Imagine a world where every travel incentive program not only delivered a strong return on investment, but also left a positive legacy in the destinations your top performers visited.
Incentive trips have the power to inspire more than performance. By leading with impact, they create lasting value for people, businesses, and communities.
Our Strategic Approach to Sustainable Incentive Travel and Social Impact
Achieve Incentives & Meetings is a global event planning firm that designs and delivers unforgettable sustainable incentive travel programs and meetings that move business goals forward. With over 70 years of expertise, we turn big ideas into powerful, jaw-dropping events that inspire, engage, and deliver measurable results.
Sustainability and social impact are at the core of our approach. We work with our clients to design corporate events that honor local culture, support communities, and reduce environmental impact. In our 2025 Sustainability & Social Impact Scorecard and Action Plan, we consciously integrate the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into our strategic planning approach, focusing on these core areas:
Decent Work & Economic Growth (SDG 8)
intentionally uplifting community-led tourism to maximize investment in the local community, like collaborating with local artisans and vendors by incorporating their crafts and services into events, or supporting local schools and libraries through partnerships like Na’atik in Mexico.
Responsible Consumption & Production (SDG 12)
working with values-aligned vendors and partners while promoting sustainable program design, eco-conscious gifting, and waste reduction initiatives.
Life on Earth (SDG 14 & 15)
promoting eco-friendly and social impact-driven excursions and activities while advancing coral reef rehabilitation and ocean conservation with partners such as The Clean Wave in Costa Rica.
Sustainable Development Goals Scorecard
8
Decent Work and Economic Growth
12
Responsible Consumption and Production
14
Life Below Water
15
Life on Land
Why Sustainability and Social Impact Matter:
For our clients, sustainable incentive travel isn’t just about rewarding performance — it’s about creating experiences that reflect your values, strengthen your brand’s legacy, and support achievement of your ESG goals. Partnering with Achieve means every trip becomes more than an event; it’s an opportunity to inspire teams, honor local culture, and give back to the communities that make these destinations extraordinary. Our clients see the difference — stronger engagement, deeper emotional connection, and programs that leave a positive footprint long after the trip ends.
As incentive trips aim for a robust return on investment, social impact becomes a game-changer. Experts assert that socially impactful and responsible tourism enhances the value of trips. Incentive trips should feel like “money-can’t-buy” experiences, and these initiatives help make it priceless. As one of our clients shared, “The idea of really engaging with the local community and helping them and celebrating their local culture and traditions in a meaningful way is very appealing as a consumer of trip incentives. I mean we all like the idea of a vacation, but travel that educates us and gives us insights into other cultures, is far more meaningful.” — President, Windows Industry
From artisan markets and cultural performances, to charitable activities and environmentally conscious event design, we work to create a program where every element reflects a commitment to sustainable tourism and responsible business travel. With Achieve Incentives, events are never just gatherings — they are purposeful, impactful, and meaningful experiences that leave lasting benefits for both people and the planet.
Our client wanted to give back during their incentive program in Las Vegas — so we created a toiletry pack competition to benefit a local organization serving people experiencing homelessness. The incentive winners had so much fun while racing to see which team could pack the most toiletry kits!
Destination Donation Fund: Giving Back Through Incentive Travel
At Achieve Incentives & Meetings, giving back is central to our approach. With roots in the nonprofit sector, our leadership team embraces the value of “giving the world.” That commitment inspired our Destination Donation Fund, which directs contributions from every incentive, event, and meeting we plan to locally led, Kind Traveler-vetted nonprofits in the regions where we operate. This fund reflects Achieve’s belief that incentive travel can and should leave a positive footprint — transforming travel experiences into opportunities for cultural exchange, empowerment, and meaningful impact.
Achieve’s Program Manager visiting our nonprofit partner Na’atik in Riviera Maya, Mexico to experience their critical education work first-hand.
Through this fund and our partnership with Kind Traveler, a portion of each program’s budget is dedicated to creating measurable, positive impact in the destinations where we host events. Together, we channel donations toward Kind Traveler-vetted nonprofits that advance community well-being, protect the environment, and preserve cultural heritage. But real impact takes more than writing a check — it takes partnership. That’s why we work closely with each nonprofit we support through our Destination Donation Fund to understand where support is needed most and how to make a real difference. From there, we advise our clients on how they can also bring that impact to life in their events — whether through volunteer opportunities, collecting in-kind donations, or hosting charity activities as part of the program.
We also find thoughtful ways to celebrate local culture and reduce environmental impact — like partnering with artisans for meaningful gifting, hiring traditional performers, and helping clients offset carbon emissions through intentional event design. This partnership helps attendees make a tangible difference while deepening our client’s connection to the places they visit.
Our Partnership with Kind Traveler for Sustainable Incentive Travel
Kind Traveler’s mission is to empower travelers — and the travel industry — to positively impact the communities and environments they visit by transforming every trip into an opportunity to give back and create meaningful change. Achieve Incentives & Meetings is partnering with Kind Traveler to bring their movement of traveling kindly to the meetings, incentives, and events industry.
Through this partnership, a portion of every event we plan directly supports local Kind Traveler-vetted charities, creating meaningful impact for the communities and ecosystems that host these experiences. It’s a powerful step toward a more sustainable, purpose-driven future for business travel and incentive programs.
Learn more about our Kind Traveler partnership and visit our Impact Dashboard.
Achieve launched our Destination Donation Fund and partnership with Kind Traveler in 2024. That year, Achieve Incentives & Meetings spent significant time in Costa Rica and Mexico, planning events that brought people together in unforgettable ways. In turn, we focused our 2024 Destination Donation efforts on these same regions — places deeply connected to our employees, clients, and partners. This year’s nonprofit partners, The Clean Wave in Costa Rica, and Na’atik in Mexico, reflect Achieve’s commitment to creating meaningful change in the communities that help make our clients’ events a success.
Moving forward, Achieve will partner with local nonprofits through our partnership with Kind Traveler to drive impact in the destinations we work in the most.
Celebrating Local Culture Through Sustainable Tourism Experiences
Sustainability isn’t only about protecting the environment — it’s also about preserving culture and strengthening communities. That’s why Achieve Incentives designs sustainable incentive travel experiences that leave a legacy in the destinations we serve.
We have seen the profound impact of engaging attendees in, and educating them about, the rich tapestry of a destination’s culture. From cultural performances to locally inspired celebrations, every element of our events is designed to honor traditions while fostering intercultural connections.
In The Bahamas, we brought this to life with a private island farewell event featuring a surprise Junkanoo parade and historian-led storytelling, allowing attendees to experience the vibrant celebration while understanding its cultural significance. Junkanoo is a vibrant Bahamian street parade and cultural celebration featuring rhythmic drumming, colorful costumes, and lively dancing — a tradition rooted in African heritage that honors freedom, community, and joy.
We’ve brought local culture directly to client events — whether in Riviera Maya with a “El Mercadito,” showcasing Mayan and Mexican artisans, or in Costa Rica with a pop-up market featuring traditional crafts, Punto Guanacasteco music, and locally produced goods. Attendees engaged with artisans, discovered cultural traditions, and supported local economies. These markets transformed a simple event into a powerful cultural exchange that delivered both memorable experiences and meaningful impact.
In Mexico, we blended the local Artisan Market with our client’s welcome reception, and our client’s attendees were blown away. According to our post-program survey, the Artisan Market was the #1 rated activity, surpassing all other excursions and entertainment. One attendee shared, “The welcome reception was amazing this year. I loved the idea of the Artisan Market and it was so fun to purchase items from the local community.” — Incentive Winner
For Achieve Incentives, sustainability isn’t a side initiative — it’s a standard woven into every trip. These are the kinds of programs we strive to create for clients and their top performers: motivating, memorable, and community-focused. By weaving local culture directly into events, Achieve helps clients create experiences that go beyond traditional incentive travel. Attendees not only enjoy unique, immersive activities, but they also gain a deeper understanding of the destinations they visit, building meaningful connections to the people and communities hosting them. For clients, this approach enhances team engagement and motivation while reinforcing the company’s commitment to thoughtful, impactful experiences — turning every program into a memorable opportunity that inspires loyalty, pride, and a lasting positive legacy.
Shaping Industry Standards for Sustainable Meetings and Incentive Travel
At Achieve Incentives, we believe the meetings and incentives industry has a responsibility to do more than deliver great events — it must also deliver a positive impact. With a leadership team rooted in both nonprofit and corporate event planning, we’re proud to model what sustainable tourism and responsible incentive travel can look like.
Our initiatives — from carbon-conscious program planning and cultural preservation to nonprofit partnerships and local sourcing — reflect our belief that business events can be a force for good. This approach has been recognized by industry peers, earning us awards for social responsibility and workplace culture. But more importantly, it inspires our clients and attendees to see events not just as business tools, but as opportunities to change the world for the better.
In 2025, our team was honored with the invitation to join Destination Canada’s first-ever Business Events Sustainability Roundtable, bringing together top sustainability leaders from across the globe. From innovative strategies to reduce environmental impact to inclusive practices that strengthen communities, it was clear: sustainability and impact are the future of our industry.
Achieve Incentives & Meetings was also honored with the 2025 Smart Culture Award by Smart Business Network, recognizing our commitment to building a strong, values-driven workplace. The award celebrates organizations that prioritize culture as a driver of employee engagement, performance, and social impact. This recognition reflects our ongoing efforts to empower our team, support communities, and set new standards for excellence in the meetings and incentives industry. .
Supporting Local Communities at Home & Abroad
Our impact begins at home. In addition to creating meaningful change in the destinations where we operate events, Achieve Incentives is deeply committed to supporting local communities in Northeast Ohio and the regions we call home.
Each year, our team contributes time, resources, and funding to nonprofits that reflect both our values and our employees’ passions. From organizations like Jeremy Cares, which brings comfort and joy to families navigating medical crises, to employee-chosen charities that matter personally to our staff, we ensure our giving is both heartfelt and impactful.
This dual approach — empowering employees to guide charitable giving while aligning with Achieve’s broader social responsibility goals — strengthens our culture, builds community, and keeps us connected to the people and places we serve.
Leave the Details to Us…
…and let every incentive, meeting, or event become a sustainable experience that makes a difference for your team, your business, and the world.
We’ll help you turn big ideas into unforgettable sustainable incentive travel programs that also give back.