Why We Plan Return Journeys as Carefully as Arrivals

The arrival experience has long been a primary focus for event planners within the corporate events and business travel industry (considerable attention is paid to arranging airport transportation, hotel check-ins, welcome desks, and first impressions), however the departure or "return" experience is equally important. The return experience is the last chapter of the participant’s experience; it will dictate how those participants relate to the entire experience (an ineffectively executed return has the potential to impact negatively on a very successful event and an effectively executed return will create stronger satisfaction, trust, and brand credibility as a result of the positive experience created during the event). As a result, there is now a trend among experienced event planners to approach return trips with the same strategic focus as arrival trips. They recognize that travel is not just the act of moving from one point to another; travel is an experience that consists of an anticipation phase, an engagement phase and a closure phase. When planners take the time to plan both ends of the travel journey, it creates a balance within the experience of the participant and provides a positive and clear sense of value for each participant before departing the event location.

The Psychology of Endings in Travel Experiences

How experiences conclude has a considerable effect on human memory. According to research findings of behavioral psychology, the peak and end portions of experiences leave a more powerful imprint on people's memories than the rest of the experience, or the middle. This applies to travel for meetings and events. The return trip to their point of origin serves as the emotional conclusion of the entire experience for all attendees. If an attendee's return trip involves confusion, delays, or exhaustion on their part, that attendee will leave with a negative final impression of the event, even if everything prior to that was perfect. Conversely, when attendees return home relaxed and organized from a well thought out and executed return trip, that will create the impression that the meeting/event was executed in a professional manner with courtesy and consideration for the attendees' time and comfort. Therefore, the post-event experience is important to consider as well. The event does not actually end with the final session; it concludes when the attendee has returned to their home location safely and comfortably.

Journey Mapping: Seeing the Experience as a Whole

Travel experiences viewed through a journey map are characterized as a series of events that occur in succession instead of being a disjointed set of locations, activities, and interactions. Elements of the travel experience include:

• Pre-event communications
• Arrival and onboarding
• Participation and engagement
• Departure planning
• Post-event follow-up

When planners plan an event through the lens of "arrival only," the result is the creation of an incomplete experience for the attendee. When planners create a journey map that gives "equal weight" to both "arrival" and "departure," the result is an event experience that delivers the same level of "quality" and "consistency" throughout. Typically, a return journey planning process includes:

• Confirmed transportation schedules.
• Communicated departure times are clear.
• Coordinated hotel checkout processes.
• Support desks for last minute questions related to Travel Logistics.
• Buffer time to allow for delays or emergencies to occur.

Taking a holistic approach to the travel experience gives every aspect of the travel experience the same level of professionalism.

Why Returns Matter in MICE Planning

Efficiency and quality of experience are equally important in MICE planning. Corporate events typically require ordering a large number of people to move as a unit. Generally, corporate groups will have less time available for travel than other types of events. Many people become fatigued when they are returning home from a corporate event due to the long day of travel, and this fatigue will make them more susceptible to interruptions during their return trip. Good planning for return travel will:

• Reduce stress and confusion for all attendees
• Allow for continued credibility as an organization
• Ensure the safety and timeliness of return travel
• Increase participant satisfaction with the event

Professional planners understand that an event ends at a productive time in the event's totality, not just at the end of a logistical sequence; therefore, it is important for them to recognize and treat the completion of any business-related travel as a critical, strategic component in determining the overall success or failure of the experience of every attendee.

The Role of the Post-Event Experience

Post-event experiences start as soon as participants walk out of the venue. This includes transportation, checking out, communication, and post-event follow-up messages. The post-event experience will ultimately decide how attendees feel about their experience. Either they will feel valued or overlooked. Positive post-event experiences will do the following:

• Develop and maintain goodwill
• Increase the chance of returning again to participate
• Enhance the brand image
• Generate favourable word-of-mouth advertising

When participants have smooth, well-organised, and easy return trips home, they will feel respected and cared for, and will develop a great impression of the overall experience.

Balancing Efficiency and Comfort

A balance between operational efficiency and emotional comfort must be struck on return journeys. Simply being fast will not provide sufficient return journey support. Participants will also require clarity, reassurance, and simplicity.

• Instructions and signage must be clear
• Timing of all elements must be coordinated accurately
• Friendly supporting personnel must be made available during the return journey phase
• Disruption backup plans will be created in the event of a disruption to your return journey

Although they seem insignificant individually, collectively these elements will define your departure experience quality.

Journey Mapping as a Strategic Tool

Utilising journey maps enables planners to understand problem areas that may arise when departing, including

• Transport delays
• Confusion regarding area of meeting
• Last-minute hotel bill issues
• Overcrowded check-out process

In determining how to solve the identified problems beforehand, planners can proactively solve the potential problems. This creates the opportunity to demonstrate professionalism by addressing an existing problem before it becomes an issue.

The Importance of Coordination in MICE Planning

MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) planning requires involvement from various parties: hotels; transport providers; airlines; venues; business clients. To ensure that return travel is smooth for all parties, frequent communication must occur. Failure to communicate properly can lead to problems that will delay returns to home cities, as well as cause frustration for many involved. A sound planning system has many functions like:

• Updates in real time
• Centralized communication
• Rapid resolution of last-minute changes

By coordinating these activities as one, both departure and arrival are equally smooth.

MICEcafe Journey and Experience-Driven Planning

MICEcafe Journey is a powerful tool that allows event planners to effectively manage arrival and departure times of participants. It provides experience-focused planning capabilities in addition to typical operational booking features, allowing planners to combine their accommodations, transportation and scheduling into one streamlined system via one platform. The following will ensure:

• Seamless transitions from the conclusion of an event back to departure
• Coordinated communication and coordination with hotel properties
• Effective communication with attendees
• Strong logistical control over participant movement

Overall, this type of structure improves the quality of the overall travel experience.

Conclusion

It used to be optional for event planners to consider the details of their return journeys alongside their arrival journeys. However, this is no longer the case – it is now a requirement. Today's business travelers view their experience as a complete whole: arrival through departure from the city in which they are attending an event. Through comprehensive journey mapping; an emphasis on delivering an exceptional post-event experience; and careful MICE planning, event planners can provide attendees with a favourable experience as they create trust after their event has been completed. MICEcafe Journey is at the core of this change. MICEcafe Journey provides all of the tools necessary for a corporate planner to effectively plan their corporate travel needs through a single, integrated platform. MICEcafe Journey is an exceptional travel planning tool that allows you to make your bookings easily; check your hotel status easily; and provide you with complete control and confidence in every aspect of your travel.