Planning a Conference and Making a Difference

If you plan corporate meetings and events, you’re well aware that employee reward programs – especially travel incentives – continue to be unfairly vilified by the media.

Last April, Texas Roadhouse CEO G.J. Hart appeared on NBC News to defend his company’s decision to sponsor a 5-day event in San Francisco for 1,000 restaurant managers and their guests. Yes, there were plenty of fun activities and team building events at the conference, but Texas Roadhouse also dedicated an entire day to community charity work – and invested 1 million dollars in labor and materials to help the people of their host city.

In the article “All Fired Up” on MeetingsNet, senior writer Rachel Eccles interviewed Mr. Hart to find out why incentive programs are so vital to this public company’s corporate strategy. According to Mr. Hart:

This conference is a way to recognize and reward our people and it is a once-a-year event. Our culture is [based on the premise that] if we take care of our employees, they will take care of our customers, and we believe in putting our money where our mouth is. So we invest in our people just as you would invest in anythings else. That is the only way to get returns. During times like these when everyone is feeling the pinch, it is even more important to recognize and reward folks.

More than a year has passed since Mr. Hart’s appearance on NBC News, but his message has never been more timely. Read the entire interview in All Fired Up. Then, watch the video and hear the Texas Roadhouse CEO explain the importance of recognition programs and community service – and why they work so beautifully together.

Filed under: Cruise News, Meeting & Incentive News, Miscellaneous