[ON LOCATION] BARBARA SCOFIDIO
Prevue’s Incentive Evolution Summit April 3-5 took advantage of all that the new Evermore Orlando Resort and the destination of Orlando have to offer incentive groups.
The Summit kicked off with an opening evening at The Boathouse, Evermore Orlando Resort’s elegant waterfront event space, which even comes with its own private Chris-Craft docked below. The resort’s picturesque 8-acre lagoon is anchored by The Boathouse on one side and the Conrad Evermore on the other—and is the focal point of this spectacular resort.
Attendees were here to focus on incentive travel, and the resort set the stage for two days of excellent speakers, kicking off with a keynote on Transformational Travel: What the Incentive Industry Can Learn From This Emerging Movement by Tonya Fitzpatrick, Esq., CEO, World Footprints. The following day’s program was a series of research presentations followed by what turned into one big discussion among all the incentive planners and suppliers in the room. Andy Schwarz, VP Content and Communications, Incentive Research Foundation, presented on the IRF’s just-released Attendee Preferences Survey (we were the first to see the results); Dawn McClure, MBA, Enterprise Director, Sales Business Performance, Maritz, focused on Luxury Travel Trends and how they apply to incentive qualifiers; and Melissa Van Dyke, Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing and Innovation, Creative Group, finished off the day with research on how to engage younger generations of attendees.
The group also had a chance to take a peek at the Conrad Orlando during a lovely luncheon. The final evening, the event wrapped up with a little free shopping time at Disney Springs and dinner at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, over an outstanding feast of Southern comfort food with some of the best fried chicken imaginable.
Many thanks to our sponsors, who had a chance to meet one-on-one with our 30 meeting planner attendees over the 2-day event: The Biltmore; Crystal Cruises; Explora Journeys; Explore Asheville; Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau; Guy Harvey Resort St. Augustine Beach; Iberostar; Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau; Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.; OPAL Collection; Royal Caribbean International; Sensira Resorts; Visit Orlando; Visit Park City Convention & Visitors Bureau and Westgate Resorts.
Last but not least, a huge thank you to our host, Evermore Orlando Resort, and our partners: Box the City, which provided locally sourced gifting for the attendees; Conrad Orlando; Crow Practice, which showcased individual wellness sessions; ETHOS Event Collective; and R Stone Consulting, which offered attendees individual coaching sessions during the event.
“I found great value in attending the Incentive Evolution Summit because I was able to learn about current incentive trends and also network with others in the industry. I was also able to meet with many vendors I can source for future programs.“ Jacob Scott, Marketing Events Manager, Pluralsight
“This has been one of the best industry events I have been to. The vendors, participants, location and content were perfectly curated to provide an experiential event, meaningful connections and a wealth of education. I look forward to attending more of Prevue’s Summits!” Alanna Caron, Founder, Iconic Event Experiences
“My experience was exceptional. The pre-event communication was spot on, thorough and well thought out. The speakers were relevant and the sponsors were top-notch. The venue, staff and sales team were phenomenal. I will be returning.” Monica Jackson, Consulting Director, EGG Events
“The past two days were very informative and there was great conversation. And I had the opportunity to meet great people.” Beth Faulkner, Senior Consultant, Lincoln Financial Group
“Loved the intimacy—just the right ratio of buyers and suppliers. A good balance of education, networking and appointments.”Steffi Kordy, CITP, Cocoon Incentives
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