by Pádraic Gilligan, Co-founder, SoolNua Consulting As we usher in 2025, the business events industry faces a turbulent yet transformative landscape. Global macroeconomic shifts, geopolitical instability, and the rise of a new world order cast ominous shadows over the horizon. Yet, despite the challenges, there are significant opportunities for those of us prepared to adapt,… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Co-founder SoolNua & Chief Marketing Officer, SITE The origins of SITE – the only professional association dedicated exclusively to incentive travel – are well-documented. We even have living witnesses to its founding meeting at the Hotel Americana on December 3, 1973. That said, the roots of incentive travel itself as a corporate… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Chief Marketing Officer, SITE & Co-Founder, SoolNua Consulting There’s a line in Arthur Miller’s great tragedy Death of a Salesman, where Willy Loman, the play’s main character, is described as “a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine … ” Whenever I saw Bob Moony,… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Chief Marketing Officer, SITE The leadership of most professional associations—SITE included—are likely familiar with Bowling Alone (2000), Bob Putnam’s seminal work on America’s declining social capital. Association leaders turned to Putnam’s research to better understand the precipitous drop in membership numbers. The Decline of Social Capital: Putnam’s Timeless Insight Putnam attributed this… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Co-founder, SoolNua Consulting & Chief Marketing Officer, SITE At IMEX America this year, SITE and our partner, the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF), launched the 2024 Incentive Travel Index (ITI) to a packed room of eager attendees in Las Vegas. Each year, the ITI gives us a clear snapshot of where incentive travel… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Co-founder, SoolNua & Chief Marketing Officer, SITE There are two terminals now at Dublin airport as annual passenger numbers rush headlong towards a controversial 40m. Like many “legacy” airports, it’s a sprawling campus, with extensions, new wings, spurs and satellites added over the years to deal with the dramatic exponential growth. If… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Co-founder, SoolNua & Chief Marketing Officer, SITE For many years now, the Incentive Travel Index (ITI) has been unveiling fascinating insights into the evolving landscape of incentive travel, shedding light on its current state, underlying motivations, and potential future trends. Traditionally, its annual report has focused on core themes such as industry… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Founder, SoolNua Marketing & Chief Marketing Officer, SITE Incentive Travel Research In the latest Incentive Travel Index1, buyers once again highlighted their preference for “new destinations not used before” as the top choice for future incentive programs, a trend that mirrors the results from 2023. This preference isn’t just a fleeting fancy—it… Read more »
Pádraic Gilligan discusses the value of learning sales techniques from different industries and emphasizes transparency in business practices, inspired by the ethical approach of Portuguese clothing brand ISTO. He advocates for open and transparent operations in incentive travel and proposes “Factourism” as an innovative tourism trend, enhancing visitor experiences through factory tours.
Incentive travel professionals should adopt a consultancy approach, addressing critical issues like sustainability, to lead the industry forward and align with evolving stakeholder expectations and corporate practices.