The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) Global Conference concluded yesterday in Istanbul, Türkiye. The event was marked by extensive networking, educational sessions, and immersive experiences in the city.
Nearly 500 professionals from the incentive travel sector gathered in Istanbul for this year’s SITE Global Conference. The conference served as a platform for attendees to connect, learn, and share insights on emerging trends in incentive travel.
Innovative session formats were introduced at the conference, including competitions and collaborative discussions. These sessions focused on new trends in the workplace and the evolving demographics of travel qualifiers.
SITE CEO Annette Gregg expressed enthusiasm for the impact of the conference on the incentive travel industry. Gregg highlighted the creation of memorable experiences and connections in Istanbul as central to the conference’s success.
Keynote speeches were a highlight, with insights from Turkish entrepreneur Gamze Cizreli and experiential design expert Claus Raasted. Their addresses added valuable perspectives to the conference’s discussions.
The conference also featured the Crystal Awards ceremony at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski. This was complemented by sessions that immersed attendees in Istanbul’s most vibrant attractions, showcasing the city’s unique position as a bridge between East and West. SITE honored nine companies with Crystal Awards.
Receiving Crystal Awards this year are:
Arabian Adventures Meetings, Incentives & Events, for Excellence in Incentive Travel: Africa & Middle East
Haute, for Excellence in Incentive Travel: North America
MFactor Meetings, for Excellence in Incentive Travel: Europe
Next Level Performance, for Most Impactful Effort Toward Corporate Social Responsibility as Part of an Incentive Travel Program
PHP Event Services, for Excellence in Incentive Travel: Asia-Pacific
Portugal Travel Team, for Best Destination-Based Experiential Incentive Travel Program
Spectra DMC, for Most Creative Solution Deployed to Overcome Adversity
streamlinevents, for Excellence in Incentive Travel: Latin America and the Caribbean
Synergy Effect, for Excellence in Incentive Travel: Asia-Pacific
Special congratulations were extended to MFactor Meetings again as the inaugural recipient of the “Par Excellence” award, a new prize introduced at this year’s ceremony that recognizes outstanding overall incentive travel accomplishments.
“Our destination shines as one where East meets West catering perfectly to all incentive travel qualifers,” said SITE International Board of Directors and local host committee member Hasan Dinc.
“It has been a dream to welcome our industry colleagues to our city, and to treat them to such a fantastic conference with Turkish hospitality on full display.”
SITE thanked the host committee and DMCs for their role in organizing the conference. Many DMCs banded together under the collective banner of SITE Türkiye to support this year’s event, including: Bluechip, ODS, Prolonge, Stimpol, Tekser, Coordinator, MEPTUR, Universal & DMC.
Onsite programming drew to a close midday with the announcement of the 2025 SITE Global Conference destination, with next year’s gathering set to take place March 3-6 in Tulum, Mexico.
The conference wrapped up with the announcement of Tulum, Mexico, as the destination for the 2025 SITE Global Conference. This sets the stage for another engaging and enriching event for the incentive travel community.
