The incentive industry has never had a beginner-level certification program—until now. Site has introduced the Certified Incentive Specialist (CIS), certification, a two-day program with 12 hours of education for motivational events and incentive travel professionals, including students and academic faculty, culminating in a competency exam.
Two CIS sessions are scheduled for the remainder of 2012: December 7 to 8 in Chicago and December 9 to 10 in Los Cabos, Mexico. Site is still working on the 2013 CIS schedule, which will include sessions in multiple countries.
The CIS will now become the prerequisite for the Certified Incentive Travel Executive (CITE) program, which will be re-introduced in the fall of 2013, according to Site spokesperson Julie Johnson. “It was designed for all facets of our membership, but we are really hoping to attract more corporate and end-users, as well as young professionals who are new to the industry or have less than 10 years of industry experience.”
The cost of the certification is $750 for Site members; $875 for non-members; $500 for faculty; and $400 for students. Group rates can be arranged.
The introduction of the CIS is part of a broader shift by Site to grow the number of corporate incentive planner members, which is just a fraction of the overall membership. “That is one of our membership goals in 2013. We have changed our group member rates to make it more economical for corporations to invest in multiple memberships.”
Learn more about the CIS program.