During a special luncheon ceremony at the Society of Incentive & Travel Executives' International Conference, held in Toronto last month, the best of the best in incentive planning received the association's coveted Crystal Awards.

And the winners are:

• Most Creative Use of an Incentive Program to Solve a Marketing Problem (Internal Marketing Campaign) — VISA's Preferred Program by Shamba Mueller, Carlson Marketing Group, and John Deere's Rome MMIV Program by William E. Bryson, MotivAction

• Most Creative Use of an Incentive Program to Solve a Marketing Problem (External Marketing Campaign) — Know Your IBM by David Cox, CiEvents, and MOTOFIESTAS by Alejandro Verzoub, AV Business & Communications

• Most Outstanding Single Event — Rhys Curtis, Extra Mile Co., and Richard Lowy, PGI/TBA Global Events

• Most Outstanding Incentive Travel Program — Lucy Eisele, Creative Memories, for her USA Masterpiece 2005 incentive trip, and Penny Wing, Incentive Travel LLC, for USA Viacom's Above and Beyond All Expectations cruise.