Virgin Incentives is a leading player in the corporate rewards industry, providing innovative, fun and highly memorable employee and customer gifting solutions to help businesses achieve their engagement goals. The Enterprise World is proud to introduce Virgin Incentives as the Best Performing Corporate Gifts Solution Provider for the USA.
With a customer-centric approach and a focus on delivering exceptional value and quality service, Virgin Incentives has established itself as a trusted partner for companies looking for effective ways to reward their employees and customers.
One of the things that set Virgin Incentives apart from its competitors is its range of over 4000 experiential rewards and the ability to create gifting solutions that cater to the specific needs and preferences of their clients. Their portfolio includes an extensive range of gift options and incentive programs that can be customized to meet individual requirements, making them a perfect solution provider for businesses of all sizes across the US
Virgin Incentives’ gift solutions are designed to promote employee engagement, drive sales growth, and enhance customer loyalty, making them valuable assets for businesses in today’s competitive landscape.
The company’s unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction ensures that every client is provided with an exceptional experience, with their team of experts on hand to provide guidance and support throughout the entire process of selecting, optimizing, , and delivering new experiences.
Emerging in the industry
In the highly competitive gifting industry, where multiple players are contending for market share, only a few manage to thrive. Among these, Virgin Incentives stands out as a shining example of success.
Despite facing numerous challenges such as shifting consumer preferences, escalating costs, and stiff competition, the company has managed to distinguish itself through a relentless focus on innovating its experiences across the US, expanding its product range, delivering exceptional value and unparalleled service to its clients.
With its deep understanding of the industry and years of experience, Virgin Incentives has positioned itself as a trailblazer in the corporate rewards space. The commitment to exceptional service and innovative gifting solutions has helped it rise to the top of the corporate gifting industry while showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Where did the journey begin?
“Our journey started as Cloud 9 Living; it was a family-run business offering consumers various experiences across different states.”
Cloud 9 Living quickly set the standard for experience gifts in the US, from adventure and driving to getaways, tours, and water-based activities. After 15 successful years, Cloud 9 Living was acquired and rebranded to Virgin Experience Gifts, adding it to the impressive list of Virgin companies operating in the US, including Hotels and Holidays, Voyages, and Virgin Galactic.
With coast-to-coast coverage, Virgin Experience Gifts offer a vast range of experience gifts that cater to every interest and occasion. But Virgin Incentives didn’t stop there. In line with the Virgin spirit of quality and innovation, it launched its US B2B arm, Virgin Incentives to help corporate businesses gift experience days to their employees and customers.
Whether firms are looking to incentivize their customers or employees, create a service award program for their teams, increase engagement across their entire organization, or just want to say thank you, Virgin Incentives is here to help with all things reward and recognition.
The team behind the curtains
Danni Rush
COO
Business driversare the lifeblood of successful businesses, serving as the driving force behind the company’s long-term vision and strategic goals. With a unique blend of strategic, operational, and commercial acumen, entrepreneurs must possess a deep understanding of their business and industry to ensure success. At the forefront of this group is Danni Rush, the Chief Operating Officer of Virgin Incentives, whose entrepreneurial spirit has propelled the company to new heights.
Drawing on her extensive experience across multiple industries, including travel, retail, and outdoor education, Danni has a wealth of knowledge that she has brought to her role at Virgin Incentives. As a hands-on leader, she is responsible for driving the business forward, spearheading new initiatives, and leading organizational changes that enable the company to achieve rapid growth.
Danni and the rest of the executive team are not content to rest!. The team are all constantly seeking new ways to engage and motivate their people and they understand the powerful impact that a highly engaged workforce can have on business performance. Danni has been a key player and has been instrumental in developing a culture of teamwork and collaboration at Virgin Incentives, providing mentorship and guidance to her colleagues and watching with pride as they achieve their career goals.
“We pride ourselves on delivering
innovative, high quality solutions to the
challenges facing HR, Rewards and Marketing
professionals looking to inspire.
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Under Danni’s leadership, Virgin Incentives has achieved numerous accolades, including winning two awards for the customer service and people teams during the global pandemic, as well as two additional awards for, e Employer of the Year and, Most Inspirational Place to Work. These achievements are a testament to her teams’ commitment to driving success.
Shaping the entrepreneurial journey
Danni’s’ passion for reading has been a source of inspiration and guidance throughout her career, with one book, in particular, standing out as a favorite, Winning by Clive Woodward, chronicling the journey of the England Rugby Head Coach, resonates with her, particularly the concept of T-CUP thinking – the ability to think calmly under pressure. It’s a mindset she has adopted and frequently refers to in her own leadership journey.
As an accomplished business leader, Danni has great admiration for Jacinda Ardern, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand. Her ability to lead with a balance of strength, empathy, and emotion, particularly during challenging times, is something that Danni finds truly inspiring. Jacinda’s leadership is a testament to the power of women in leadership roles and serves as a shining example for Danni as she continues to make her mark in the business world.
Another inspirational figure for Danni is Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder of Bumble. Danni finds the Bumble story to be particularly compelling, with its unique vision and purpose, driven by a passionate and engaged team, all led by a visionary and ambitious founder. Whitney’s success as the youngest woman to take a company public in the US is a testament to the power of determination and hard work.
Throughout her journey, Danni has lived by the quote, “One day or day one. It’s your decision.” This empowering statement reflects her belief that success is not a matter of chance but a matter of choice, with each individual holding the power to make their dreams a reality. Her own journey is a testament to the power of determination, resilience, and hard work, and serves as an inspiration to those around her.
Constant vigilance – the key
Danni Rush understands that in order to achieve the best possible outcomes in business, constant vigilance is required.
“Execution, staying clear on the goal, identifying challenges and Issues are all so important to delivering the best possible outcomes.”
Achieving a healthy work-life balance is also paramount to her. As a passionate business leader, work never feels like a rat-race for Danni, but rather a fulfilling pursuit. However, she acknowledges that each person’s work-life balance looks different and requires the support of others to achieve. To this end, Danni makes time for her personal goals, prioritizes her well-being, and ensures that she has space to enjoy the things she loves.
Roadblocks
Success in business requires the ability to overcome obstacles unique to each sector. For companies like Virgin Incentives, maintaining strong customer relationships, brand vibrancy, and workforce satisfaction are key priorities.
To achieve these goals, Virgin Incentives invested in a dedicated corporate team and made strategic investments in sales and marketing resources, as well as a new technology stack, which included a revamped website, virginincentives.com. By tackling these challenges head-on, Virgin Incentives has positioned itself as a leader in the industry.
The COO says, “We also used our expertise from the UK, £11 million turnover forecasted for the current financial year, and mirrored our processes, reporting and data insights to grow Virgin Incentives in the US. We’ve leveraged relationships from our UK market with clients, employees, and sister companies in the US.”
Triggers of growth
The importance of rewards and recognition in the workplace is growing, particularly in the current hybrid work environment. Virgin Incentives has carved out a unique niche in this market by providing fun and memorable experiences. Their focus on constant innovation and growth has set them apart from their competitors.
“We are innovative and have clear goals for all areas of the business, short-term and long-term. Our people are the heart of our company and their expertise and love for our products and brand are what make the difference.”
Recent product launches such as the first-ever beer spa experience in the US and a virtual online bake masterclass have been a hit with corporate teams. The company has also formed partnerships with popular retailers and offers competitive pricing, making it easy for both small and large companies to work with them. It has focused on growing its brand within specific industries and partnering with HR, Reward and People teams to drive its growth.
Long-standing Success
“Our brand motto is, “Screw it – let’s do it” – so we’re always innovating and driving our business forward.”
Virgin Incentives has an ear to the ground in order to respond to emerging industry developments. The firm remains inquisitive and seeks market gaps. Furthermore, it listens to consumers and internal teams and sets aggressive growth goals. Its enduring success can be attributed in part to this.
The company is continually improving its product line and offering new experiences that it believes everyone will like. It just launched Niagara Falls excursions, ultimate segway trips across various states, a salmon river rafting adventure, and a slew of new gourmet dining experiences across numerous cities – all of which can be simply gifted to customers and employees alike.
Insights
Over the past year, Virgin Incentives has generated 184% more revenue compared to this time last year.
Danni says, “We’ve expanded our product range to include new and fun experience categories. We recently launched over 100 new experiences across various locations, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington, Colorado, California, Florida and many more multiple locations.”
In addition, the firm has formed new alliances with companies such as Virgin Red, THNKs, Mediavine, Prezzee, and Penn International, to mention a few.
Team for the win
Virgin Incentives has a great reward and recognition program that focuses on employee engagement. The company offers several fun rewards, such as flexible working and holidays, a Virgin Tribe membership with discounts on everyday brands, an employee assistance program, and birthday gifts.
The company wants its employees to enjoy experience days and offers a discount on them, as well as an annual gift card for experiences. Virgin Incentives also celebrates international social days, bringing its teams together to have fun and collaborate with one another.
Danni adds, “As we are in significant growth mode, our strategy encompasses more of a learning culture to ensure high-performance working but to retain our extraordinary people! We encourage all our team members to live and breathe our core values, empowering our teams to work together, #bettertogether and make a change/difference so they can truly #Ownit”
Setting it apart
Virgin Incentives helps businesses in both the UK and the US create a thriving employee culture with engagement, loyalty, and performance at its heart. For employees, it is always a great feeling to be recognized, valued, and rewarded – Virgin Incentives makes that happen, with flexible solutions based on an unrivalled range of experiential rewards, gift cards and eVouchers.
From culinary tours to once-in-a-lifetime fighter jet flights, businesses looking to reward their US employees and customers with a wonderful new incentive need not look further than Virgin Incentives.
Virgin Incentives is different because it offers more than 4000 experiences across the US, and these never expire, as they can be booked whenever it suits the employee or customer.
Flexible payment options are also available, as well as instant digital delivery of products with personalization options. There are no contracts, no minimum spend and certainly no hidden fees. Additionally, easy returns and exchanges are offered. Virgin Incentives takes pride in offering people new experiences that they can enjoy with friends and family, whenever it suits them.
A step ahead
Virgin Incentives carefully selects its experience providers by hand-picking and vetting over 600 top-rated options. The company’s team personally trials experiences to ensure the safety, fun, and memorability of the customer’s journey.
The team also considers existing customer reviews and feedback to maintain a high standard. Furthermore, Virgin Incentives fosters strong relationships with its vendors, ensuring that there is a shared brand and cultural synergy with their partners.
The company has recently launched four new collection vouchers, which offer a world of fun treats, experiences, and exciting days out, available in values ranging from $200 to $500. These vouchers allow businesses to choose a theme or price point and gift them to their employees or customers.
Danni adds, “For instance, the gold collection voucher offers experiences such as wine tastings, an entire day with a professional chef, a playing lesson with a PGA Pro, flying lessons, or remote island camping. These gifts can range from a relaxing night out to an adrenaline-fueled adventure.”
No matter what the recipients are into, there’s something for everyone.
