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A study produced by The Society of Incentive & Travel Executives (SITE) Foundation found that 92% of workers surveyed indicated that they achieved their goals because of incentives.

After safety fundamentals are in place, such as a formal safety process, management safety accountability, inspections, etc., safety awareness is key. Safety awareness is like the oil in a car: It makes the parts continue to function at a high level.

I just returned back from the National Safety Congress (NSC) event which took place in Orlando, FL. Once again we met with safety, health and environmental professionals anxiously searching for new ways to engage their workforces in order to create a safety culture. During the show, All Star was honored by Occupational Health & Safety Magazine as a winner of their 2009 New Product of the Year (NPOY) Award. The NPOY Award recognizes the outstanding product development achievements of health and safety manufacturers who assist in the improvement of workplace safety. Amongst 40 entries All Star’s PROPEL for Safety™, proprietary web-based safety incentive solution, was chosen as the most noteworthy contribution in the incentive category. There was a common theme throughout our discussions with attendees who sought to draw more attention to their safety programs. Traditional safety program elements tend to be very bland and flat. It is imperative that safety professionals draw attention to their safety programs and initiatives so that the message resonates. Branding an safety program with ongoing communications and recognizing the proactive safe behaviors of its workforce will make the safety program a greater success.

Just coming back from the 2009 Special Market Dialogue Conference. One main concern discussed for 4th quarter and into 2010 for both the promotional and premium suppliers is the fact that the majority of manufacturers are going to be moving to even more of a real-time inventory stance. Forecasting is going to be key for 2010. Nearly gone are the days of calling a manufacturing and finding 200+ units plus on the shelf.

Here we go again, time to debate the pros and cons of expanded gaming in Massachusetts. Proponents and opponents will meet in the Beacon Hill Gardiner Auditorium in Boston this afternoon, just as they did on March 18th, 2008, to debate this issue. I was in the packed audience for the 2008 debate. There were many good and thoughtful arguments made on both sides of the debate, but it was all for not as the fix was in; Speaker Sal Dimassi had wrangled the votes to see that the proposed article died in committee, having never seen the light of day for a vote. Fast forward 18 months, 540+ days of brutal economic news and local cuts, and now the polls are falling all over themselves to get something passed. In all likelihood, we'll see a bill that will allow slot machines at our existing racing venues, or full blown casinos on a federally recognized Mashpee Wampanoag tract of land, or perhaps even another location, such as Palmer or Milford, that would welcome the Mohegan Suns and Penn Gamings of the casino world with open arms. The only problem is that the can't miss gaming ship may have already sailed. Just building a resort casino is no guarantee of it's success nowadays. Virtually every gaming entity in the Northeast, sans Empire City at Yonkers Raceway, is significantly down year over year since 2007. And while a casino license could have been expected to fetch as much as 500 million dollars up front a few years back, now municipalities will settle for local infrastructure improvements, and hopefully a nice piece of the taxes that will be imposed on the entity.

DALLAS, TX – Occupational Health & Safety magazine announced the winners of its 2009 New Product of the Year Award at the annual National Safety Council Congress and Expo in Orlando today. The Occupational Health & Safety New Product of the Year Award honors the outstanding product development achievements of health and safety manufacturers whose products are considered to be particularly noteworthy in their ability to improve workplace safety.

Periodically the engagement industry (also known as the incentive industry, motivation industry, premium industry, etc.) faces challenges from outside sources. These sources typically are academics/authors many of whom do a fair amount of public speaking to promote their work. While it would not be fair to make the blanket claim that their assertions are baseless it would be accurate in the vast majority of situations to say that those claims are at best misleading and at worst harmful.

There is a growing trend with casino’s relying more on “Free Play” slot promotions rather than tangible rewards or gifts. The cost of offering patrons “free” spins on a slot machine is minimal to the casino and it keeps the patron engaged with the slot machines longer.

A recent study by Harvard Business School found that every 1 percent increase in staff loyalty resulted in a half percent increase in customer loyalty.