The contracts were signed, flights and hotels booked, and DMC ready to roll for an incentive trip of 100 attendees to Israel in November of 2023. The program for Atlantic Packaging, a major manufacturer of packaging goods, has been managed by Creative Group for the past 15 years.

“This is one of our most engaged groups and programs. They are deeply committed to immersing themselves in the culture, and because the owner is Jewish, he values the opportunity to take his employees on a trip to Israel every 5 to 7 years,” said Manon Dicaire, SVP, business development – Canada at Creative Group.

“We have learned over time that the situation can sometimes be unpredictable, so we’ve been proactive. We always have a Plan B in place. For this instance, that meant securing an agreement with the destination for the following year, allowing us to move the program to Portugal.”

Disaster Strikes

It was Canadian Thanksgiving Day when Dicaire got the call about the attack on October 7.

At the time the news broke, the company could not have used force majeure to release themselves from the contract. “It wasn’t technically impossible or illegal to reach the destination,” Dicaire said. “However, it became increasingly difficult as airlines began canceling flights. While rerouting participants was still an option, it raised the question: Is that really the experience we want for them?”

It took 7 days until the planners were able to legally invoke force majeure. “We waited for the DMC to confirm they could not operate the program,” Dicaire said. “We didn’t want to invoke it prematurely, only to be told we couldn’t recover our funds.

“We knew it was coming, but we didn’t need to act on Day 1.”

The other concern was the well-being of the partners on the ground in Israel. “You want to be kind to your vendors, especially since they are still recovering from the pandemic and rebuilding their businesses. We understood that pulling a program affected their livelihoods,” she said.

The client did not ask for 100% of their money back, and made sure that their vendors would be compensated for the work they had done, as well as any work that would be needed to cancel.

During that week, Creative Group communicated with the attendees so they could cancel any arrangements they had in place, like babysitting. “We asked everyone to just stand by as we worked through the situation, and assured them they would receive more information within a week. Meanwhile, we began sourcing alternative plans.”

Next Stop: Sun and Sand

Since there was no availability in Portugal and it would be cold, they chose Corazón Cabo Resort & Spa in Los Cabos. “It was the first time that this company had a sun and sand program, Dicaire said. “The hotel’s proximity to town was important because it’s such an active group.  We wanted to incorporate activities like a scavenger hunt and a couple of evenings off property.”

The Creative Group team stepped in to re-create every aspect of the program, from the air to the agenda. “We not only had to undo the work of the original program, but also navigate airline policies to secure refunds or credits,” she said. “We had to reset the registration of the group entirely, because we couldn’t assume everyone who had registered for the original trip would still be available, and there might be new participants who hadn’t been able to go in November but could join in February.  Essentially, we rebuilt the entire website.”

Meanwhile, the sourcing team was finalizing the contract with the hotel. “We accomplished off this within three months,” she said. “A site visit was conducted within two weeks of announcing the trip would not be in Israel, and the program was designed on the fly during that visit with our senior program manager.”

The program was such a success that Atlantic Packaging has decided to build a fun and sun location into their incentive rotation moving forward. “There was a bit more rest and organic connection during this program. Having a day to just hang out by the pool in lieu of daily activities gave this group a new experience,” Dicaire said. “It was a nice balance.”

The Creative Group-Atlantic Packaging program is a nominee for a 2025 Crystal Award from SITE; winners will be announced at the Annual Conference in March. 

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