Practise what you preach: incentives to Ibiza with our team!
In January and February 2022, the year was still largely dominated by Corona, but how far-sighted we were to know that from March onwards, things would really take off in both Business Travel and the MICE world. From the moment all restrictions were lifted, corporate enquiries came flying at us from every direction. Not only were business travellers sent back out into the world to do business, but within the MICE world too, it seemed as though every company thought, ‘we're going to treat our teams to a fantastic incentive trip’! And how hard we worked to pick up and process all the enquiries, and yes, here and there this was accompanied by somewhat longer waiting times than usual. We even instituted a policy of not taking on any new clients, however hard they knocked on our door. All of this was to keep our level of service as high as possible, but also to avoid placing any further strain on our staff.
It has turned out that our people can handle a great deal, with so much hard (and over-)work having been done. At the same time, we have managed to recruit a great many people, and we now have around 85 individuals ready every day to handle all requests, because the storm was not going to be temporary, as we now know. Around December, the organisation was back in balance and we were able to catch our breath for a moment. And because everyone had worked so hard, we felt it was important to reward our teams in a way that we are often permitted to organise for our clients: namely, with a fantastic incentive trip to Ibiza!
Hard work pays off!
Practice what you preach, and rightly so; in July, we took our entire organisation on a 3-day incentive trip to Ibiza. Partly thanks to a number of sponsors, including KLM, it was a fantastic trip and experience. It was also different than usual this time. Because alongside a number of surprise moments, more on that later, we had also planned a meeting. However, not as you would expect in a boring meeting room, but on a catamaran and in the sea. Furthermore, we were also able to use that meeting in the sea to show some extra team spirit.
Also looking for other inspiring and unique ways to hold meetings or meet with your team at a destination? Let us surprise you with the possibilities!
On Thursday evening, a group of colleagues and I flew to Ibiza for the incentive trip, for which we had set up a workspace on Friday. This was so that we didn't have to close the offices and the remaining colleagues could fly to Ibiza on the Friday before the incentive trip. Highly recommended, by the way! This way, work can go ahead ‘as usual’. Even working outside for a bit or having meetings is wonderful in that setting.
Turn up the party!
On Friday evening, the programme for the incentive trip to Ibiza officially got underway. After a warm welcome with a glass of bubbly and nibbles at the Ibiza Twiins Hotel, one of our favourite incentive hotels, we walked towards the Coco Beach restaurant for dinner. What the colleagues didn't know, however, was that we were going to make a stopover at Nassau Beach. My (and my family's) most favourite beach club in Ibiza. Unsuspectingly, all 85 of us walked across the warm beach, where everyone was surprised by this stopover. Because we have a good relationship with the management of this cool beach club, we were welcomed in a very special and unique way. The photos speak for themselves!
After already celebrating a party here, we walked on to Coco Beach where the party continued. The DJ and a saxophonist we had organised, combined with a delicious 3-course dinner, made for a very successful first day. It is just so wonderful to see your own people enjoying themselves like that! That boded well for Saturday, because we had a few surprises in store here too. Rather than holding a meeting in a meeting room together, we would be on board a catamaran and in the sea!
A day to remember!
After a delicious breakfast, we set off for the port of Ibiza to board a luxury catamaran. Naturally, we had to get through a few presentations, but because of the location, this naturally had a much more relaxed and inspiring atmosphere than usual!
Soon we were sailing towards the azure bays of Formentera, where a swimming stop was planned and where we would continue our meeting in the sea. Prior to the boat trip, everyone had been given inflatable floats to bob around nicely in the water during the presentation. And what a success this was!
After the meeting, we wrapped up with the final surprise of the trip. That evening, we were not only welcome to come and party at Ushuaïa, but we had also managed to reserve a VIP deck complete with our own waiters, parasols and drinks! Everyone's own wallet could therefore stay closed and there was plenty of room to dance. I will never forget the cheering when we announced this!
Around 13:00 we got back on board, where a delicious barbecue lunch was served. Afterwards, people could go for a nice swim, jump off the catamaran or just chill out on board. We didn't want to dock too late, because naturally we wanted to look our best for Ushuaïa. Once we arrived at the hotel, everyone had a little under an hour to change, after which we walked together to restaurant Mumak for a quick dinner.
Mumak is also one of our favourite restaurants in Playa d’en Bossa! The food is delicious, it’s just around the corner from Ushuaïa and, not entirely unimportant, they can easily handle large groups! A mask was ready on the tables for everyone to further enhance their festive outfits. Such a lovely sight to see everyone together like that!
With a private VIP entrance we were inside in no time and the party could start all over again. How we danced and enjoyed this once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Roll on next year!
Sunday was meant for chilling by the pool. Once again, all the colleagues were split across three flights and everyone flew back home that afternoon or evening, marking the end of a wonderful incentive trip to Ibiza. The enthusiasm back at the office was palpable among everyone for a long time afterwards. Afterwards, we also shared an amazing aftermovie with everyone as a special, lasting addition to our shared memories of this incentive trip to Ibiza.
Here's to next year! Because practice what you preach... When people work hard, targets are met, or there's something else to celebrate? You treat your people to a fantastic incentive trip. There's nothing better than that! Want to surprise and reward your team, and pamper them too? We're happy to help you think things through!