SITE to launch new industry certification at IMEX Frankfurt

The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) has added to its industry certification portfolio with a new programme to target mid-level incentive travel professionals.

The Certified Incentive Travel Professional (CITP) qualification was previewed at the invitation-only SITE Incentive Summit Americas earlier this month, where 20 members of the association sat the examination. The verdict from candidates at the end of the test was “tough but fair”. It will be officially launched at IMEX Frankfurt in May.

“SITE is completing its career-spanning certifications by launching CITP, aimed specifically at mid-level and middle management planners of incentive travel programmes in corporations and agencies but open, too, to senior managers on the supplier side – DMOs, CVBs, DMCs, hotels, cruise companies and venues,” said Padraic Gilligan, chief marketing officer, SITE.

“The CITP designation is awarded upon successful completion of a two-hour test designed to measure and validate the candidate’s performance against typical requirements of an incentive travel professional.”

This includes strategic case-making around the business benefits of incentive travel, finance and budgeting, operations and execution, programme design and delivery, CSR and sustainability.

The CITP test may be taken by any incentive travel professional who can demonstrate five years full-time employment in the events industry and 40 hours of Continuous Professional Education – of which 25% must be specifically produced by SITE and related to incentive travel.

SITE will be offering the CITP exam at IMEX Frankfurt on May 14, 2018 in Messe Frankfurt Hall 9 from 9-11am or 1-3pm. There are special introductory rates for members of US$337.50 – a 50% saving on the regular member price of US$675. Non-members can take the exam for US$895, which includes 12 months of SITE membership.

“While there is no specific preparatory course for the CITP certificate, SITE will be offering candidates access to an extensive range of on-line modules designed to help candidates validate or supplement their existing knowledge and expertise,” said Gilligan. “In addition, relevant content may be found at Motivate, the on-line knowledge repository powered by the SITE Foundation.”

According to SITE, the CITP programme will be offered in the following ways:

- Once candidates fulfil all proctoring requirements, companies may sponsor and stage the delivery of the test to a closed, qualified group of their own invited candidates (internal staff or clients, for example) during a company meeting, conference or event.

- Companies may also sponsor and stage the delivery of the test to an open qualified group of incentive travel executives and managers during an industry conference exhibition, trade show or networking event.

- Upon fulfilment of the qualification criteria, individuals will have the opportunity to take the test under proctored supervision at regional locations throughout the year if and when the test is offered to an open audience by SITE or a local SITE chapter.

SITE first began offering professional certification in the 1980s with its Certified Incentive Travel Executive (CITE) designation for C-suite level practitioners who showed “deep and wide” industry knowledge.

In 2013, SITE added the Certified Incentive Specialist (CIS) certification as an entry-level programme. Today, more than 1,300 professionals from 48 countries are CIS-certified.

SITE’s 2018 entry-level CIS certification dates in Asia are June 14-15 at Anantara Riverside Bangkok, followed by August 4-5 in Taipei. CITP certification dates in Asia are yet to be announced.

The 2019 SITE Global Conference will also be held in Bangkok from January 11-13 2019.