Incentive programmes are an opportunity to showcase Ireland’s wealth of luxury and high-end experiences, and Dublin-based Wallace Travel Group are skilled at doing just that. Approached by U.S company Docherty Incentives, they were given a brief for an incentive programme designed for the leading sales executives of Graco, an American baby products company.
The concept revolved around creating a memorable experience that included one of Ireland’s premier resorts, and featured the best of what the Irish urban and rural landscapes had to offer. The brief requested welcome and gala dinners with entertainment, dine arounds and a range of on-site and off-site activities for guests, with a mix of traditional Irish and classically themed entertainment options.
With delegates travelling from different continents, accessibility was key. Graco also required a resort location that offered the perfect countryside escape, while still being close to a city hub for activities and a gala dinner. With assistance from the Meet in Ireland team, Docherty Incentives and Wallace Travel Group compiled a convincing presentation, ultimately winning the bid to host the Graco incentive programme at the K Club in Kildare.
On the first evening, guests enjoyed a BBQ welcome dinner on the island near the hotel, with golf buggies available to transport the guests to and from the locations, and fantastic musical entertainment provided during dinner. The next morning, the group enjoyed various outdoor pursuits at the K Club and in the afternoon, optional tours to various surrounding areas were organised. Dinner followed at Taylors Three Rock Hotel near the Dublin mountains, with a traditional dancing show to add some authentic Irish flavour.
Day three saw guests enjoying the Gaelic Games Experience on the grounds of the K Club, learning the skills of hurling and Gaelic football, as well as Irish dancing and a bodhrán (traditional Irish drum) lesson. That night, with the support of Meet in Ireland, a spectacular gala dinner was orchestrated at the historic Royal Hospital Kilmainham, with classical entertainment, an awards ceremony and a surprise appearance by Irish band Celtic Dawn, complete with some rousing table top dancing.
On the final day, delegates relaxed with a round of golf and spa treatments at the hotel, and optional tours to the Guinness Storehouse, the Fabulous Food Trail, Newbridge Silverware and the Kildare Village Designer outlet. The evening was perfectly finished with what would becoming one of the programme’s highlights — a local dine around in Maynooth that gave guests a sense of the local and intimate side of Ireland’s small towns, and created a striking contrast to the grand venue of the night before. After an unforgettable experience in Ireland, the Graco sales executives made their departure the following day, thoroughly invigorated by an exceptional ince