letter
EDITOR’S EDITO LETTER
Site Crystal Awards –
South African companies
score heavily
The Crystal Awards, presented annually by the Society of
Incentive & Travel Executives (Site), represent the highest
accolade that the incentive industry can aspire to. Site
created the Crystal Awards Recognition Programme in 1980
as a way to honour top professionals who deliver programmes
that connect motivational experiences to solid business results.
Today, nearly three decades later, the Crystal Award serves as
a benchmark for industry programmes and is regarded as the
highest honour in the industry.
This year South African members won two out of the seven on
offer and that takes the tally to no less than nine in the past four
years! Moreover, both award-winning 2009 programmes had a
serious social responsibility component.
Dragonfly Africa, operating for its client Securian Financial
Group, ran away with the award in the category of Outstanding
Sustainable Motivational Experience. The Securian Financial
Group is said to have a long tradition of serving communities in
need through philanthropic and volunteer work. To continue that
tradition as part of its African Leaders Incentive Trip, the financial
organisation partnered with Dragonfly to craft a motivational
experience that allowed participants to enrich the lives of children
at an orphanage in Livingstone, Zambia. The participants arrived
at the orphanage with backpacks filled with educational supplies
which they had received in place of the customary room gifts and
personally delivered the backpacks to the children. The experience
at the Ebenezer Child Care Trust is said to have been one that
impacted the lives of the children and participants alike. The vast
majority of participants stated they would have chosen this very
human experience over the most elaborate incentive experience.
4 incentiveworld.com Vol. 9 No. 4 2009
The second South African winner, Terra Nova, representing
its client Reckitt Benckiser, won the award in the category of
Outstanding Motivational Event. Terra Nova took the idea of a
mountain hike and transformed it into a motivational experience
that had a positive impact on the participants, the company
and the local community. Reckitt Benckiser had challenged
Terra Nova to plan an event that included a group hike for 160
participants. Terra Nova chose the Drakensberg mountain range
as the locale for the event and planned a route that would take
the guests to the most spectacular parts in KwaZulu-Natal. The
experience, especially the inspiring hike, is said to have motivated
employees and brought them closer together as supporting
each other through the mountains created a tangible sense of
togetherness.
With Southern Africa Site members performing so well on the
world stage, it is perhaps fitting that the Site 2010 International
Conference will take place in Cape Town on 4 to 7 December
2010. This will be the first time that Site has held its international
conference in South Africa and will give its members around the
globe a fantastic opportunity to experience what Southern Africa
has to offer the incentive industry.
When ICCA – the International Congress and Convention
Association – held its first annual convention in Cape Town a few
years ago, there was a record attendance. I have no doubt that
the same thing is going to happen to Site 2010. Don’t miss it!
Godfrey King
Editor
gk@incentiveworld.com
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