The 2015 Engagement University & Expo Convenes in Denver April 14-16. The event is co-sponsored by Omni Resort Interlocken, Denver, where the event will be held, and the FIRE Light Group, which provides event planning and logistics. Based on responses to post-event surveys, the program will be enhanced in the following ways:
A recent blog post by Gallup Global Practice Leader Ed O’Boyle noted that social media isn’t the powerful and persuasive marketing force many companies assumed it would be. Gallup finds that a full 62% of U.S. adults who use social media say these sites have absolutely no influence on their purchasing decisions. Another 30% say these sites have some influence, and just 5% say they have a great deal of influence. To positively influence purchasing through social media, marketers should learn to use it to listen and interact. Consumers are more likely to engage when the brand-related posts they encounter are authentic, responsive and compelling.
Nearly 85% of engagement leaders believe that companies must engage their workforces differently if they’re to succeed in the future. Yet only 30% believe their organizations are doing enough to adapt appropriately to the changes that lie ahead, according to new research from Hay Group. Human resources professionals continue to list employee engagement as the top issue keeping them up at night. But just as they generally view their companies as sluggish in responding to the new rules of engagement, most are also personally struggling to adapt to the trends. Two-thirds of those surveyed said they haven’t personally changed the way they operate.
Although gamification success stories abound, there are just many (if not more) failures. In fact, by the end of 2012 there was enough evidence about unsuccessful gamification efforts in business that Gartner, Inc. noted “80% of current gamified applications will fail.” The primary culprit? Research suggests the greatest obstacle to success with most gamification efforts is poor design. So how can you design more successful gamification programs that relate to rewards & recognition? The Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) recently published a white paper on the subject, Gamification Done Right – The Do’s and Don’ts, that offers 10 tips for better implementation.
Leaders need to be natural storytellers if they are to engage their employees in change, writes Erica Sosna, European Leadership Consultant and Coach, on the BlessingWhite website. During periods of change and evolution, stories can be a powerful tool to help individuals within the business to adapt. In Leading Out Loud, based on the work of Terry Pearce, leaders are urged to articulate the what, the why and the how – sharing their vision in empowering and exciting ways, using the power of metaphor to engage their audience. In addition, they’re taught to overcome resistance by acknowledging the challenges, the opposite view, the effort it will take and the detail that will be involved in delivering on the vision – so colleagues aren’t left to determine how policy will work in practice.
National Gift Card (NGC) recently announced that it’s broadening its international presence with expansion of its operations, retail partners and customer base to the U.K. and Europe. As part of the growth plan, NGC is purchasing a majority stake in Revive Prepaid Management, located in Bracknell – Berkshire, U.K. The firm provides retailers, restaurants and other leisure chains with complete turn-key gift card solutions for their brands and manage business employee incentive programs and customer loyalty programs that utilize all forms of traditional and digital gift cards….Dittman Incentive Marketing’s new website offers extensive knowledge about the principles and application of employee engagement and sales incentives and includes white papers, case studies, and videos; all part of the new Resources section. The site also houses Dittman’s blog, which continues to be updated weekly with articles written in-house about informative topics in the Employee Engagement arena and the world of Incentive Travel….The Incentive Marketing Association’s 2014 Circle of Excellence Awards were presented at the Association’s 15th Annual Summit, held July 27-29 in Philadelphia. This year’s award winners are Schweppes Australia with incentive marketing partner Solterbeck, South Melbourne; Bayer Australia Ltd., Pymble, NSW with incentive partner Synchro Marketing Australia; Regal Entertainment Group, Knoxville, TN, and Aéropostale, New York, with marketing partner CashStar. An honorable mention award was presented to Creative Group, Redondo Beach, CA….Bulova, a world leader since 1875 in the engineering of timepieces and clocks, has announced it will relocate its corporate headquarters to a new 33,214-square-foot office in the iconic Empire State Building in Manhattan. Relocating from its current location in Woodside, Queens, the new Bulova headquarters will be fully operational by early 2015….The Hughes Group, a leading provider of event management tools and event and environmental design, today announced Predictability, its innovative marketing tool designed for cost containment, improved engagement and measurement. The program provides an easy-to-use, affordable solution for meeting planners, exhibit managers, and brand managers to predict and measure the outcome of face-to-face marketing efforts by measuring and modeling each even’'s logistical costs, sales leads and marketing contacts.