The Redstone team attended the 2017 IncentiveWorks, Canada’s largest trade show and conference for the meetings, events and incentive travel industry. This two-day event is packed with industry titans sharing their expertise, venues from all over the world, state of the art technology and the latest trends in event planning. This year, IncentiveWorks brought together over 700 exhibitors, and we are here to share with you what excited us most – see below for our take on the Best in Show.
Desired Destination
– From Mexico to Japan, international, national and local destinations were very well-represented, and who wouldn’t want to host and hang-ten in Hawaii? While it is impossible to think of a destination that didn’t impress, one stood out in particular. Found in Canada’s very own big back yard, it was the Yukon that gave us the travel bug. The northern lights, breathtaking nature, and vivid culture along with new high tech venues, top rated hotels and authentic northern cuisine create the perfect environment for your next conference.
Accountable Accommodation – A common theme we noticed while networking with hospitality exhibitors was the focus of their social responsibility. ‘Going green’ is a term everyone has heard, but what does it really mean? ‘Going green’ means reducing to the amount of carbon compounds, including carbon dioxide, that are emitted due to fossil fuel consumption. As I am sure you can imagine, large hotel chains have a significantly higher carbon footprint than your average household and it takes a conscious effort to bring that number down. A leader of change, however, is Hyatt Hotels. New air conditioners, energy efficient lighting, and 100% recycled plastic shampoo bottles are just some of the measures taken in order to become socially responsible.
Trendiest Technology 
– New technology is giving planners dramatic new ways to promote and stream events, and Nordest Studio did a great job of exhibiting this technology. Some of the most striking are Virtual Reality and 360 degree videos. They transport the viewer into a new space, removing physical and economic boundaries and allowing them to travel and explore new realities. The ability to not only live stream your event, but stream it in 360-degree video gives those viewing at home the closest experience to the real thing. Providing virtual reality experiences for your guests alongside events can also deepen brand engagement. The possibilities are literally endless: showing people they can fly, bringing back the dinosaurs or putting on a one-of-a-kind concert, and then streaming it for the world to experience.
Enlightening Education – With so much to see and do and only two days to do it, you may not have had time for the education portion of Incentive Works,. Luckily, there were short education bites throughout the conference on the tradeshow floor! Hosted in the two ‘Learning Lounge’ locations were complimentary 20-minute mini sessions on an array of topics, all ready to get you thinking. From networking to branding, these mini sessions didn’t miss an event planning beat and it provided just enough time to get off your feet and learn something new before jumping back onto the tradeshow floor.
Best in Branding
– If you are looking to up your ‘creative branding’ game, look no further than MakeLab. From 3D printing to on site laser cutting, this start-up is making waves. Their 2017 IncentiveWorks exhibit featured a segment of their Laser Design Dessert Bar. Yes, you read that correctly. Their Laser Design Dessert Bar combines everyone’s love of food with an original and unique user experience. On a tablet, guests create a design free form or use custom templates designed in advance (think logos, company names and hashtags) and then watch their design come to life as it is laser-engraved into a dessert in real time. The options are endless so be creative: chocolate, macarons, ring pops and fruit are all officially on-site brandable!
We had such a great time at IncentiveWorks and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for 2018!