For many organizations, incentive travel still sits in the “perk” category — an appealing bonus, but not always recognized as a strategic lever that impacts both people and the bottom line. Gift cards and cash bonuses remain the default: easy to distribute and easy to track. But in today’s increasingly remote and fragmented work environment, that mindset is starting to change.
More companies are realizing that incentive travel can do far more than reward performance. When designed strategically, it becomes a driver for engagement, a catalyst for culture and a measurable contributor to business performance. The question is no longer just how to reward employees, but how to create experiences that build loyalty, attract talent, and deliver tangible ROI.
According to The Incentive Research Foundation's 2026 European Top Performers Study, high-performing companies prioritize innovation, personalization, and alignment with broader business goals in their incentive strategies. Furthermore, they report that “incentive travel is the most impactful reward type for influencing participant engagement, performance and broader business outcomes.”
For Jack Conway (Real Estate) and KPA (Software/Safety Compliance), these findings were put into practice. In both cases, Atlas Meetings & Incentives partnered closely with each client to design and execute incentive travel programs that aligned with their specific business objectives. While their approaches differed, the goal was the same: to turn incentive travel into a tool that delivered measurable impact across their organizations.
Jack Conway: Driving Performance Through Exclusivity
The Strategy
The program targets the top 5–7% of agents, creating a strong sense of exclusivity around achievement. The program's qualification was intentionally rigorous, including relocation referral goals and defined sales thresholds, such as a $70k quota introduced for the company’s 70th anniversary. Plus, managers could only qualify if one of their agents qualified first. This structure encourages leaders to actively mentor their teams, not just focus on individual success.
The Execution & Impact
Atlas provided high-level consultancy for the company, recommending new destinations, vendors and detailed event logistics to ensure each experience remained unique. Atlas also supported crisis management, including during a Costa Rica trip when a storm caused widespread flight cancellations. With the help of Atlas’ Group Air department, the team quickly managed the disruption and rebooked flights, ensuring the client's trip remained an A+ experience.
As Al Becker at Jack Conway explains:
"Our incentive trip is not a 'nice-to-have.' It’s something our agents rely on. In down years, we looked at reducing expenses, but the trip is a real kicker and taking it away would cause frustration. What people don't realize is that the networking and time spent with agents in an enclosed setting is unbeatable. Working with the Atlas team over the years has taught me a lot. They often run interference with destination suppliers who don't share the same sense of urgency, we don't have to understand everything; that’s what Atlas is there for."
KPA: Expanding Recognition Across the Organization
The Strategy
KPA puts together an annual incentive trip for its high-performing salesforce. However, they also introduced upwards of 20 unique categories that anyone in the company could achieve. In doing so, all employees who contribute to the business, not just those on the sales team, could be recognized for their role in the company's success. These categories include special recognitions such as "Rookie of the Year," "Mentor of the Year" and "Core Value" winners.
The Execution & Impact
For KPA’s lead planner, Marnie Kenner, Atlas wasn't just a logistics provider but an advisor. When Kenner took over the program with little historical knowledge of prior events, Atlas provided instrumental guidance, helping her navigate a complex trip to Mexico during the COVID pandemic. Atlas also acted as a strategic counterbalance during site selection, advising KPA to avoid repeating destinations to keep the experience fresh and "out-of-the-box".
As Marnie Kenner at KPA explains:
"It was a really fun trip that people talked about for months after we came back. Not a lot of companies are doing this. I don't know a company out there not trying to build their brand and part of that is promoting your organization and showing that this is a good place to work. We wanted to show our employees that it's not just sales who get this incentive trip, that there's a real opportunity for people outside of sales to win. It fosters healthy competition with teams; if you know you've got a chance of going, people want to go."
Leadership Perspective
Delivering successful incentive travel programs requires a partner who can balance strategy, execution and the human impact of the experience. With long-standing relationships across both KPA and Jack Conway, Atlas Travel leaders bring a deep understanding of each organization’s goals.
Maureen Santoro, Meetings & Events Director at Atlas Travel, who has over 24 years of experience and has managed both programs for several years, shares:
"Both KPA and Jack Conway host dynamic incentive programs with unique needs. From initial sourcing through on-site operation, the goal was to deliver original, high-quality experiences. Through our long-standing relationships, I was able to understand their desired outcome, advocate on their behalf, proactively address potential problems and pivot quickly when disruptions occurred. Backed by Atlas Travel's buying power, I leveraged our supplier relationships to negotiate the favorable pricing and contract terms."
Jennifer Murphy, Vice President of Meetings & Incentives at Atlas Travel, with over 26 years in the industry, adds:
"There’s nothing that compares to spending time with the CEO and fellow achievers than participating in an incentive trip. Being recognized publicly for one’s contributions to an organization is monumental in building and maintaining a corporate culture that fosters growth, loyalty and camaraderie among employees. Some of my favorite on-site experiences have been watching these relationships happen and seeing how even their spouses are equally recognized for being a part of that contribution."
The Takeaway
The experiences of KPA and Jack Conway demonstrate that incentive travel can serve as a strategic performance driver for organizations, particularly when aligned with specific business behaviors and organizational goals. When structured intentionally, incentive travel programs can help organizations:
Ready to turn your rewards program into an ROI engine?
For more information or to discuss strategy for your incentive program, contact Jennifer Murphy, Vice President of Meetings & Incentives at Atlas Travel, at jennifer.murphy@atlastravel.com or 508-488-1119.