Next-Level Incentive Travel: 3 Yachts & Countless Memories

An Inventive Trip on Chartered Yachts - Planned by BDI Events

Our key takeaways from planning a luxurious & fully curated President’s Club Incentive Trip in Croatia.

Some trips stand out - not because everything goes perfectly but because the experience is so distinctive that every part of it feels worth remembering.

Earlier this year, a client came to us with a bold vision: a triple yacht charter through the Adriatic for a President’s Club Incentive Trip. We partnered to bring their idea to life, and it became an experience people are still talking about weeks later. 

As one attendee said, “It was incredible to be given an experience that many - if not all - of us would never otherwise have.”

Even with our decades of incentive travel experience, this particular trip was a whole new ballgame. Here are some of our key takeaways from these three yacht charters in Croatia.

Create an Experience that Attendees Can’t Buy Themselves

A beautiful hotel in a beach town is technically something people can book on their own. Doing something completely unexpected, something guests may never do in a lifetime, is when the real wow-factor comes into play. A private yacht charter through the Dalmatian Coast, island-hopping between Korčula and Vis, and dining dockside on fresh-caught seafood in remote villages is exactly that. .

When people can't replicate the experience on their own without the planning infrastructure of an event agency it stops being a "work trip" and starts being a story they'll tell for years. It’s a story their peers will hear and will be motivated to achieve. Create FOMO. That's what companies are buying when you invest in a program like this.

The magic of Croatia wasn’t just the scenery (although that was spectacular). It was the inaccessibility - the yachts, the crews, rooftop dinners. The way every moment was curated on the guests’ behalf. That is a special feeling that incentive travel can create.

Connection is What People Take Home with Them

When we look back at most incentive trips, the things people talk about aren’t the activities or dinners. It comes back to who they spent time with and the connections they made along the way.

Being out of their usual routines gives people the space to sit with each other, and relationships tend to deepen.

This program made that even more noticeable. On a boat, there’s no disappearing for the afternoon at the spa or retreating to a private cabana the way you might at a resort. Everyone moves through the same shared spaces throughout the day, which brings people together in a more natural way.

Even as planners, we felt part of it. Meals weren’t separate or behind the scenes. We were sitting down with the group, having conversations and getting to know people in a way we don’t typically have time for onsite.

The setting did a lot of the heavy lifting. People talked more, lingered longer and it felt less like a scheduled program and more like time well-spent together. The sense that everyone was fully present made a big impact. 

Site Visits Matter Even When You Can't See Everything

As with many incentive trips, much of what shapes a program happens outside the main venue…the celebratory dinners, the off-site excursions, the logistics of moving a group between locations…. Those are the pieces that a walk-through can sharpen dramatically. When you've stood in the restaurant, walked the dock, driven the transfer route, then the decisions you make back at your desk are educated and comprehensive.

There’s also the relationship component. Spending time in person with local partners - venues, transportation teams, on-the-ground coordinators - gives you a very different working dynamic. It builds trust early and creates stronger communication, which makes it much easier to navigate changes during the incentive trip.

Site visits are about earning the confidence to make fast, calculated  calls when something inevitably changes. 

When the Group is Split Up, Equity is Paramount

In 2026, capacity, routing and logistics are forcing many programs to run in parallel — overflow hotels, dine-around locations, breakout tracks. Keeping those experiences aligned can sound like a minor issue until you’re onsite and guests start comparing notes. One group had dinner by the water, another was inside. One activity ran longer, another wrapped early. Individually, none of it feels like a big deal, but over time those differences start to shape how attendees experience the event.

We felt that on the yachts. With three boats, three crews and three chefs, consistency takes thoughtful coordination. If one group is having surf and turf, the others should be too. While there’s still room for each chef’s style, the overall quality and experience needs to feel aligned across the board.

At that point, it’s less about designing one great program and more about making sure the experience holds together across every version of it, from service and pacing to access and overall feel. When that balance is right, guests don’t think about how the program was split. It just feels seamless, even when there’s a lot happening behind the scenes.

Small Gestures Have the Biggest Impact 

A thoughtful welcome gift. A birthday cake. A personalized note. These things cost relatively little in the context of a major production, but the response they generate is invaluable.

One attendee shared afterward how meaningful the Mother’s Day recognition was. The yacht charter happened to fall over Mother’s Day, and being acknowledged while away from her children meant a great deal to her.

Another guest called out their birthday celebration onboard as a standout moment in an experience full of standout moments.

This aspect of incentive travel doesn't show up in a budget line. It comes down to the intentionality behind the small things, signaling to the guests that someone was thinking thoughtfully about them. That’s the difference between an event people simply enjoy and one where they genuinely feel valued.

Adding a layer of care to the program creates special moments that people bring up later, long after everything else has been processed.

What We’re Taking Forward

Croatia set a new bar for us. 

What came through clearly during this event is that people are looking for more than a place to stay. They want access, connection and to feel genuinely considered throughout the experience. They want to explore, spend meaningful time together and come home with stories they wouldn’t have otherwise. 

And that’s exactly what we gave them. In fact, of the 60 total guests who attended, 44 completed a post-event survey, all citing 100% satisfaction with the experience! 

This  direction and energy are what we’re carrying into the rest of 2026 and beyond.

If you're starting to think about what your next President’s Club or incentive trip could look like, and you want it to be the kind of trip people talk about for years, let's talk.