Incentive Case Study: Endo's Carnival Spirit in Rio de Janeiro April 20, 2009 Harith Productions puts on a show-stopping incentive travel program for Endo
By Jeanie Casison
Profile: Endo Pharmaceuticals
Industry: Pharmaceutical product development
Challenge Create an incentive trip that will inspire its approximately 600 salespeople to exceed sales targets
Solution: A Carnival-themed trip to Rio de Janiero combining once-in-a-lifetime experiences with training and feedback-focused business meetings with senior executives
Results: Over the past two years, Endo Pharmaceuticals has doubled its dividend and nearly doubled its net profit
After a year of working hard to exceed business goals, a group of top performers from Endo Pharmaceuticals would soon find themselves bound for sunny Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the spring of 2008, as part of President's Club—a distinguished honor for the employees of the Chadds Ford, Penn.–based organization specializing in pain management and cough and cold products. Harith Wickrema, founder of Harith Productions, a global event and meeting management company with headquarters in greater Philadelphia, orchestrated the incentive travel program.
"The Endo Pharmaceuticals President's Club recognizes and honors the best of the company. This is an annual program for the top five percent of the sales force who qualify by exceeding sales targets. In 2007, the company exceeded a billion dollars in sales," says Wickrema, who has also worked on other incentive travel programs for Endo in Naples, Florida, the Bahamas and Los Cabos, Mexico.
Wickrema's efforts for Endo Pharmaceuticals proved extremely successful, as the program not only created positive experiences for all participants, but it also garnered industry accolades for its dramatic design and seamless delivery. Harith Productions received a 2008 Site Crystal Award for its final-night awards recognition dinner, "An Evening of Caricoca Pride," along with an EIBTM 2008 Meeting and Incentive Industry Award for the Best Incentive Program.
Making Work and Play in Rio
Like all successful incentive travel programs, Endo Pharmaceuticals' goal was to stimulate all of its salespeople to work harder over the course of a year by making the trip something truly spectacular—something they couldn't arrange on their own. For the 34 that made it into the company's top five percent, it had to be something they'd brag about to colleagues and work even harder next year in order to be invited back. Of course, that's not the only benefit for the company, whose senior executives take advantage of having their top performers together in one spot, in a relaxed environment, to get some serious feedback.
After a networking party on the evening of the arrival day, the second day was packed with recreational activities, ranging from Jeep tours of Tijuca Forest National Park and its skyline-dominating mountaintop statue of Christ the Redeemer to city walking tours and pampering spa treatments, followed by an entertaining evening at the classic Brazilian steakhouse Porcao Rio's Churrascaria. But that fun day started on a serious note with several morning business sessions such as "Best Practices of Top Performers" and "Sales Force Effectiveness," which let the vice president of sales and others from the company provide the President's Club participants with additional tools to boost their performance even higher after returning from Brazil.
"Having these business sessions underscores the importance of an incentive program. It is not purely pleasure but a motivational meeting, and that is what incentives are supposed to be—motivational," says Wickrema. "It offers the rare opportunity for the leadership of a company to elicit details directly from the best of the best on what they did to win the award. It also gives a chance to have a mutual dialogue on what the company leadership can do better for employees and what employees can do better for the company. Upon returning to the United States, they can share these best practices with others on their teams."
Wickrema says the entire trip's "objective was to create an experiential incentive program for Endo Pharmaceuticals by incorporating the local culture, local food and local talent," in order to "blow away" attendees.
Long experience has taught Wickrema that destination selection plays a crucial part in stimulating interest in an incentive travel program. As the world's fifth largest country in geographical size, Brazil holds tremendous appeal for travelers. Its second largest city, Rio de Janeiro, offers compelling choices for an incentive itinerary, boasting a variety of things to see and do as well as offering good value for group gatherings. To take advantage of this rich destination, the entire trip focused on the history of Rio's Carnival and the culture of the locals—the Cariocas.
Other program highlights included the Carnival-themed arrival party, complete with carnival masks made by participants, room gifts handmade by local artisans and a scenic cruise of Guanabara Bay aboard the Spirit of Brazil, featuring views of Sugar Loaf Mountain and the luscious green landscape throughout the city, leading up to that award-winning gala recognition dinner.
Best of Brazil
Back at the Copacabana Palace Hotel, the Endo Pharmaceuticals President's Club winners were treated to "An Evening of Carioca Pride," a themed event featuring all things Brazil, from images depicting the beautiful flora and fauna of the Amazon to traditional music from the state of Bahia. Savory dishes highlighted the foods of Brazil, with fresh seafood, mango, Açaí fruit, vegetables from local farms, Brazilian cocoa, coconut, fig and guava.
However, it was the energetic entertainment that gave guests a true taste of Brazilian culture. The scene, reminiscent of Rio de Janeiro at the height of Carnival in February, brought the Endo Pharmaceuticals President's Club members to their feet with more than 120 members of the Portela Samba School dazzling guests with their over-the-top costumes and pulsating performances—eventually ending the night on a high note with a mini-parade complete with an actual float. As an added surprise, the children from the Portela Samba School presented each of the guests at the gala with a handcrafted Carnival doll.
After an awe-inspiring evening, Endo Pharmaceuticals President's Club members spent the rest of the time in Brazil relaxing and reflecting on their past and future successes. For many, the time in Rio de Janeiro was well spent, with one attendee even writing to Wickrema after the trip to praise his efforts, "Of all the years we have attended incentive trips, this one ranks as the most motivating and exhilarating trips ever."
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Making Work and Play in Rio
Best of Brazil
