Incentive Marketing Association Annual Summit Reflects Retail Gift Gard Commitment

The annual Incentive Marketing Association conference to be held July 17-19 at the Westin Copley Plaza demonstrates a return to pre-pandemic attendance. While the support of the gift card community remains strong, the event is seeing an increase in both incentive and recognition solution providers as well as recognition practitioners. Registration is available until the event and at the door.

The Incentive Marketing Association says that attendees this year come from gift card companies, including several international firms, incentive, and recognition solution providers from the US and internationally, and a smaller number of incentive travel and merchandise providers. The list of Incentive Marketing Association (IMA) Summit attendees is updated frequently and available on the IMA website.

In addition to the annual association meeting, industry awards, and networking programs, the event features approximately 20 educational sessions covering innovation and research insights for incentive recognition providers and the practitioners who manage the programs within their organizations.

The IMA is an organization of providers of incentives, corporate gifts, and related services. IMA says its members are dedicated to promoting high standards of professionalism in the incentive and recognition field, creating greater awareness of incentives, and helping our members prosper in a changing business environment through education, training, research, and marketing services.

According to the IMA, a highlight of the summit is the Summit Awards dinner, at which incentive and recognition solution provides and their clients are recognized for outstanding programs. Individuals are also recognized for their outstanding contributions to the association and the industry.

Overall, the organization says the conference is shifting to better represent the entire industry while maintaining the strong support from the gift card community they have enjoyed for several years.The IMA’s Incentive Gift Card Coalition (IGCC) members represent some of the most popular consumer goods, dining, travel and entertainment brands.

IMA’s Incentive Merchandise to Reward and Appreciate (IMRA) strategic industry group brings together suppliers, independent sales reps and national marketing companies representing nearly 250 top merchandise gift brands.

At the height of the incentive trade before the Great Recession, several hundred brands exhibited or were represented at The Motivation Show in Chicago, before its final event in 2013. No more than about 50 brands and fulfillment companies exhibit at the Promotional Products Association Brand Pavilion in Las Vegas.

Click here to register or register at the door. Here’s an overview of the education sessions.

Demonstrating the Value of Recognition
Pros and Cons of the Aggregator Distribution Model
Incentive Programs: Current Trends and Outlook
What's Shaping Travel Incentives Now?
European Market Overview
The Evolution of Gift Cards: How to Stay Ahead or Get Left Behind
Recognition Fundamentals Course
Recognize and Retain: The Impact of a Culture of Appreciation on Employee Retention
Can We Get Personal(ized): Gift Cards
Why Innovation is Critical to Your Reward Solution & Business
3 Keys to Creating a Culture that will Engage Employees and Wow Customers
Gifting Protocols and International Markets
Rethinking Workplace Culture to Win the New Contest for Talent
What do Consumers Want from a Loyalty Program
Beyond Points - How to Hook Program Participants into Loving Your Incentives
Incentive Inventions Past, Present & Future
Understanding the Economic Trajectory and the Impact the Economy has on Behavior
How to Evolve Recognition in the Workplace
The Gift Card Maturity Model and the 10 Key Elements of a Successful Gift Card Program
Rewards Evolution, What’s Next?
Lessons Learned Delivering 100,000 Experiential Rewards in 80+ Countries
Mind the Gap: Solving for Incentive & Reward Expectation Discrepancies

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