SITE Launches New Certification Program
Way back in the 1980s Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) created the Certified Incentive Travel Executive (CITE) designation as a means to recognise incentive travel professionals whose knowledge of the industry was uncommonly deep and wide, who had conducted personal research into niche aspects of the industry, who had C-suite level immersion in the industry.
Then, in 2013 SITE launched the Certified Incentive Specialist (CIS)certification as an entry-level programme designed to provide incentive travel professionals with the elements and rudiments of the trade and accelerate their on-boarding into the industry. Today, more than 1300 professionals from 48 countries are CIS certified.
SITE is completing its career-spanning certifications by launching Certified Incentive Travel Professional(CITP), aimed specifically at mid level / 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, Venues.
The CITP designation is awarded upon successful completion of a 2 hour test designed to measure and validate the candidate’s performance against typical requirements of an incentive travel professional – 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 (a) 5 years full time employment in the Business Events /MICE industry and (b) 40 hours of Continuous Professional Education (of which 25% must be specifically produced by SITE and related to incentive travel.)
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. In addition relevant content may be found at Motivate, the on-line knowledge repository powered by the SITE Foundation.
By launching CITP, SITE is providing much needed formal certification for incentive travel professionals between the entry-level Certified Incentive Specialist (CIS) programme and the senior-level Certified Incentive Travel Executive (CITE) designation, providing the industry with a life long learning path in the incentive marketplace.
SITE is also meeting a pent-up need, particularly, for Incentive Companies for formal, objective recognition of the knowledge, experience and expertise of their incentive travel cohort who, until now, have had nothing other than the non- specialist CMP designation with which to highlight their professionalism.
The programme will be offered in the following ways:
I.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
II.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
III.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.
For further details on CITP and SITE’s other certifications, go to https://www.siteglobal.com/page/certification.
