MICEBOOK - LUXE REPORT 5 - Flipbook - Page 21
CSR reimagined
This demand for meaningful human connection and authenticity is also
challenging planners to rethink and reimagine CSR experiences. Incentives
have been incorporating CSR elements for many years, with traditional
activities ranging from fundraising for local community projects to bringing
supplies or gis for local school children, or painting or building work in
schools and villages.
“We’ve recently organised trips where the standard CSR has been
challenged. Our clients want to support, but they want to do it in a more
authentic and natural way. Ultimately it comes down to experiencing
with, rather than looking at” says Yellow Fish director David Heron.
“Where CSR of old might have been siing there and the school children
singing a song to you, now it’s having a sports day with the kids. Or you
could take them out for the day on one of your experiences. For example, if
you’re spending money on an exciting boat ride, take kids who have never
been on the boat ride with you. Or if you are having a special dinner, have it
with the local community rather than just on your own as a group. That’s
when it goes from being something nice to something truly special.”
He says that rather than thinking of it as a box ticking exercise because your
client feels like they need to include CSR, design it as an experience that
will inspire and motivate the aendees. “When done properly, these
experiences are frequently a highlight, and the top-rated experience. We
just came back from India with a group, and we organised a village
celebration, paid for by the client. It wasn’t just put on for us, it was mainly
for the village, and they continued aer we had departed and had a fantastic
time.
“The guests all said it was the highlight of the trip because it was something
they could never have imagined experiencing or organised themselves. But
also, because they were part of it, not watching. Everyone met and
interacted with the local villagers at their own level, be that speaking with a
village elder, or hanging out with the kids. It was an unforced and
completely natural opportunity to interact, which is what made it so
special.”
Taking it to the next level, companies could also explore opportunities to
extend the positive social impact beyond their event. For example, they
could create a long-term partnership and continue to fundraise for or
support the community or project over a certain period aer the event or
revisit the community with a different group of people.
Holt says this is exactly what he is trying to organise following an event last
year and believes this is something more corporate clients could be
interested in doing in the next few years.
“We had people take part in a social responsibility project at the Boschendal
Wine Estate as part of an industry event. We’re now talking about geing 7
or 8 UK agencies together to come out and bring some of their clients
involved in the building and construction industries to join them, to help
fund and build a new kitchen block and classrooms, creating a much
longer-term legacy out of the initial experience.”
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