Alongside being the newly appointed president of the local chapter of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), Wick recently launched her own business, Troupe Event Agency.
She cut her teeth in events straight from her tertiary studies and hasn’t looked back.
“I really belong in this sector, it’s where I feel grounded,” she says.
“And I love incentive travel and events. Obviously, conferences and other things are a byproduct of that,” she says.
Following 10 years at Totem Events, which was acquired by Connections Group to become Totem Connections, Wick made the call to take a break.
“It was a great team and a great business, but I just felt it was time for me to take a break and step away. I took a short break…people were asking me what I’d do next and then an opportunity came… it just felt right,” she says.
Only a year in and Troupe Event Agency has delivered some impressive programs in some extraordinary destinations, including a six-night incentive in Montenegro with guest arrival by speedboat on Bokka Bay to a dinner on top of the Citadel in Budva.
Now at the helm of SITE ANZ, Wick calls it a natural evolution from being a chapter member to board member and now president.
“It’s been a journey; it wasn’t necessarily part of my plan. It was just something that evolved and felt right,” she says.
“I feel I’m at a time in my career where I can give back to the community and I think that’s really important, that we kind of open that pathway and give back and also demonstrate to perhaps younger leaders that we’re working with the opportunities ahead of them.”
Wick follows in the footsteps of past presidents, including DMS Destination Marketing Services’ managing director, Marissa Fernandez, Colette Baini, founder of both The Conference Room and Australia Conferences & Incentives, and Nicole Tingey, co-founder of Clockwise Consulting.
“I’ve stepped into some pretty big shoes, but [I’m] very proud to be representing SITE Australia New Zealand, and we’ve got a fantastic board as well.”
Wick says that despite being a mature business market, there’s plenty of growth ahead for Australia and New Zealand. Both countries aren’t taking advantage of travel incentives in the same way as markets such as the USA or Canada do.
“So that’s great for us from a business perspective,” she explains, calling it a great opportunity for the industry to educate the corporate end user on how incentive travel can grow their business, thus creating more business for the local incentive sector.
And while there’s plenty of room for industry growth, she attributes Troupe’s first year of success to being willing to make the bold decisions.
“Being open to new destinations, pushing boundaries and having the courage to pitch something completely unexpected to a client can be a big turning point,” she says. “And of course, I’ve had hiccups, but you learn from that. And if you act with integrity and care, it makes a difference to how the client feels. And when you care deeply, the results speak for themselves.
“Troupe was founded on the belief that events and incentives can be bold, beautiful and purposeful, so I guess we’re lucky to work with clients that are willing to do very interesting things, and when we can think bigger, we can go deeper.”
Wick adds that she’s proud to be part of a more sustainable and inclusive culture with her clients and that through SITE, she’s learned a lot about networking on a global level.
“Whether it’s online webinars or I’ve had the privilege to attend a global conference the past two years and meet so many amazing people… That’s how you can grow your network, your opportunities and your connections,” she says.
“There’s a lot of business out there, and people will refer people they know and trust. I think that’s really important, to be part of the industry and do the right thing by everyone in the supply chain to make sure that your reputation is really walking the talk. That often naturally evolves into successful opportunities you can seize.”
