In 1970 a small boutique advertising agency in Appleton, Wisconsin, created one of the first incentive programs for a wholesale food distributor. That was us.
Our first customer was looking to increase sales from their grocery customers to fund a large new warehouse they were building. We created their initial incentive program that allowed winners the opportunity for an expense-free trip to an industry convention in Chicago. And spouses could attend as well.
As people mingled at the convention and heard the buzz about the winner’s access to beautiful dinners and themed entertainment, the story caught on like wildfire, leaving others excited about an opportunity to win something for themselves. It was the early 70’s after all, and sales incentives were just taking off.
From that need, a big idea was born: meet a business goal by changing people’s behavior through incentive rewards. Help clients identify their most critical business needs and create solutions to solve them. That was the start of the adventure.
Now, with hundreds of employees across offices throughout the U.S. and Canada, we remain committed to helping our clients by designing programs and experiences that help their people thrive. Our integrated solutions support sales incentives, channel loyalty programs, employee engagement and recognition programs and meeting, event and group incentive travel program design. We’re always looking for the next best way to serve our clients and sometimes that’s by expanding our reach. We have grown through acquisition, purchasing The Performance Group of Northern California (TPG); an award-winning, meeting, event and incentive agency in the San Francisco bay area. We have also grown our international portfolio expanding into Canada by acquiring Meridican and by folding in Strategic Meetings + Incentives, a division of Direct Travel’s Vision Travel Solutions.
As a Direct Travel company, we are uniquely positioned; we have the backing of a multi-billion-dollar company, allowing for enhanced buying power and robust resources.
Over five decades of change, one constant remains. We’ve stayed true to our roots, always focused on helping people achieve their greatest potential.
