Many of us are happy to see 2022 in our rearview: global travel and events rebounded mightily in many regions, yet we still faced challenges with staffing and operations.
Programs grew and shrank again, launched suddenly and were then postponed. In general, while we were grateful to be able to be together it felt like a year we were all learning to walk again.
For SITE, our membership started growing again, chapter events revived, and we held our full suite of global events. Now, what will 2023 have in store?
In mid-2022, SITE administered its first-ever Member Needs Assessment survey. The response data has helped crystallize our long-term future direction and confirm some of our near-term plans for 2023. Here are some of our key actions:
- We will continue to enhance what you value most from SITE: events, research and education. Our Global Conference has been redesigned based on your feedback to be more inclusive, collaborative and celebratory of our past volunteers. We are investing in proprietary research to promote the global power of incentive travel. And we are revising and relaunching our CIS and CITP certifications to bring value to career paths and professional advancement.
- We will work to change what you don’t find valuable: difficulty in breaking in. Nearly half of SITE members have been members for two or fewer years. Survey results mentioned it’s hard for newer members to feel part of SITE, while longer-term members share a powerful sense of community. We will work with chapters and at our global events to welcome newer members more intentionally, and help them get connected in meaningful ways.
- We will expand our reach to new generations of incentive travel professionals via university outreach, targeted marketing, and enhanced Young Leader programming. Seventy-nine percent of SITE members are 40+ years old. We must reintroduce incentive travel and SITE to the next generations, helping them with career pathing options and professional development tools.
2023 is especially important for us as we celebrate 50 years as an association. This gives us a powerful platform for increased global awareness, chapter expansion and industry partnerships.
On the local level, SITE will continue to help you make valuable business connections and on the global level, we will continue to tell the story of how incentive travel drives business forward.
These are our new year’s resolutions as we enter 2023 (with more members of our team also sharing their personal development goals), and we’re glad you’re along for the ride.
