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The members of SOIT met at a team-building congress in Spała. Productive discussions, ambitious plans for the future and fantastic active entertainment.

The association’s members met on 2-3 September at the SOIT congress in Spała. Participants were the guests of Mościcki**** Resort & Conference.

The meeting agenda included substantive and integration areas. For the second time this year, as part of the congress, a General Assembly was held, which enacted the Ethics Committee Regulations. The Committee is a new arbitration-consulting body of the Association, which was established by the General Assembly in January of this year. The Regulations contain a set of key principles for the organisation of the committee’s work and decision making.

During the meeting, a new visual identity of the Association was presented, which will have its premiere in the autumn of 2016. Members also summarised the current SOIT strategic activities and designated goals for the next several months.

After busy and fruitful deliberations there was time for integration and entertainment: kayaking on the river Pilica and exploring the area. Spała is a picturesque village with a remarkable history. Some of the summer residencies here belonged to the likes of Czars Alexander III and Nicholas II, President Stanisław Wojciechowski and President Ignacy Mościcki. This unique atmosphere guaranteed an inspiring atmosphere and a meeting organised at the highest level.

SOIT welcomes a new member. Sylwia Sadoch is the first member who joined the Association after the criteria change.

The Incentive Travel Organisers Association welcomed a new member: Sylwia Sadoch of Travel Concierge. Sylvia is the first member who joined SOIT after membership criteria were changed. In January of this year, the General Assembly adopted a resolution changing the criteria. Statutory changes were approved by the court in May of this year.

Starting this year, SOIT supporting members may be companies whose average annual income from incentive travel in the last three years amounts to a minimum of 3 million PLN. In addition, candidates for membership are required to have insurance warranties amounting to a minimum of 500,000 PLN, and must demonstrate the absence of arrears of public debt. The number of recommendations from member companies for new member candidates was also increased (from 2 to 4).

I hope that through my membership in SOIT I will have an impact on the perception of our industry and the processes occurring in it. Not without significance is the ability to use the knowledge and experience of both other members and the association, Sylwia Sadoch explains her decision to join.

Sylwia Sadoch has been part of the tourist industry since 1999, when she took her first professional steps at Orbis, while still completing her studies. After that, for ten years she ran and managed incentive travel agencies until she started her own business in 2011. She is the initiator and co-owner of Travel Concierge. She graduated from the Technical School of Hotel Management, Graduate School of International Trade and Finance, and the College of Insurance and Banking. She is also a member of SITE (Society for Incentive Travel Excellence). At work she appreciates honesty and integrity. Privately, she is a wife and mother of two daughters, perfectly combining private life with work.

2016 is marked by the success of SOIT members in industry competitions. On 23 June we learned the results of the eleventh Golden Arrow competition.

Since 2006, the Direct Marketing competition, “Golden Arrow” has been organised by the Polish Association of Marketing and VFP Communications. Every year it attracts more and more participants, and analyses and assesses the biggest campaigns. The main objective of the contest is to promote efficiency in marketing. The jury assesses both the development of a marketing campaign strategy, as well as creativity and freshness of approach, which should be defined by the individual campaign elements. Agencies compete in 15 categories.

The following agencies received nominations in the category incentive travel Programme: United Partners for the Cuba – Caribbean Time Machine programme for Orlen Oil, and Incentive Care for the HP GO! Namibia 4X4 programme for Hewlett Packard Enterprise Poland. The jury appreciated both agencies, which received Golden Arrow 2016 honourable mention awards during the final Gala. Congratulations!

Agency United Partners celebrated a double success, as they also won first prize in the category of Direct Shipping BtoB – receiving the Golden Arrow for the project: Casanova in Old Havana.

– We are thrilled that another jury in Poland appreciated our creative ideas. To have our projects stand out in a competition so strongly represented by direct marketing agencies from across Poland is extremely difficult. We managed to win two awards tonight and prove that incentive travel is an area in which creativity and a good idea are just as important as in other areas of marketing communications, – said Cezary Wilemajtys, president of United Partners, during the ceremony.

– We are very proud of our Golden Arrow honourable mention award. It is one of the most prestigious marketing awards on the Polish market. In the category of programme incentives, it is not only the creativity and great execution that count, but also increasing sales results, which makes the programme cost-effective for our customers and motivates participants. This is why this award is particularly valuable to us, – summarises Agnieszka Lewandowska, vice president of Incentive Care.