Incentive Insider - 1996-04-22

<H1> Incentive Insider</H1><H2>Incentives On The Net</H2></B>The Internet, already becoming a presence in the business travel arena, is now being touted as an innovate way to run an incentive program. <B>MCI Telecommunications</B> and its incentive company, <B>X-Ceed Motivation</B>, recently used the World Wide Web to run CyberSafari Adventure, an incentive contest for its 5,000 sales and service reps.

The incentive, which X-Ceed said was the first such program to be run on the Net, included an interactive Website where participants could access their contest ranking, browse the awards catalog, order their awards and enter suggestions for future incentive programs. The grand prize was a safari in Kenya; other awards included trips to Hawaii, Monte Carlo and Acapulco.

The program's goal was to increase sales of MCI products, which include internetMCI, an Internet access service that was introduced about a year and a half ago. Surprisingly, "the majority of the participants had never been on the Net," said Michelle Melet, sales manager for New York-based X-Ceed. "What better way for them to learn about internetMCI than to use the product to enter the contest?"

MCI reported a significant sales increase in internetMCI and related products and decided to run a second Net incentive, Melet said.

<H2>SuperClubs Hires Group Manager

</H2><B>SuperClubs Super-Inclusive Resorts</B> has hired Brendan McNulty for the new position of manager, group and incentive sales.

"We have not really targeted this group in the past, and we feel it's the right time," said McNulty, who most recently was director of sales for<B> Corporate Travel Consultants II</B>, Florida's largest travel agency.

McNulty, who also has been manager of group sales at <B>Royal Caribbean Cruise Line</B>, said he plans to target incentive houses, meeting planners and corporate buyers by developing group-specific sales materials and competitive group prices.

Although all-inclusive <B>Club Med</B> also is making a push into the group market, McNulty doesn't see it as his primary competitor. "SuperClubs will be competing not only with Club Med but with any type of resort that handles this market," he said.

SuperClubs has six resorts in Jamaica, one in Nassau and one in Cuba, and is building another Cuban resort and a St. Lucia property. The company can be contacted at 305-925-0925.

<H2>Morris Plans Incentive Expansion

</H2><B>Morris Travel</B> plans to expand its group department after renaming it Morris Meetings and Incentives.

The company intends to grow the division from its current $7 million to $50 million by acquiring other firms, according to Morris sales vice president Randall Hunt. "Incentives and meetings are a very profitable part of our business, and we are expanding the profitable parts this year in light of the commission cap," he said.

Salt Lake City-based Morris, which has offices in 57 locations in the western United States, plans to "start looking seriously" at potential acquisitions this summer and hopes to make a purchase by the beginning of next year.

<H2>Ritz-Carlton Debuts Individual Incentives

</H2>The <B>Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co.</B> has introduced an individual incentive program for companies that want to give incentive winners a choice of when and where they can travel.

"We already do a lot of group business and wanted to expand our relationship with those accounts," said corporate director of marketing Dan Collins. "We also were getting requests to put something like this on the market."

Companies can purchase any of four award levels, ranging from $195 to $345 a night depending on amenities offered and the number of properties where the award can be redeemed. For more information, call 404-237-5500.