around Premier League football, which corporations are showing an increasing interest in, as they offer only hospitality tickets. Frequently, the firm receives requests to organise additional activities abroad, like training sessions, matches against local teams, or tours of the stadium.
Leinster trips that record the highest popularity for JWT are Edinburgh, Treviso, and Parma. For the 2024/25 season, Edinburgh and Treviso are listed, with Edinburgh on September 19th/20th and Treviso on October 4th/5th. Bookings for Champions Cup games fill up quickly, particularly for those in France, adds Toomey. The trips to Wales and Glasgow are usually more affordable, which is beneficial for school groups and clubs that wish to join the team’s flight.
There is also an increasing demand for women’s sports trips. JWT now offers WSL trips to England and visits to Ireland Women’s Six Nations games, in the hope that these will continue to gain popularity.
Sunway Holidays caters to a wide range of clients by crafting bespoke group-incentive trips across the globe via their division, Priority Groups. The company caters for groups from five to 500 people, providing comprehensive itineraries that can include prestigious sports events, conferences and company events, and international team-building trips furnished with novel activities aimed at promoting team unity and pushing employees out of their comfort zone, according to Sunway CEO, Mary Denton. Sunway is prepared to create an experience that suits all budgets, recognising that each client has different requirements and financial considerations, with expenditure usually falling between €1,200 and €15,000 per individual.
Team-building excursions, notably well-liked, frequently have a budget range of approximately €1,200 to €3,000 for each individual. The objective of such trips is to create memorable and resonant events that strengthen team unity and highlight staff skillsets in varied contexts.
These team-building journeys typically span three to five days. Customers aiming to impress with high-end travel and activities can expect to spend between €3,000 and €12,000 per person, for trips that last from five to eight days.
Numerous activities are offered, tailored specifically to the trip location. Activities can range from uplifting hot-air balloon rides, thrilling zipline adventures, themed scavenger hunts, to ice fishing and exhilarating white water rafting.
These activities, according to Denton, aim to push individuals beyond their comfort zone, whilst ensuring they remain engaged and entertained. Foreign team-building trips are particularly useful for employers, offering insight into staff performance and adaptability in new and unfamiliar surroundings.
Professionals at this are proficient at forming creative concepts that marry enjoyment with developmental aspirations, ensuring every trip is both pleasurable and advantageous.
So how sought after is an international team-building excursion as a means of incentivising employees or pleasing clients?
There has been a remarkable surge in interest, states Toomey. Previous rugby based trips have led clients to discover that further sports are now on offer. The opportunity to fly with the Leinster team also constantly surprises and excites many.
He confesses that event tickets can be costly, resulting in these packages often being pondered as “pricey” when compared to standard vacations. However, he adds, the thrill of attending a major game augments the experience of the trip abroad.