The question
How do we get executive buy-in and budget approval for a company trip?
Frame the trip as a solution to a named business problem, price it against the alternative cost of that problem, and present three tiered options. Never open with the destination.
Lead with the problem
'Our engineering and sales teams have never met, and handoff friction cost us four escalations last quarter' opens a very different conversation than 'we would like to go to Cancún.'
Name the problem, quantify it however roughly you can, and position the trip as the intervention.
Present three options, not one number
A single number invites a yes or no. Three tiered options invite a choice, and the choice is nearly always the middle one.
- Essential: domestic, 2 nights, core team only.
- Recommended: all-inclusive Caribbean, 3 nights, full department, one signature evening.
- Elevated: upgraded property, 4 nights, guests invited for the incentive cohort.
Pre-empt the three objections
Optics: describe how it will be communicated internally and externally. Fairness: state who is invited and why, and what non-attendees get. Measurement: commit to a specific pre/post metric before you are asked for one.
Key takeaways
- Open with the business problem, not the destination.
- Three tiers beat one number every time.
- Answer optics, fairness, and measurement before they are raised.