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For many people, a long weekend in Queenstown is near the top of their "to do" list and that makes the Central Otago resort town an obvious choice for companies wanting to entertain clients or reward staff.
But the mix of business and play has to be carefully managed for companies wanting to claim expenses on tax, says Queenstown Convention Bureau Kylie Brittain. Companies must have at least one three-hour meeting if they want to call the trip "business". To tie up that loose end nicely, a lot of companies will time a trip to Queenstown to coincide with something such as an awards dinner. Problem solved.
That generally leaves plenty of other time for all the many activities in Queenstown.
It may not be all drinking wine and jetboating because many organisations use getaways as opportunities to press home the company message and encourage staff bonding.
Diana McIlwrick, director of Dinamics Destination Management, is often brought in to run team-building programmes for organisations.
She doesn't offer standard programmes or workshops, but instead talks to her clients about what will best suit their needs. One of the most successful programmes she has run was for a finance company group of 200 who took a virtual step back in time to the goldmining days of the 1860s.
After a history session about Central Otago life during the gold-rush, they went to Skippers Canyon where a cast of actors in period costume were waiting. There the clients panned for gold which they used to bribe rafters to take them down the river. Groups were invited to pan in the water for gold so they could and bribe the rafters to take them down the river. At the end, they had to explain what made them the most successful miners. "They all had a completely different angle," McIlwrick says.
Although many incentive trips are for sales staff, McIlwrick gets comparable numbers of accountants, finance analysts, bankers and real-estate agents. They all have something in common: "When people have been in conference for two or three days they are desperate to get outside."
Another successful event was for a group of small businesses from Australia, who had a The Lord of the Rings theme for their Queenstown meeting. Dinamics arranged for actors playing Rings characters to be stationed around town, and clients had to perform set tasks, such as making their own One Ring at a bead shop.
They also had to answer trivia questions about The Lord of the Rings. The event finished with a banquet, where everyone dressed in Rings costume.
"I think Queenstown continues to blow people away," McIlwrick says. "What we are fascinated with is the number of people who come from Auckland who have never been here before." Some companies bring groups every year. McIlwrick says: "Because of the huge range of activities, you can do something different every year."
- Detours, HoS
