SITE & SITE Foundation turn over a new Chapter in-person in Paris

Convening from the US, Canada, Egypt, Turkey, Ireland and Poland, and with others joining virtually, the international boards of directors and trustees of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) and SITE Foundation concluded three days of in-person meetings in Paris on 21 October. The event was hosted by Accor at the Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel and The Molitor Paris M Gallery. These were the first in-person board meetings for both organisations since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, and provided a platform for future planning, as the business events industry re-opens and incentive travel programmes resume. “The unique benefits of incentive travel for qualifiers, corporations and destinations have never been more obvious, as we evaluate the impact of a 20-month hiatus on the business world, and society at large. Virtual technology helped us to make a virtue of necessity, but we all know now that real people, gathering in real time, in real places are the elements that unleash the full impact of an incentive travel experience. Gathering now, in-person, from all over the world in such an iconic city as Paris represents a powerful symbol for re-set, re-start and resumption”, said SITE president, Aoife Delaney, CIS, CITP, director of global sales and marketing, The DMC Network. “SITE Foundation has continued to invest in research and education throughout the pandemic and, with our Corporate inSITEs series, has been tracking sentiment among US corporations towards incentive travel and motivational experiences. We’re delighted to report that belief in, and use of, incentive travel as a core element in the reward and recognition programmes of the 50 companies which participate in our survey, remains exceptionally high with robust resumption set from early 2022,” said SITE Foundation president, Terry Manion, CIS, CITP, president Inspire Consulting Limited. “Corporations and incentive houses have long relied on the unique appeal of France and our many regions and cities to reward qualifiers with a magnificent bucket list experience, while building company culture and reinforcing relationships. We’re proud to welcome SITE’s international board of directors and SITE Foundation’s board of trustees to Paris as we re-launch SITE France, and look forward to a bright new future for incentive travel professionals,” said Catherine Pascaud, managing director, Servitours and co-president, SITE France. Photo: SITE France: Cyril Fontenay, Leila Sahli, Myriam Munnick, Michel Mari, Catherine Pascaud, Heike Strohmann, Pascal Rouland