Incentive
Incentive is a B2B media publication under Northstar Travel Media LLC serving professionals who design employee incentive and recognition programs. It covers Strategy, Travel, and Corporate Gifts, supported by an annual trade event and the Cvent co-produced PULSE Survey.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1905
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Incentive does
Incentive is a B2B media publication operating as a brand within Northstar Travel Media LLC, a privately held media company headquartered at 301 Route 17 N, Suite 1150, Rutherford, NJ. The publication serves buyers and suppliers in the incentive travel and employee recognition industry, delivering editorial content organized into three interconnected content categories—Strategy, Travel, and Corporate Gifts—that collectively address the full spectrum of incentive program design. It has a stated founding heritage of 1905 and operates with 11–50 employees.
The core product is the editorial publication itself, which is positioned as the 'must-read' authority for incentive industry professionals and is distributed globally through a digital publishing platform hosted at northstarmeetingsgroup.com/Incentive. Supporting the editorial core are three additional products: the Northstar/Cvent Incentive PULSE Survey, a semi-annual industry research instrument co-produced with Cvent that benchmarks planner sentiment and incentive travel trends; Incentive Live, an annual trade event held at resort venues (next scheduled May 31–June 2, 2026 at the Boca Raton resort) for in-person education and networking; and Incentive Update, a periodic email newsletter. The underlying technology is a digital publishing platform with no disclosed AI, API, SDK, or mobile application components.
Revenue is generated primarily through advertising and sponsorships, including display advertising, sponsored editorial content, and co-produced research surveys, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The customer base is horizontal across the full incentive program ecosystem—corporations seeking to motivate employees through travel, merchandise, gift cards, and recognition programs on the buy side, and hotels, resorts, and gift vendors on the supply side. No funding rounds, acquisitions, divestitures, leadership changes, or other corporate structural moves are disclosed in available source material.
Incentive firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Incentive
- Legal name
- Northstar Travel Media LLC
- Website
- https://incentivemag.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1905
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Incentive is a B2B media publication under Northstar Travel Media LLC serving professionals who design employee incentive and recognition programs. It covers Strategy, Travel, and Corporate Gifts, supported by an annual trade event and the Cvent co-produced PULSE Survey.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Incentive industry classification
Industry- Product category
- B2B Trade Publishing
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Incentive Travel Design & Rewards Programs (THAHADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Program Design & Strategy (Incentive Concepting, Qualification Criteria, Budgeting) (THAHANAA), Rewards, Recognition & Merchandise Sourcing (Points, Catalogs, Gift Cards) (THAHANAC), Loyalty, Rewards & Incentive Programs (BPAFAMAE), Communications & Engagement (Invitations, Microsites, Mobile Apps, Messaging) (THAHANAI)
Keywords
Where Incentive is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Incentive business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Advertising and sponsorships: The publication generates revenue through sponsored content, display advertising, and co-produced surveys with partners like Cvent. This is typical for B2B media brands serving niche professional communities.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Incentive product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Incentive is a B2B media publication that delivers editorial content, industry research, events, and newsletters to professionals who design and procure employee incentive and recognition programs. The publication operates as a content platform covering Strategy, Travel, and Corporate Gifts, supported by the co-produced Northstar/Cvent Incentive PULSE Survey, the Incentive Live annual event, and the Incentive Update email newsletter.
Product overview
Incentive is a B2B media publication under Northstar Meetings Group serving professionals who design and procure employee motivation and recognition programs. The publication operates as a content platform organized into three interconnected editorial channels—Strategy, Travel, and Corporate Gifts—that collectively address the full spectrum of incentive program design. Supporting the core editorial content are two additional offerings: the Northstar/Cvent Incentive PULSE Survey, a semi-annual research product providing market intelligence and planner sentiment data, and Incentive Live, an annual industry event for incentive professionals. The publication also distributes content through a scheduled email newsletter, Incentive Update.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Incentive Publication
- Northstar/Cvent Incentive PULSE Survey
- Incentive Live
- Incentive Update Newsletter
Companies that use Incentive
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Incentive technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Incentive partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CventcoreCvent co-produces and sponsors the Northstar/Cvent Incentive PULSE Survey, a key research initiative providing industry benchmarking data on planner sentiment, incentive travel trends, and program effectiveness. This partnership positions the Incentive brand as a data-driven authority in the incentive industry.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Incentive competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Employee Benefit News: B2B media covering employee benefits, including recognition and rewards programs. Emerging peer with partial overlap on the corporate gifts/recognition side of Incentive's coverage.
- Skift Meetings: Digital-first B2B media outlet covering the meetings and corporate events industry from the Skift travel media portfolio. Emerging peer with overlapping audience but a digital-first editorial model.
Direct peers
- Event Marketer: A trade publication covering corporate event marketing and experiential programs. Direct peer as B2B media serving brand marketers and event planners with overlapping advertising and content monetization.
- The Meeting Professional (MPI publication): Official publication of Meeting Professionals International serving meeting and event planners. Direct peer as an association-affiliated B2B media brand serving a substantially overlapping audience of meetings/incentive buyers.
- BizBash: An event industry trade media brand covering meetings, events, and experiential marketing for planners and suppliers. Direct peer as a B2B media outlet serving an adjacent events/incentive buyer base with similar advertising revenue model.
- Successful Meetings: A sister Northstar Meetings Group publication covering meetings and events for corporate planners. Direct peer as a competing B2B media title in the same parent portfolio serving an overlapping corporate meetings audience.
- Meetings & Conventions: Another Northstar Meetings Group sister publication covering the meetings industry. Direct peer operating in the same B2B vertical with similar advertising-driven revenue model and overlapping buyer audience.
- Corporate Event News (formerly Corporate Meetings & Incentives): Trade publication historically focused on corporate meetings and incentive travel. Direct peer targeting the same incentive buyer and supplier base with similar content categories and advertising revenue model.
Others
- IRF ( Incentive Research Foundation): Industry research foundation producing data and studies on incentive travel and motivation. Adjacent peer as a research/data producer in the same vertical that competes for research-driven attention from the same audience.
Broad incumbents
- Northstar Meetings Group: Parent publishing umbrella housing Incentive alongside Meetings & Conventions, Successful Meetings, and other travel-industry titles. Broad incumbent because it is the parent entity, not a true external competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Incentive social profiles
Digital presenceIncentive financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Incentive leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Incentive funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Incentive M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Incentive
What does Incentive do?
Incentive is a B2B media publication that delivers editorial content, industry research, events, and newsletters to professionals who design and procure employee incentive and recognition programs. The publication operates as a content platform covering Strategy, Travel, and Corporate Gifts, supported by the co-produced Northstar/Cvent Incentive PULSE Survey, the Incentive Live annual event, and the Incentive Update email newsletter.
Is Incentive a public or private company?
Incentive is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Incentive founded?
Incentive was founded in 1905. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Incentive based?
Incentive is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Incentive make money?
One revenue line is on record: advertising and sponsorships.
Who are Incentive's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Employee Benefit News and Skift Meetings. Direct peers are Event Marketer, The Meeting Professional (MPI publication), BizBash, Successful Meetings, Meetings & Conventions and Corporate Event News (formerly Corporate Meetings & Incentives). IRF ( Incentive Research Foundation) is listed as an others. Northstar Meetings Group is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Incentive have an API?
No public API is recorded for Incentive.
What industry is Incentive in?
Incentive's product category is B2B Trade Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHADAB, Incentive Travel Design & Rewards Programs, with a secondary code of THAHANAA, Program Design & Strategy (Incentive Concepting, Qualification Criteria, Budgeting). Its SIC code is 7310.