Workers' Rewards May Come at Barrel of Gun

The Financial Review

An employee needn't be alarmed if the boss says he'd like to see you swing 45 metres in the air then plunge towards the ground.

And if the boss starts talking about welcoming the chance to "take you out" with a gun, this doesn't necessarily mean that relations between the two of you have reached a critical stage.
The boss may be saying he or she would like you to experience the Minjin Jungle Swing, which involves lying flat in a hanging harness attached to a swing via fall arrest blocks; or join him/her in playing a combat game like paintball or laser skirmish, where you get to dress up and behave like a soldier.

They are just two of more than 1500 activities offered by Redballoon, a fast-growing online gift retailer of activities in Australia and New Zealand. Redballoon offers experiences ranging from an overnight romantic retreat for two, to shark diving at night or a jet fighter flight. The target market is employees, customers, suppliers, distributors and corporate clients.

"We don't tend to call them adventures," founder Naomi Simson said. "We call them experiences, because one might argue that a jewellery making workshop is not an adventure." More than 80 per cent of its clients are from organisations that use experiences for incentive, reward and recognition, long-term service and customer loyalty programs. Regular clients include Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac, Optus and soft-toy manufacturer CA Australia.

"There has been a real change within corporations to do something for their staff," Ms Simson said. "Not just to give them a retail gift voucher or a bottle of wine, but to give them the chance to go off and experience something different. We have really picked up on that wave. And it is not just for the big end of town. We work with all sorts of organisations."

Ms Simson set up Redballoon 41/2 years ago and it now employs more than 30 people in Australia and New Zealand. The company expects to double its turnover to about $8 million in the year to June 2006 compared with the previous corresponding period. It aims to sell about 40,000 experiences in the 2006 financial year - almost double its fiscal 2005 sales. In 2003, just 3600 experiences were sold for turnover of $790,000.

Ms Simson won Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2005 NSW small business awards. Her husband, Peter, looks after a sister bookings website, GoDo at www.godo.com.au , for people wanting to book specific dates for their experiences.

Author: Damien Lynch

Date: 31/01/2006