How about travelling to Finnish Lapland, 250km inside the Arctic Circle, and staying in glass igloos and gazing out upon the Aurora Borealis? I think as rewards to leading sales staff or loyal clients go, that is pretty amazing.

If you don’t fancy staying overnight in the glass igloos, there are more conventional luxury log cabins, while for those after the real thing, you can camp down in traditional snow igloos!

Of course, going to the snow isn’t all about the views (for me at least) – there has to be somewhere to break out the board. Saariselkä ski slopes are situated nearby, which are great for skiers and snowboarders of all standards. If that’s not your thing, there are husky safaris, snowmobile safaris, reindeer safaris and ice-fishing trips.

Equally as important as getting busy on the snow is what to do off it. After a long day out and about, how about kicking back in a smoke sauna? Or sating your appetites and swapping stories in a special snow restaurant?

This amazing Arctic corporate winter trip is available from now until April and is really something different when it comes to a corporate incentive, whether for an in-house sales team or sales people in the distribution channel. Just don’t forget the camera!

If you would like to find out more about our corporate event and promotion services, including winter corporate trips, contact Ricky at Pickled Egg on 0370 350 3450.

The article I read in Incentive Magazine described the philosophy put in place by Steve Jobs at Apple and how he has created an environment of 360 engagement that links employee dedication to customer loyalty and business profits.

The article divides what it calls Jobs’ roadmap to connect employee dedication to customer loyalty into four sections. These sections explain the importance of employee enthusiasm and how this positively impacts consumer and channel partner relationships; the role good communication plays in generating employee loyalty and retention, and the financial benefits of this stability; the role played by employee education and expertise in creating the customer experiences that result in strong profits; and how integration in the workplace, from top to bottom, helps engagement and performance.

This focus on communication, education, integration and motivation is at the core of Pickled Egg’s corporate incentive system, Pointbank. We believe that the success of a corporate incentive programme lies in the proper preparation and management of a strategy built on these core principles. This kind of corporate incentive system, which also includes an analytics suite to measure return on investment, among other things, can deliver sales and profit growth.

The article is well worth reading for yourself, just to fully understand what the late Apple founder put in place in terms of education, expertise, rewards and loyalty, and how it has created a business model that has helped put Apple where it is today.

If you would like to find out more about our corporate event and promotion services, contact Ricky at Pickled Egg on 0370 350 3450.

Carving out a reputation as a “cold Ibiza”, Snowbombing takes place in Mayrhofen, Austria, in April and this alpine extravaganza, just a couple of hours from London, is a five-day party of snowboarding and music, and everything in between. Headlining the Snowbombing festival in 2012 is none other than Snoop Dog, news that sent plenty of fo’ schnizzle dizzle flying around the Pickled Egg office.

Snowbombing is perfect for winter corporate events because a trip can be based around flying in to enjoy the party at its height for a few days before shaking off the snow and heading home. If you want to impress clients or reward staff with a winter corporate trip, I don’t think it gets much better than Snowbombing – a luxury hotel, one of the best winter parties of the year and the chance to hit some of Europe’s best slopes, all rolled into one.

And, don’t forget, because it’s April, there’s a great chance that you’ll be able to do everything with the sun on your back – Mayrhofen’s chocolate-box alpine setting rarely looks better than when it’s lit up like this.

If you would like to find out more about our corporate event and promotion services, including winter corporate trips, contact Ricky at Pickled Egg on 0370 350 3450.

The awards will take place in February, which is not very far away if you think about it, and it should be a corker, playing its part in a fantastic year for the UK. With the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee taking place in June and the Olympics kicking off in July, it’s going to quite some year.

James Cordon will take charge of the BRIT Awards again, bar any Eddie Murphy Oscars-style fall out, and the winners will receive new statuettes designed by Sir Peter Blake. All in all, it should be a rare old party to remember. Rewarding loyal staff or clients with a VIP corporate trip should certainly make an impression. How could a VIP entrance, great seats, live performances and a chance to see the shenanigans of the stars up close not be the ingredients for a thrilling night?

Talking of VIPs, or perhaps VVIPs, Sir Paul McCartney is putting on his show at the O2 Arena in London soon – a ticket to one of these gigs has got to be the hottest in town at the moment. Pickled Egg offers VIP hospitality for the big concerts at the 02 – think more great seats, amazing live performances and VIP treatment!

If you would like to find out more about our corporate event and promotion services, contact Ricky at Pickled Egg on 0370 350 3450.

We’re looking forward to welcoming the groups that have already booked a 5-star winter corporate trip at Chalet Meribel. They’ll be packing the blades and boards and getting ready to get on the slopes and enjoy the trappings of our extraordinary 16-bed ski chalet, which is home to a hot tub, a sauna, a cinema room, a gym, a games room and much more.

And it’s not too late to book some of this winter corporate event action. We have one long weekend (8-11 December) stay and one seven-night stay (11-18 December) still available. What’s the cost? £995 per person inclusive of all the trimmings, including four-course evening meals and wine, ski passes and transfers, and return flights from the UK. It has to be one of the best deals in the Alps this season!

Plus, if you book one of our two remaining dates and it snows in the UK on Christmas Day, you’ll get your money back. The Icelandic winds may be picking up but we’re still offering our amazing deal. Just imagine sitting back on the sofa, in front of a roaring fire with a glass of something after an exhilarating day on the snow and thinking to yourself: this is all for free. Sounds nice doesn’t it?

If you would like to find out more about our corporate event and promotion services, including corporate bookings at Chalet Meribel, contact Ricky at Pickled Egg on 0370 350 3450.

Corporate incentive programmes have always existed to help drive sales growth but, for some, ROI has been a blurry concept. However, this has all changed. The economic climate has placed our industry under scrutiny and the wheat has been separated from the chaff in no uncertain terms.

Only the corporate events companies that can clearly demonstrate to clients how they are helping maintain sales growth are surviving. Properly designed and well-managed corporate incentive programmes are at the heart of this trend.

A corporate incentive programme should start with an analysis of the staff it is looking to reward and how best to attract their interest. Then there is the reward itself – whether an event, a trip or consumer goods, it must be something that they aspire to. At this point, communication is vital – incentive programmes that barely register with sales staff don’t work. It’s about capturing imaginations.

Once the winners are announced, it’s vital that these people feel like winners. And finally, it is even more important that all the information generated throughout the incentive programme is analysed and evaluated. It should be used to show ROI and to improve the performance of the next incentive programme.

A properly designed and well-managed corporate incentive programme is about constant improvement and this is the kind of momentum that companies need today.

If you would like to find out more about our corporate event and promotion services, contact Ricky at Pickled Egg on 0370 350 3450.

Pickled Egg has a very special offer for its customers this winter. Book a weekend at the luxury Alpine retreat in one of France’s finest winter resorts and if there is an inch of snow on the ground at Heathrow Airport on December 25, you’ll get your money back. Every single penny.

Pickled Egg specialises in VIP corporate events and Chalet Meribel fits the bill perfectly. Every whim is attended to at this beautiful lodge – you’ll find boot warmers, underfloor heating, a hot tub, a sauna, huge sofas, a cinema room, exquisite bedrooms and breathtaking views.

And, of course, this luxury lodge gives you access to Meribel’s fantastic slopes. Whether you prefer a beginner’s run or a black one, Meribel will get the adrenalin pumping. If skiing and snowboarding aren’t your thing, there is still plenty to do: husky-dog sledding, tobogganing, snowmobiling and paragliding are just a few of the other activities on offer.

Then there’s the après-ski. Rond Point Bar is a local favourite, but there are plenty of places to choose from. And getting to them couldn’t be easier – Chalet Meribel has a full-time driver who will take you door to door.

Every little detail is taken care of. So, if there’s snow at Heathrow you can enjoy all this for absolutely nothing. Will you join Pickled Egg in keeping an eye on those Icelandic winds?

Check out the chalet; www.wickedwinters.co.uk

For more details on this very special winter offer and the chance to stay at the 5-star Chalet Meribel for free, contact Ricky at Pickled Egg on 0370 350 3450.

I know it’s hard to think about skis and snowboards when you’ve been knocking about in shorts and flip flops, but it’s great when you get going. The Sunday papers have started featuring the must-book resorts, the must-ski slopes and the must-stay chalets, and this has got me dusting off my gear.

We’re old hands at winter corporate events and incentive trips to the likes of Meribel, Verbier, Chamonix and Val d’Isère, so we know how to put on a good show. Three Valleys in France is on the Sunday Times’ list of the world’s best ski resorts and it is lauded for its seamless skiing experience. Check out this luxury chalet in Meribel, which is one of its resorts.

Talking of VIP winter corporate events, it doesn’t come much more VIP than Verbier. One for those that know what they’re doing on the snow, although there are pistes for beginners as well. If you really want to do it in style, then you have to stay in The Lodge, Richard Branson’s winter retreat. I was lucky enough to visit in the summer and it really is extraordinary.

It’s not just about France and Switzerland though. We can organise winter corporate events in Italy, Austria and more. Right, now I’ve done this, I’m off to give my board some attention.

If you would like to find out more about our corporate event and promotion services, including winter corporate events, contact Ricky at Pickled Egg on 0370 350 3450.

What makes an awards show VIP event so good? Well, there’s the VIP entrance and some of the best seats in the house for starters, not to mention the star-studded mayhem and madness, the live music and access to the VIP after party.

Last year, the awards witnessed a freshly reunited Take That bag the Q Hall of Fame prize and Sir Macca take to the stage to collect the Classic Album gong. This year, Arctic Monkeys, Jesse J, Ed Sheeran and awards-show regular Adele head up the list of nominees with three apiece, while the likes of Elbow, Coldplay and double Mercury-winning PJ Harvey are also up for a couple.

All in all, it should be quite a bash at Grosvenor House on 24 October – the show is renowned for its glitzy but relaxed atmosphere, and when you see the stars are letting their hair down, well, you know you’re in for a good time. I don’t think VIP awards show corporate events get much better than this.

If you would like to find out more about our corporate event and promotion services, contact Ricky at Pickled Egg on 0370 350 3450.

THE Q AWARDS

Last year’s Q Awards saw Sir Paul McCartney collect the Classic Album gong from Kasabian, and Take That reunite with Robbie Williams to bag the Q Hall Of Fame. This year’s Q Awards, which will take place at a central London venue, will be a similarly star-studded do with the same degrees of musical mayhem and general madness.

MTV AWARDS

For the first time ever The Odyssey Arena, Belfast will host this year’s MTV Europe Music Awards. After last year’s success in Madrid with the glamorous host Eva Longoria Parker the 2011 Awards are set to be the biggest yet!

THE BRIT AWARDS

Last year’s awards were bigger and better than ever, with a new venue at London’s O2 Arena and the fabulous James Cordon as host the awards did not fail us. There were great performances from some amazing acts such as Take That, Rihanna, Mumford & Sons, Tinie Tempah, Paloma Faith, Cee Lo Green and of course Adele’s spine tingling ‘Someone Like You’.  Can this year’s get any better? Watch this space….

THE PRINCES TRUST ROCK GALA

The Prince’s Trust is delighted to announce the return of the Rock Gala. Rock royalty will once again collaborate with music’s brightest young stars at the Royal Albert Hall to raise funds for The Trust. Last year’s concert saw legends of rock including Eric Clapton, Sir Tom Jones and Queen unite with Jamie Cullum, Tom Chaplin and Paloma Faith To treat guests to a night of unrivalled entertainment. Phil Collins, Midge Ure, Mike & The Mechanics, Mark King, Jools Holland and Status Quo also performed at the event making it a night to remember.

THE ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE

There isn’t a show in the history of show-business, nor indeed in the history of television, that compares to the Royal Variety Performance; 83 shows over almost 100 years is a feat unsurpassed, and the very best in entertainment from around the globe has been presented year after year since the show’s origins in 1912. The quality and diversity of legendary performers over the years is both extraordinary and breath-taking. The Royal Variety Performance continues to thrive to this day, forming a major part of the entertainment industry’s annual calendar with a worldwide TV audience of over 150 million.

VIP EVENTS AT THE 02 ARENA

VIP seats for various O2 Events, including Rihanna, Katy Perry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Michael McIntyre, Bryan Adams and many more.

If you would like to know more about attending star studded VIP events, call Ricky or George on 0870 350 3450.