ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Friday, Maritz Travel – A Maritz Global Events Company sponsored more than 200 industry professionals as they earned their SITE Certified Incentive Specialist (CIS) designation at the company’s annual supplier meeting. This event marks the largest class SITE has had since initiating the certification in 2012 and the first time the organization has partnered with a company to offer the CIS program.
Attendees of the Maritz Travel Collaborative with five or more years of industry experience were eligible to participate in the certification process. Prior to arriving at the meeting, those who opted in to the certification were provided with the education materials in order to prepare for the certification test. The 100-question, multiple-choice test was available to the individuals during the meeting.
“Maritz Travel’s culture is built on the philosophy of Unleashing Human Potential, which has a focus on investing in our people, our partners, our communities and our clients. By partnering with SITE, we were able to provide a valuable professional development component for our employees and partners with the convenience of including it as part of our Collaborative,” said Steve O’Malley, division president of Maritz Travel.
The CIS program, developed by SITE, is designed to give incentive travel professionals around the globe a greater understanding of how incentive programs are designed, what motivates people to achieve greater levels of performance, and the positive impact of incentive travel on business results.
By earning this designation, industry professionals demonstrate proficiency in the fundamentals of incentive travel programs, from the business purpose and rules structure to participant qualification and the delivery of an extraordinary experience. The SITE CIS designation provides a competitive advantage for incentive planners and suppliers, helping them stand out in the global marketplace. Since its inception in 2012, over 500 industry professionals from 33 countries have become CIS certified.
“We’ve had a long-standing partnership with Maritz Travel and this partnership was a natural fit for both of us,” said Kevin Hinton, CIS, SITE chief excellence officer. “By providing the CIS certification during the Collaborative, Maritz Travel is helping to advance the industry by investing in our professionals. With an additional 200 people earning their CIS certificate at the event, we are thrilled that nearly 750 industry professionals from 37 countries now proudly display the CIS credential on their business card.”
ABOUT MARITZ TRAVEL
Maritz Travel – A Maritz Global Events Company creates exceptional experiences that inspire people to achieve extraordinary business results. By designing and executing innovative corporate events, meetings and incentive travel programs, we help transform businesses and people. We focus on individual business objectives to provide business meeting planning and group incentive trips that drive business results and improve customer, employee and channel partner engagement. For more information, visit www.maritztravel.com or follow us on Twitter @MaritzTravel.
ABOUT SITE
SITE, the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, is the only global organization dedicated to strengthening and supporting the incentive travel industry. We connect incentive travel to business results. For our members we provide professional development, certification and business connections. SITE members help companies maximize workforce output by creating and delivering incentive travel programs that inspire people to exceed expectations and transcend their goals. Our research proves the ROI for incentive travel, which is a powerful business tool that strengthens employee retention, improves performance and fosters a culture of thoughtful motivation and sustained success. Over the last 40 years, SITE has grown to over 2,000 members in 90 countries with 29 local and regional chapters. Incentive travel is not a luxury — it’s a necessity.
We also fund and conduct research through the SITE Foundation, whose fundraising initiatives facilitate vital industry research, trend analysis, and educational program support for incentive travel professionals. Our multi-tiered approach builds awareness and strengthens the effectiveness of incentive travel. For more information, please visit SITEglobal.com or follow us on Twitter @SITEglobal.
