How vivid experiences and recognition can create long term inspiration!

"Best tour guide ever, I still talk about him!"

18 years ago, while backpacking with my cousin, Lucy, we decided to take the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and go jungle trekking to see the elephants. Armed with a pair of flip flops and our worldly belongings in our backpacks, we met our guide, a young local man called Nui.

During what was supposed to be a leisurely bamboo raft ride along the river to the village, the raft hit a rock and broke apart. We had to hike through the jungle to reach the small village of Lahu Village with Nui cutting the path ahead and us sweating along dutifully behind. 

We finally reached the village, and after a bath in the river and a hearty meal, we retired to the tiny wooden hut that would be our shelter for the night, sleeping on a mat under the safe cocoon of a mosquito net.

The following morning, as we wandered through the village learning about village life, we learned a lot about Nui.

He was awaiting his turn in the annual lottery for military conscription. Every year, about 100,000 personnel are recruited. Their fate rests on the choice of a card: black for exemption, red for mandatory enlistment – the concept blew my mind. This stuck in my head, and I often wondered how life had turned out for him.

We connected as humans and Nui ensured we had a memorable time.

There are three things that have remained forever vivid in my memory from that trip – the sight of a million fireflies twinkling in the vast jungle canopy each evening, eating my first lychee fresh from the tree, and Nui!

Sitting on a step was free. Picking fresh fruit from the tree was free. But the experience itself was priceless, and these memories, along with Nui’s face, were frequently replayed in my mind over the years, a concept I’ve now come to understand in behavioural economics as ‘reconsumption theory’ - a key to return on your investment when planning your incentive.  

18 years later, I found myself back in Chiang Mai. This time in a far more luxurious bed at the Four Seasons Chiang Mai Resort. I was accompanying one of our first post-pandemic incentive travel groups with a long-standing financial sector client. This trip, like many others, had been postponed for two years, and initially I wasn’t supposed to attend.

The trip was filled with many memorable moments for the group that visibly took their breath away. I watched as the hardworking winners revelled in their success, walked wide-eyed into new experiences, and marvelled at the beauty of their surroundings.

I wasn’t quite expecting the same to happen to me. I was a casual observer. Operating behind the scenes with the sole focus to ensure each guest had the best experience possible.

But in one serendipitous encounter, the power of my memories and human connection all came flooding back.

Behind a PPE mask, the friendly eyes peeking out over the top were unmistakable. Nui, the man who 18 years ago my cousin and I had spent only 48 hours in the middle of the Chiang Mai jungle with, was standing right there in front of me in the hotel lobby, ready to accompany our incentive group to their CSR project (more on that later).

I immediately called Lucy to tell her who I’d just met.

Nui seemed suspicious at first, not quite believing that after all this time it would be possible to be recognised with such certainty. I relayed the tale of the broken raft as the other guides listened in, equally disbelieving. But while Nui didn’t remember me specifically, he certainly remembered the vision of our broken raft and our bags floating downstream – thankfully in their waterproof bags!  

Nui excitedly elaborated his version of the story in his native tongue to the other guides. Still they looked at me with a hint of uncertainty.

That was until I showed him the WhatsApp message Lucy had sent through complete with photographs of a young Nui! 

Lucy captioned the photo as ‘Best tour guide ever, I still talk about him!’ - he was positively over the moon! The buzz among the other guides and hotel staff was clear too. No-one could quite believe it.

It got me thinking about the power of connection and how critically important being face-to-face is. I think we all took that for granted, but the seismic shift we just experienced on a global scale has most definitely reminded us that we’re ultimately pack animals. We find our tribe, the place we belong, the place we can add value and we thrive in that.

In this post-pandemic world, sat listening to the group reconnecting, laughing, and celebrating their success with one another, you couldn’t tell the hosts from the winners from the partners. I stood smiling the entire time, knowing how much this meant to everyone and how they, like me, through their collective experience, were making lifelong memories.

In the workplace setting, research shows that when leaders recognise their people, show appreciation, and acknowledge the unique things they have to offer it will drive significantly better results. Recognition motivates, provides a sense of accomplishment, and makes employees feel valued for their work.

By being recognised – in all senses of the word - Nui felt valued for his work. He proudly shared to his Facebook page the photos Lucy had dug out from her travel albums, saying ‘thank you for still remembering me’.

"Thank you for remembering me!"

- NUI 

That day, Nui and the ground team received a small reminder of their value, not just in the behind-the-scenes operation in making sure everything ran smoothly, but in their presence and knowledge of their country.

The moral of this story? Recognition matters. It doesn’t need to cost. Small tokens of appreciation, such as a simple acknowledgment of someone's contribution, reinforce purpose and demonstrate the unique value only people can bring to a moment. Where bigger tokens such as a reward are included, never underestimate the power of connection. Bringing people together to share an experience, elevates that recognition and extends its impact way beyond a single moment.

Interested in CSR?

The award-winning –Track the Tiger -Shane, Séamus, and Connor are doing amazing things and I’d highly recommend a quick click on this link to learn more.
Good humans doing good things to make the world a better place!

Click here to find out more about BI WORLDWIDE’S
Incentive Travel Soultion