Members of Stowarzyszenie Organizatorów Incentive Travel (SOIT) met on 1 September 2017 in Mościcki Resort & Conference hotel in Spała. The meeting was held to sum up this year’s achievements, adopt SOIT Code of Good Practice, and plan actions to be taken in the coming months. There was also time for the industry representatives to take part in team-building activities.
Members of SOIT have worked together to formulate SOIT Code of Good Practice since February 2017. At the stage of drawing up a draft of the Code, professional support and advice was provided by Kotarba i Wspólnicy Law Firm. The Code is to lay down the principles of fair competition and define high ethical standards in business and relationships between employees, employers and customers on the incentive travel market. At the convention in Spała, the General Meeting of Members passed a resolution on the adoption of SOIT Code of Good Practice. The Code is to be followed by all members of SOIT – affiliated agencies as well as their employees and partners.
SOIT Code of Good Practice aims to regulate key areas of work and cooperation in the incentive travel industry. The knowledge we gained thanks to years of experience of our members and cases dealt with by SOIT Ethics Committee shows that disputes between market participants are frequently caused by disregard for basic ethical principles in business, explained Łukasz Adamowicz, Vice-President of SOIT and Vice-President of BFC Group. We want such principles as honesty and integrity, preventing conflicts of interest, fair competition and reliable advertising to be adhered to. Protection of intellectual property, protection of data, and providing employees with training and development opportunities should become the market standard. Members of SOIT took on the commitment to respect these principles and implement them in their companies. We also decided to focus on the education of our customers and employees. I hope that the principles laid down in the Code will be implemented also by the incentive market operators which are not members of SOIT. I believe that the adherence to the Code will be beneficial to all market participants, added Łukasz Adamowicz.
At the General Meeting of Members, the topics of the current situation on the incentive travel market in Poland and the future of the industry in the context of the upcoming changes and a new act on package travels were also discussed. Furthermore, members had an opportunity to expand their knowledge of insurance guarantees for tour operators and other responsibilities of operators in the light of the planned amendments to legislation.
In addition to the core part of the meeting, the agenda also included a team-building programme. The meeting participants visited bunkers in Konewka, a local tourist attraction. Watching together the match played by the Polish national football team was an excellent opportunity for team-building.
Last year in Spała, the General Meeting of SOIT Members adopted the Rules of SOIT Ethics Committee. One year later we met in the same place and adopted the Code – another document important for our Association, but also for the entire market. Our meetings and joint efforts to standardise the incentive industry prove that although we are competitors, we share the same values and are interested in the development of the industry and conducting business in the ethical market environment, said Sebastian Słoniewski, President of SOIT and President of OBP Group to sum up the meeting.
