Sri Lanka

Overlooked after years of uncertainty, Sri Lanka is only just emerging from the shadow of its better-known neighbours and carving out its own niche in the MICE market. It’s this status as a (relatively) undiscovered gem of the Indian Ocean that’s fuelling interest in this small, unassuming island. With rapidly expanding hotel infrastructure, a uniquely exciting culture, incredible beaches, UNESCO-listed ruins, wildlife-rich safari and tea plantations that extend as far as the eye can see… Sri Lanka comes together in a chaotic and exhilarating riot of sound, colour and experience. With such diversity in such a compact area, there is a great opportunity for event planners to create a really engaging incentive, but it’s not without its pitfalls and logistical complexities. Earlier this year I had the privilege to experience what it was like to run an event here. We took a group of 40 software sales representatives along Sri Lanka’s spectacular south coast, spending time in Galle and Ahungalla. The itinerary was packed with some real once-in-a-lifetime activities, including a thrilling tuk-tuk polo tournament and an emotional visit to a local turtle hatchery where we released hatchling turtles into the ocean, alongside bespoke dinners on the beach and in the hotel grounds, plus enough time for the group to relax and soak in the culture and atmosphere of the country. I thoroughly enjoyed this event, Sri Lanka is a truly excellent destination to work and if I could list everything I loved about the country we’d be here for a long time. So below I’ve highlighted a few of the most important pros and cons for any event planner, starting with the good stuff: In Sri Lanka, they take a detailed and sincere approach to service and this showed itself in all aspects of the event. From the numerous update meetings the hotel’s F&B manager insisted on having with me, to the cold-towel-and-mint-guy whose sole job was – you guessed it – to hand out cold towels and mints on each transfer. The details, however minor, are taken seriously and carried out professionally. Yes – you hear this word a lot. That would usually worry me, yet far more often than, they come through with whatever you've asked for. At one point I asked the hotel for a last-minute addition to the table décor, the hotel agreed without hesitation and were positive they could source the 20 niche table lanterns I required in the limited time we had left before dinner. And sure enough, the lanterns arrived on time as requested. It transpired later that a hapless hotel employee had driven the five hours round trip to Colombo to pick them up. The lanterns did look great though. There are a huge range of experiences and activities on offer, and if you work closely with your in-country partner there’s real scope to bring together something that’s totally unique. The tuk-tuk polo tournament offered the competitive thrills and spills they were after, and apparently a world first for an incentive group. If you want to play it a bit safer, then the turtle hatchery visit and release was a great experience and also surprisingly moving. Either way, you will find something here to cater to a wide demographic. The not-so-good stuff: As mentioned, Sri Lanka can also be a tricky place to operate, partly due to the unpredictable nature in which government and businesses operate and interact with each other. On arriving at the cricket pitch we had hired outside Galle to set up the tuk-tuk polo match, we were greeted by 2,000 school children running riot, with school sports day in full swing - it turned out the pitch had been double booked by the council. We did finally manage to clear the pitch ahead of the group arriving but this was not a scenario you could anticipate and I would advise adding an extra hour on to any advance you make ahead of the group. The distances in Sri Lanka can also be a challenge. Client’s expect to see Sigiriya and Galle AND go on safari. Realistically incentives only have three or four full days on the ground so this is a key expectation to manage ahead of selling Sri Lanka to a client. That being said, transport infrastructure has hugely improved in recent years. There are many more things to say about Sri Lanka, in particular, just how much fun it was to work here, but I was set a word limit and I’m already way over. If I could leave you with one impression of Sri Lanka it would be that the earnest and hard-working suppliers combined with Sri Lanka’s potential for a unique and new product means there’s a great opportunity to try new things and to pull them off. And yes, it can be a challenging destination to operate in, but the rewards absolutely outweigh the risks.