EXPERT ADVICE ON WOWING YOUR GUESTS

Our very own Jonathan Richards — sales manager for the northwestern U.S., Mexico and Europe — was the featured guest on the Destinations Incentive Travel podcast not too long ago. He shared some great insights on how to add the “wow” factor to your next event. Download the episode today and have a listen during your morning run or evening commute. Jonathan’s an engaging speaker with decades of experience in the hospitality, events and incentives industries (with a great British accent to boot!).

Don’t have time to listen? Just remember that at Maui Jim, we make it easy for you to wow your guests with an engaging, memorable experience. All it takes is three easy steps:

Step 1: Contact us at least three (U.S.) or seven (international) weeks before your event to make your choices.

Step 2: Leave all the details — including exact times, number of guests and any personalization options — to us.

Step 3: Let our onsite event specialists delight your guests with a sunglass fitting experience they won’t forget.

Let’s make wow happen! Just tell us about your event here or email us at corporategifts@mauijim.com.

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN PLANNING AN EVENT FOR A TECHNOLOGY GROUP

Are you in the tech sector, planning an event for a group that is or just wanting to learn a lesson or two from these out-in-front thinkers? The Incentive Research Foundation recently released this interesting report on how the best technology companies handle incentives and rewards.

Here’s what we found interesting — compared to average-performing firms, top tech companies are:

  • Two times more likely to view their reward and recognition programs as a competitive advantage
  • A third more likely to see their reward and recognition programs as effective recruiting tools
  • 15% more likely to believe rewards and recognition are critical for managing company performance

Want to know more about trends and best practices for rewards and incentives? Check our What’s New page. We always have an eye out for the latest research, studies and articles from industry experts and share what we find here. It’s just one more way we’re working to make your gifting experience as effective and memorable as possible!

HOT TIPS FOR INCENTIVE TRIPS

Though they bear some similarities to other events, incentive trips are unique animals. Attendees have different expectations, and planners have different goals. This article from Brightspot, an incentives and events company, offers tips on how to make the memory of a trip last — and no surprise to us, the gifting experience plays a big role!

According to the article, when you’re thinking about gifts for an incentive trip, you want attendees to remember three things: where, why and who. The right gift, the authors say, will take care of all three. That’s why they love Maui Jim sunglasses — because incentive trip attendees remember the event “every time they put them on.”

Here’s another way to make incentive trip memories last with Maui Jim: You can add your company logo, event artwork or monogram to our sunglasses cases, pouches and cleaning cloths. Find out more about how we can help you plan a memorable incentive trip or any event. Email us at corporategifts@mauijim.com today.

WHY WEAR SUNGLASSES?

Silly question, huh? Actually, you might be surprised by how often we’re asked that. Or maybe you’re curious, too. Besides keeping out the sun, are sunglasses really that important? You bet. Here are four reasons why everyone should wear a quality pair every day.

  1. They can prevent eye damage. Bright or cloudy day, summer or winter, UV rays can damage your eyes in profound ways. Sunglasses keep damaging light out even when the sun’s not shining.
  2. They can stop skin cancer. Where’s the one place you can’t apply sunscreen? Around your eyes!
  3. They can keep aging at bay. The delicate skin around the eyes is the first place wrinkles form. Protecting the eye area keeps you looking younger, longer.
  4. They can help you see better at night. Bright sunlight bleaches the photo receptors in your eyes, extending the time it takes your eyes to adjust in the dark.

That’s why sunglasses make the perfect gift for any gathering. A good pair can provide the gift of sight for a lifetime, and Maui Jim sunglasses do it better than any other brand. Every pair blocks 100% of UVA, UVB and UVC rays and holds the Skin Cancer Foundation Seal of Recommendation. Check out all the styles available for your guests, then email us at corporategifts@mauijim.com to plan your event!

KNOW YOUR GIFTING OPTIONS — AND KNOW THE DIFFERENCES

Bulk orders, pick-and-ship programs, shopping sprees, branded gifts — there are so many gifting options available these days, it can be hard to keep them all straight. Here’s a quick cheat sheet on what’s what, along with the pros and cons of each.

  • Bulk order. You choose one item for your entire group. Pros: Easy to execute. Cons: No element of choice, interaction or brand experience.
  • Pick-and-ship. Your guests choose from a list of options and the gift is shipped to them. Pros: Element of choice. Cons: No interaction, brand experience or instant gratification — plus too many options can be frustrating.
  • Shopping spree. A reseller offers your guests an onsite experience with multiple brands. Pros: Suits a wide demographic. Cons: Limited inventory, additional markups, high minimums, lack of brand knowledge and danger of “choice overload.”
  • One “branded” gift. A reseller offers your guests an onsite experience with a single brand. Pros: Element of choice. Cons: Limited inventory, additional markups, high minimums and lack of brand knowledge.
  • True brand experience — what we offer at Maui Jim. As the manufacturer, we have access to the full product line and latest styles, with low minimums and easy, upfront pricing. Your guests’ experience is our top priority, and we only staff our events with employees who have extensive brand, product and warranty knowledge.

Discover what makes Maui Jim the preferred choice of event planners and gift recipients alike — then get in touch to start planning your next event!

10 QUESTIONS THAT COULD MAKE OR BREAK YOUR EVENT

If you’re new to planning events or evaluating a new gift provider, you probably have lots of questions. And even if you’re an experienced pro, it pays to revisit some key topics with your suppliers every time you plan an event.

We recently put together a list of 25+ questions based on our 19 years of experience in the field. They’re all important, but here are the top 10 we suggest you ask of every supplier you’re considering:

  1. Do you offer the most current styles for the gifts I’ve selected?
  2. Can you guarantee my gift won’t be found online at a discounted price?
  3. What warranty is available for my gift?
  4. Who will staff and execute my event?
  5. What is your onsite staff-to-attendee ratio?
  6. Do you charge extra for onsite staffing?
  7. Who pays your onsite staff’s travel costs?
  8. What are your cancellation fees?
  9. How can you help me save on shipping, taxes and duties?
  10. Are custom items available for event or company co-branding?

Want to hear our answers to these 10 questions — and any others you’re curious about? Reach out anytime at corporategifts@mauijim.com

WATCH & LEARN: WISE WORDS FROM ONE OF OUR EXPERTS

We’ve learned a lot after 19 years in the business of experiential gifting, and our team members bring plenty of great insights from their previous experiences, too. Lindsey Richmond, who manages Corporate Gifts West for Maui Jim, has spent 12 years in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions industry, and she recently created a three-part video series to share gifting best practices. Watch and learn!

  • Part One: Do you want your guests to leave your gift in their hotel room? Or walk through a store a couple days later and see the same item on sale? Of course not. Lindsey’s first video offers expert advice on avoiding these problems — and the benefits of choosing one gift with high perceived value.
  • Part Two: Enhance your gift with an experience. Check out Lindsey’s second video to see why it’s so important to leave lasting memories along with your gift.
  • Part Three: Do you think gifting is only for incentive trips? In Lindsey’s third video, she shares some creative ways you can use the right gift to motivate individuals to action!

Our LinkedIn page is a great place to connect with experts like Lindsey and stay on top of the latest news and best practices. Follow us there!

WHY NOT PLAN A TWO-FOR-ONE EXPERIENCE?

Have you been charged with finding an incentive gift AND planning a team-building experience, too? Or would you like to achieve both objectives at your next meeting?

A Maui Jim sunglass fitting experience is a great way to get more from your event. Your guests will go home with a highly valued gift — Maui Jim sunglasses are the #1 selling premium polarized brand worldwide. And the experience of trying on and selecting sunglasses brings teams together in a relaxed, fun environment. Watch a typical fitting experience to see what it’s like!

Plus, killing two birds with one stone saves you time, effort and money, too. Make it easy on yourself — let us help you create a memorable reward and team-building experience in just three easy steps. Email us at corporategifts@mauijim.com to get started!

MYTH-BUSTER: WHY DIFFERENT ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER

Here’s a question we get a lot: “Shouldn’t I give a different gift every year? Won’t my guests expect something new?” If you haven’t landed on the ideal gift, it’s only natural to keep trying out new products to see what gets the best reaction. But if you’ve already given the gift of Maui Jim sunglasses, you know how unique and memorable one of our fitting experiences is. And it’s one we’re confident your guests will continue to enjoy. Here are four reasons to give Maui Jim year after year:

1. We add new styles to our product line every year, which means you can always offer your guests something new.

2. Most people aren’t satisfied with just one pair of Maui Jim sunglasses. Our typical customer owns 3-5 pairs!

3. With 130+ styles (aviator, wrap, cat eye, sport and more), there’s something different for every guest, every year.

4. No matter where they live, everyone needs to protect their eye health from damaging glare and sunlight.

Here’s another great reason to go with Maui Jim year after year — we make it easy for you to plan and host a great event. When you work with us, you’re working with a company that pioneered the art of experiential gifting. We’ve conducted more than 10,000 fitting experiences over the past two decades. Let us streamline the process for you!

MYTH-BUSTER: WHY MORE CHOICE ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER

Picture yourself at the grocery store. You need spaghetti sauce, and you’re staring at a shelf of 12 different brands and 47 different varieties. Once you finally make a decision, you’re on to cereal — where you encounter even more options. And so it goes throughout the supermarket. No wonder so many of us dread grocery shopping!

That experience is what scientists call “choice overload,” and research shows it triggers frustration, mental fatigue and sometimes even a sense of loss when people realize they can’t choose everything on offer. We know those aren’t the feelings you’re looking to generate at your next event, and that’s why we chuckle when we hear other gifting providers say, “But you can’t just offer sunglasses. You have to give your guests a choice of products!”

The beauty of a Maui Jim fitting experience is that you ARE offering a choice — the option to pick the perfect pair of sunglasses — without overwhelming your guests. “If you have to waste your time choosing between options that are marginally different then it takes too much energy,” says Axel Linder, a neurobiologist at the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research. “It takes so much effort, and the effort discounts the value of what you eventually get.”

Go with the right choice, not multiple choice. Keep your guests happy and your value high — start planning your Maui Jim fitting experience today!