A round of golf is a networker's dream. A full-service spa is a must-have for incentive conferences.

But you already know that.

How about some new ways to use golf and spa, both to further your business and meeting goals and to keep your budget in line? Hotel chains, individual resorts (and cruise ships!) that value meeting and incentive business are spending money and time on their recreational offerings — especially spas, an amenity that's now as critical as the ballroom for lots of corporate groups.

“We have noticed that spa is a deciding factor when groups choose a hotel,” says Sue Moore, head of spa marketing for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in Toronto. “Some are just dipping their toes in, with things like spa meeting breaks and chair massage. Yet others are choosing to make spa an important component of their agenda. We also see an increase in the number of men making spa their activity of choice, especially when the offerings include treatments like our Golf Performance Treatment Massage, which helps with swing rotation and balance, or our Jet Lag Recovery Massage.”

As for golf, here's an add-on to your tournament that, in this era of requiring a certain number of hours to be spent on business each day, might be particularly appealing: Make your time on the links double as a breakout session. Nancy Berkley, president of Berkley Consulting, a Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., firm specializing in women's marketing and golf event planning, originated the idea. A facilitator at the first tee gives golfers in each foursome a business topic specifically related to their group to discuss informally during the round. “Certainly other topics, business and otherwise, will come up,” says Berkley, but participants must spend some time on the suggested topic, because the conversation will continue after the round. Berkley believes that the great outdoors can sometimes free the thinking of ordinarily office-bound executives. (Assuming, of course, they're not consumed by the double bogey on that last hole.)

Fresh Ideas for the Spa

• Make a Day of It

  Cindy Wheaton, CMP, manager, group meetings and incentives, at Nationwide Financial Network in Columbus, Ohio, recently negotiated a spa day package for her Premier Group. The 60 top qualifiers and spouses earned an extra two nights at the beginning of Nationwide's regular incentive program, held in Miami. Participants could choose golf at a renowned off-site course (the Blue Monster), deep-sea fishing, or a day at the Doral Spa. The spa day included two treatments, lunch, and use of all spa facilities. “Spa is a huge draw for standard qualifiers as well,” she notes. “We usually try to block out the spa from 2 to 4 one afternoon so they can be sure to get appointments.”

• Make an Evening of It

  Devrie Lapointe, spa manager at the Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, B.C., recently booked a small corporate group for a private Spa Sampler evening, including a chair massage, foot scrubs and massages, hand scrubs and massages, manicures, pedicures, and use of spa facilities. Lapointe emphasizes that the spa and hotel will work with planners to marry the meeting's theme or goals with any spa events or activities.

• Try the Essential Jet Lag Cure

  Staff of the Sequoia Spa at The Grove, London's Country Estate and Conference Centre, have created a sure cure for corporate guests arriving on trans-Atlantic flights: the Jet Lag Rapid Recovery Ritual. Starting with a lower-leg and foot massage, the treatment then moves on to a light skin-brushing to stimulate lymphatic drainage, exfoliation, aromatherapy oil application, and finally a warm wrap to raise the body's temperature and induce perspiration to help eliminate toxins accumulated in flight. Too much? At least book a massage chair for your opening night reception to loosen attendees' airplane-kinked shoulders.

• Create a Spa Checklist

  Pam Ferguson, director of insurance sales, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. LLC, Chicago, says that meeting planner requests for full-service spas have grown exponentially. “Planners are now submitting RFPs that list the specific square footage and number of treatment rooms that are required in order to submit bids for particular groups,” she notes. Ken Pickle, CMP, manager, incentives and conferences, at Safeco in Seattle says a property with an adequately sized full-service spa will edge out a property without one in his site-selection process. His groups require 12 or more treatment rooms. Other “spa inspection” questions: Can the facility create satellite check-in areas to avoid lines at the desk? Can appointment times be staggered to improve flow through the spa? “We start our appointments at 15-minute intervals so that all participants are not starting or ending their treatments at the same time,” explains Fairmont's Sue Moore. (Fairmont features its own spa brand, Willow Stream Spas.) “This way they don't feel rushed or herded.” Nationwide's Cindy Wheaton prefers a full-service spa, in a hotel that's small enough that her group doesn't feel lost. “I like to be the big dog in the house,” she says. “I don't want the spa to be bought out from underneath us.”

• Spas at Sea

  Steiner Leisure Limited, a company that began decades ago as a London hair salon, has cornered the market on spas at sea, now on more than 120 ships across the cruise lines. According to Neal Sanders, director, spa operations, at Steiner Management Services in Coral Gables, Fla., trends at sea include spa suites (dedicated staterooms close to the spa, with spa products, robes, and potentially a dedicated spa concierge) now being launched on Costa Cruise Lines; acupuncture, offered on 15 ships and soon to be available on 50; and “medi-spa” treatments, such as tooth-whitening, microdermabrasion, and — in the future — possibly even Botox.

  As well, many Steiner-operated spas at sea are being renovated and expanded. This spring, Holland America Line's MS Maasdam became the last ship in the fleet to receive major upgrades as part of the company's $225 million Signature of Excellence initiative — including an expansion of the Geenhouse Spa and Salon that features more treatment rooms, a thermal suite and hydro-pool, and a spacious new fitness facility. And the Vista Spa and Salon on Disney Cruise Line's Disney Magic recently expanded to 10,700 square feet, with twice as much fitness space and three “spa villa” treatment rooms with adjoining verandahs outfitted with hot tubs and open-air showers.

  Sanders notes that many ships offer onboard seminars to introduce spa treatments and discuss the benefits of incorporating “wellness” and “anti-aging” activities into daily life. Steiner's onboard spas are flexible — extra therapists can be brought on board, companies can give attendees gift cards to be used for treatments or products, and one group has used online appointment booking pre-cruise. Steiner and the cruise lines are also focused on increasing spa use among certain segments: men, in part by bringing in “barbering” at salons with a masculine design; “the Y Generation,” by offering teen, mother/daughter and father/son treatments; and older guests, by emphasizing the benefits of spa treatments for mobility and flexibility.

• Try a Teaser

  If you block a chunk of time at the spa for your group, negotiate a “teaser” to boost interest in the treatments. Set up a spa station at registration, for example, with a massage chair and therapist, along with a spa representative to book appointments. Ask the property to provide a video that you can run at the station to introduce treatments with which attendees might not be familiar.

• Take the Spa Home

  Spa products are a natural for attendee gifts during incentive meetings. Put a twist on the room gift by making it an in-locker gift instead, selected to complement the treatment or treatments selected by each attendee.

• Get Out of the Treatment Room

  Book spa staff to lead sunrise hikes or yoga breaks.

• Put Wellness on the Agenda

  Many spas have staff who can address your group (in whole or in part) on topics of wellness, nutrition, fitness, and health. The Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess even offers talks on aromatherapy blending, meditation, and numerology and card readings. (Anyone sense the beginnings of a theme party here?)

• Make Your Own Menu

  Full-service spas with an extensive menu of treatments will allow you to narrow the choices for attendees in order to keep to a per-person spending limit. Or, create a menu with a particular theme, putting your creativity to work to rename that Swedish massage!

• Ask for Ideas

  Some resorts are creating spa packages specifically for meeting groups. The 180-room Pink Shell Beach Resort & Spa, on Estero Island, Fort Myers, Fla., for example, offers several meeting packages, such as the three-hour Sea of Life package, a way to add light fitness to a business session or teambuilding program. First is a 40-minute brisk walk, partially on sand, to increase circulation and energize tired, swollen feet and legs. The walk is followed by a eucalyptus steam, light refreshments, and attendees' choice of a facial or body wrap.

Fresh Ideas for Golf

• Now at the First Tee …

  Don't under-estimate the power of the little touches: As each foursome steps up to the first tee, have the starter introduce the players over a loudspeaker. Their PGA fantasy come true! Another extra-special touch: personalized name plates on lockers.

• Let Them Choose

  Dan Young, CLU, ChFC, LLIF, CMP, director of event planning and field recognition at Thrivent for Lutherans in Minneapolis, ensures a successful golf outing by allowing attendees to request playing partners when they register for the conference online. “The entire group seems to have more fun when they can play with people they know,” he notes.

• Golf at Sea

  All the big cruise lines have answered the call of golfers. Norwegian Cruise Lines' Pride of Aloha has launched the first Pro Shop at Sea (you can ship your new sticks home). Norwegian, Crystal Cruises, Silversea, and others have golf pros on board year-round to give lessons and offer swing analysis. Many ships also have golf simulators, allowing golfers to “play” some of the most famous courses in the world. Silversea has driving cages and practice greens, and offers clinics and demonstrations. And that's just the tip of the tee box.

• Serve Up Access to the CEO

  Put your CEO at the course's signature hole to serve drinks to the players, suggests Safeco's Ken Pickle, CMP. “That way,” Pickle notes, “instead of spending four hours with three golfers, the CEO gets to interact with all 100 [players].”

• Think Outside the Box Lunch

  Save money (and packaging) by setting up a cookout at the turn (after the ninth hole). Golfers can grab a burger or hot dog fresh off the grill as they start the second nine.

• Try a Skills Contest

  Save greens fees and get more people involved by holding a skills contest instead of a tournament, suggests John Lehmann, president of Network Sports Marketing in Wellington, Fla. Gather your group at the practice green and driving range and have them compete for the longest drive, straightest drive, closest to the pin, chipping, and putting, with awards given to the winners. “It's a lot less money, and it can be more exciting because it's a shared experience not just with three people but with the entire group,” Lehmann says. Set up bars and seats so spectators can enjoy cocktails while they watch the action, and it becomes a networking event as well as a skills competition.

• Make Them Feel Like Pros

  Book a property right after a PGA or other well-known golf event, and ask to use some of the setup from the event. At The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, on Maui, says Clarence Day, director of national accounts, corporate groups can hold a tournament immediately after the Mercedes Championships, when grandstands and signage are still in place.

quick tips: spa savings

• Negotiate a percentage discount based on reaching a certain level of spending in the spa.
• Nikki Cloutier, CMP, senior meeting planner at Allianz Life Insurance Co. in Minneapolis, says spa negotiation can be easier when the hotel manages and owns the spa rather than with an independently owned spa. “The hotel takes into consideration the relationship with the group and the hotel's overall revenue with rooms, F&B, audiovisual, and other ancillary costs,” she notes, “whereas the independently owned spa doesn't necessarily see or understand that value.” Specific spa concessions her groups have received include: 5 percent discount off published spa rates, complimentary spa treatments for VIPs, and current year's pricing at contract signing.
• Offer shortened (therefore cheaper) versions of some spa treatments.
• Leave the weekends for the leisure travelers and day-trippers and book Monday to Thursday for the most negotiating leverage.

quick tips: golf savings

• Book a nine-hole afternoon tournament instead of an 18-hole tournament. (And stick to your guns when the resort tells you the 18-hole rate still applies.) This has the bonus of taking less time as well. Beef up a nine-hole outing by adding a 30-minute demonstration or lesson conducted by local pros.
• Skip the fancy lunch box. One meeting planner buys his own brown paper bags and requests that the resort put golfers' lunches in them.
• Look for better deals on promotional items by buying them through preferred vendors rather than the golf shop at the resort, says Kathleen Cook, senior manager, corporate conferences and global events at Manugistics, Rockville, Md. Some resorts may allow you to put their logos on the items even if you didn't buy them there. Cook did this recently for a company golf outing at Chateau …lan in Atlanta — and saved hundreds of dollars.
• Consider sponsorships for everything from the beverage cart to the closest-to-the-pin contest: You'll enhance relationships and save money.
• If you typically spend $10,000 on gifts and prizes, consider donating a portion to charity and taking the tax deduction. Or skip the prizes altogether, like Dan Young, CLU, ChFC, LLIF, CMP, director of event planning and field recognition at Thrivent for Lutherans in Minneapolis. “The golf outings at our conference are the most expensive hosted outings, so we have cut any tournament prizes and just let them play for fun,” Young says. “We do, however, provide golf balls, rental clubs, lunch, refreshment cart, course golf towel, and ‘19th hole’ refreshments in the clubhouse.”

Further Reading