by Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua & Chief Marketing Officer, SITE NOTE: This post is even more relevant in the context of recent news on the Wall Street Journal of the cancellation by Financial Advisor, Charles Schawb, of its long established incentive travel programme. The Incentive Research Foundation published this article in response. I was… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua & Chief Marketing Officer, SITE Incentive Travel in Search of New Objectives Amongst the many interesting outcomes from the recent Incentive Travel Industry Index (ITII) jointly conducted by Society for Incentive Travel Executives (SITE), Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals (FICP) and Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) was the change detected… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Partner SoolNua & Chief Marketing Officer, SITE Business Events – is it tourism or economic development? The debate around whether Business Events should be categorised under “Tourism” or “Economic Development” has been on-going for a decade or more and hasn’t reached any finality or, truth be known, consensus. At a JMIC… Read more »
Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua & Chief Marketing Officer, SITE The Italian author Cesare Pavese famously stated that “travel is a brutality”. He said it decades ago before security lines in London Stansted or passport control in Miami or the flight delays and missed connections that leave me writing this at 3am in Ataturk Airport,… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua & Chief Marketing Officer, SITE Incentive Travel Industry Index 2018 Last week Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) and Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals (FICP) released their eponymous joint survey for the Incentive Travel Industry. Another welcome example of associations working together for the greater… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua and Chief Marketing Officer, SITE My experience with associations Industry associations have played a hugely positive role over the almost 3 decades of my career in the business events industry. Through my participation in industry associations I have forged unshakeable business connections, advanced my knowledge and expertise as an… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua & Chief Marketing Officer, SITE Global Chains v Independent Hotels – the debate continues This week I found my mind exercised, once again, by the on-going debate around the merits and demerits of independent hotels versus global chain hotels. Our relentless contemporary pursuit of travel experiences that pivot around… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua The value of Incentive Travel? Meetings & Incentive Industry Professionals will find lots to love in the Events Industry Council’s (EIC) recently released Economic Significance of Meetings to the US Economy. Just consider these top line results. On overall revenues we generate $325 billion (eight position) for the US… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua Harvard Research on Impact of a Conference I’ve been a subscriber to Harvard Business Review for many years now. It’s a great way to keep in touch with all the latest theories in the business world. The articles there are backed by meticulous research so you’re not reading half-baked,… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua As a community, I think it’s fair to say that meetings and incentives professionals are better than average at networking. By and large we’re a jolly lot, particularly those of us in a “client-facing” role who are let out of the office to attend launches, functions and educational events…. Read more »