First Incentive Travel

What First Incentive Travel does

First Incentive Travel, Inc. (FIT) is a privately held, boutique corporate incentive travel planning agency headquartered at 8810 Commodity Circle, Suite 28, Orlando, Florida. Founded approximately in 2000 and operated by founder-CEO Joost de Meyer (SITE Master Motivator 2015) and CFO/Vice-President Iris Langanke, the company has been in business for 25 years and claims 500+ served clients, 150+ destinations, a 1,000+ global vendor network, and combined team experience of 140+ countries visited personally. It is incorporated in Florida as a closely held corporation with no disclosed parent, subsidiaries, external funding, or M&A history.

The company's core offering is end-to-end corporate incentive trip planning, alongside meeting destination management and full event management services — including custom events, themed experiences, logistics (transportation, hotel reservations, excursions, 24/7 on-site hospitality), and creative/communication services (email CRM, mobile app development, video/photography, branded gifting). Destination coverage is operated as eight regional practices (Mexico & Caribbean, Costa Rica, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia/New Zealand, USA) plus dedicated cruise incentives across Caribbean, Alaskan, Mediterranean, river, Hawaiian, South Pacific, and Antarctic itineraries with partner lines including Windstar, Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas, Holland America Line, and Transcend Cruises. Service is delivered through dedicated program managers using a documented 10-step process (briefing, confirmation, brainstorm, proposal, follow-up, inspection, booking, activation, execution, reporting).

Commercially, FIT operates on a cost-plus pricing or cost-plus management fee model with quote-based, customized pricing (group minimum of 10 rooms, no published tiers). Multi-year Agency-of-Record contracts are offered with multi-year partnership discounts. The go-to-market is direct enterprise sales: dedicated program managers handle Fortune 500/multinationals, mid-market, and startup clients (named logos include HP, Daikin North America, Flow Traders, BMG Labtech, Achieve 3000, Kapow Events, and a Fortune 1000 electronics enterprise). Marketing is primarily top-of-funnel via website blog content, supplemented by client testimonials, email communications, and industry association involvement (SITE, MPI, IMA, IRF, ADMEI, CLIA). There is no proprietary technology platform — the company is structurally a services business with conventional digital tooling.

Name

First Incentive Travel

Legal name

First Incentive Travel, Inc.

Website

https://firstincentivetravel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

First Incentive Travel is a privately held, boutique corporate incentive travel and event management agency in Orlando, Florida serving Fortune 500, multinational, and startup clients with end-to-end group trip planning across 150+ destinations worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Incentive Travel & Event Management

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Incentive Travel Programs (Corporate) (THACAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Program Design & Strategy (Incentive Concepting, Qualification Criteria, Budgeting) (THAHANAA), Onsite Program Management & Hospitality Desks (Staffing, Rooming Lists, Check-in) (THAHANAG), Group Air, Ticketing & Travel Operations (Manifests, Rebooking, 24/7 Support) (THAHANAF), Incentive Travel Procurement & Contracting (Air/Hotel/Transport Sourcing) (THAHANAD)

Keywords

• Corporate incentive travel
• Event management services
• Destination management
• Corporate meeting planning
• Group travel services

Headquarters

HQ city

Orlando

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Travel Planning & Management Services: Full-service corporate incentive travel planning agency that handles logistics, accommodations, activities, and event management for corporate groups. Revenue generated through professional service fees, vendor management, and program coordination. Operates on cost-plus pricing model with transparency.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

First Incentive Travel is a boutique corporate incentive travel, meeting, and event management agency that plans, coordinates, and executes group travel programs (10 rooms or more) for enterprise clients. Services span destination management across nine regions (Mexico & Caribbean, Costa Rica, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia/New Zealand, USA, and cruise itineraries), program types including sales incentives, dealer events, corporate retreats, team-building offsites, bespoke luxury travel, and sports trips, plus full logistics, on-site hospitality, and creative communication services. Revenue is earned through professional service fees on a Cost Plus or Cost Plus management fee pricing model, with multi-year Agency-of-Record contracts.

Product overview

First Incentive Travel is a boutique corporate incentive travel planning agency offering a comprehensive suite of destination management and event services. The core offering consists of corporate incentive trips, meeting destinations, and event management, supported by communication and creative services (including website design, mobile app development, and branded merchandising) and logistics services (transportation, hotel reservations, and on-site hospitality). The company organizes programs across eight geographic destination regions: Mexico & Caribbean, Costa Rica, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia & New Zealand, and the USA. Program types span sales incentive and reward programs, meetings and events, corporate retreats and cruises, team building, bespoke luxury travel, and sports planning events. The company also offers themed trip experiences (cruise incentives, luxury getaways, adventure escapes, dual destinations, wellness trips, and cultural immersion). Its 10-step process covers briefing, confirmation, brainstorm, proposal, follow-up, inspection, booking, activation, execution, and reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Incentive Trips Full-service corporate incentive travel planning for groups, handling logistics, accommodations, and activities with a dedicated program manager and global vendor network. Designed for enterprise clients running reward and recognition travel programs.
• Meeting Destinations Planning and management of corporate meeting destinations, including venue selection, contract negotiation, and on-site execution oversight for corporate groups.
• Event Management Full event management service including custom events, specialty decor, entertainment design, and event success measurement and evaluation for corporate clients.
• Sales Incentive & Reward Programs Tiered incentive programs, competitive activities, sales meetings, and dealer events for corporate clients looking to drive sales performance through travel rewards.
• Corporate Retreats & Cruises Team and employee recognition, peer-to-peer networking, awards shows, entertainment, and wellness experiences combined with cruise itineraries for corporate groups.
• Company Cohesion & Team Building Post-merger and acquisition team activities, mission/vision/values alignment, strategy and thought leadership discussions, and corporate social responsibility programs for corporate groups.
• Bespoke Luxury Travel Complete 1-on-1 customized travel planning with 24/7 assistance, milestone luxury experiences, and epic escapes for elite teams and C-level executives.
• Sports Planning Events Specialty sports trip programs including FIFA World Cup, Olympics and Formula One trips, training camps for international soccer teams, and promotional sports trips for corporate groups.
• Cruise Incentives Corporate cruise incentive programs including Caribbean, Alaskan, Mediterranean, European river, Hawaiian, South Pacific, and Antarctic cruise options with partner cruise lines such as Windstar Cruises, Seaborn, Regent Seven Seas, Holland America Line, and Transcend Cruises.
• Themed Trip Experiences Themed experience categories including cruise incentives, luxury getaways, adventure escapes, dual destinations, wellness trips, and cultural immersion programs for corporate groups.
• Mexico & Caribbean Destination Management Incentive travel management for Mexico and Caribbean destinations including Cancun, Riviera Maya, Los Cabos, Aruba, Punta Cana, Jamaica, and the Bahamas, with all-inclusive resort options and excursion coordination.
• Costa Rica Destination Management Incentive travel management for Costa Rica including rainforest canopy tours, catamaran cruises, volcano hot springs, and eco-resort accommodations.
• Canada Destination Management Incentive travel management for Canadian destinations including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Whistler, Banff, and Niagara Falls.
• Europe Destination Management Incentive travel management for European destinations including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Iceland, Budapest, Dubrovnik, Prague, Amsterdam, Munich, and Copenhagen.
• Asia Destination Management Incentive travel management for Asian destinations including Singapore, South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia.
• Africa Destination Management Incentive travel management for African destinations including South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
• Australia & New Zealand Destination Management Incentive travel management for Australia and New Zealand including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland, and Wellington.
• USA Destination Management Incentive travel management for USA destinations including Las Vegas, New York, Miami, Hawaii, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Trees4TravelminorOthersFirst Incentive Travel donates a portion of staff travel air miles and incentive meetings emissions to Trees4Travel by planting trees and investing in UN-certified carbon credits as part of their sustainability commitment.
• Wine to WaterminorOthersFirst Incentive Travel donates annually to Wine to Water, a nonprofit organization that provides clean water solutions in remote and vulnerable communities around the world.
• Transcend CruisescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Incentive Travel serves on the Advisory Board of Transcend Cruises, a B2B charter-only river cruise company designed exclusively for groups. The company has a strategic relationship in co-developing the future of group river cruising with purpose-built ships launching April 2026.
• SITE (Society of Incentive Travel Excellence)coreOthersGlobal membership organization for incentive travel professionals. Joost de Meyer served on SITE International Board of Directors from 2007-2010.
• MPI (Meeting Professionals International)coreOthersGlobal meeting and event industry association. Joost de Meyer received CMM (Certified Meeting Manager) certification through MPI.
• CLIA (Cruise Line International Association)coreOthersCruise industry trade association. First Incentive Travel team has several certifications from CLIA and serves as cruise experts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Maritz Travel: Maritz Travel is one of the original and largest corporate incentive travel and meeting management companies in the US, serving enterprise clients with global programs. Comparable to FIT in core service (incentive travel planning) but at significantly larger scale and with broader capabilities including meeting planning and event production.
• ITA Group: ITA Group is a well-established incentive travel and engagement agency designing sales incentive trips, meetings, and recognition programs for global enterprises. Closest direct competitor to FIT in scope and customer profile, with overlapping product lines in incentive travel and corporate meetings.
• One10: One10 is an incentive travel and motivation company that designs and executes sales incentive programs, dealer events, and recognition experiences for mid-market and enterprise clients. Direct peer to FIT in the incentive travel and reward program space.
• BI WORLDWIDE: BI WORLDWIDE is a global leader in incentive, loyalty, and engagement solutions, offering incentive travel, rewards, and recognition programs for enterprises. Highly comparable to FIT as a full-service incentive travel and engagement agency serving Fortune 500 clients, though operating at significantly larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Direct Travel: Direct Travel is a North American corporate travel management company serving mid-market and enterprise clients with travel, meetings, and events services. Overlaps with FIT on corporate meetings and incentive travel but operates a full TMC business rather than specializing in boutique incentive design.
• CWT: CWT is a major global corporate travel management company with meetings, events, and incentive travel capabilities. Comparable to FIT in serving multinational corporate clients for incentive programs but at much larger scale and with broader service portfolio.
• BCD Travel: BCD Travel is one of the largest corporate travel management companies globally, offering corporate travel booking, meetings & events, and incentive program services. Overlaps with FIT in incentive travel and meeting destination services but competes primarily on TMC scale rather than boutique incentive design.
• American Express Global Business Travel: Amex GBT is a global leader in corporate travel management, with adjacent meetings, events, and incentive travel capabilities. Competes with FIT for enterprise incentive programs but as part of a much broader portfolio including air/hotel booking, expense management, and consulting.

Regional players

• Fox World Travel: Fox World Travel is a US-based corporate travel management company offering meetings, incentives, and group travel services to enterprise clients. Comparable in service mix to FIT (incentive travel, meetings, group events) but focused on US corporate accounts rather than FIT's global destination footprint.

Emerging players

• Aimbridge Hospitality (Events): Aimbridge operates a corporate events and incentive program division serving mid-market clients with offsite, incentive, and recognition programs. Comparable to FIT's meetings & events and incentive trips offerings, though with less global destination breadth and a more US-centric footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/travel-incentives
• Xx.com/firstincentive
• Facebookfacebook.com/FirstIncentiveTravel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Incentive Travel