Corporate innovation trips: a guide to deciding and getting a quote
A corporate innovation trip is a working program abroad: the group visits companies, technology centers and research teams to understand how they solve a specific problem and what could be adapted to its own business. Unlike a sightseeing tour, the agenda starts from a company objective and ends with the group's conclusions, not with a city tour.
1. Start from the business objective
Before choosing a destination, write in one or two sentences which decision or project the trip should inform: AI adoption, industrial automation, digital channels, new suppliers, open innovation. A clear objective lets you ask for relevant visits and drop the ones that are merely impressive.
2. Decide who travels
- Who makes the decision after the trip and who implements it.
- Which areas to mix (leadership, operations, technology, sales).
- The group's working language and need for interpreters.
- Group size: small groups make real conversations possible at each visit.
3. Choose the destination by focus
As general guidance: China for advanced manufacturing, e-mobility, digital commerce and AI applied at scale; New York and Silicon Valley for finance, media, software and venture capital; Israel for startups and agritech; Japan for robotics and processes; Singapore for digital government and logistics. Specific visits are confirmed in each proposal depending on host availability and cannot be guaranteed in advance.
4. Questions to ask for a quote
- Open program with published dates or custom trip?
- How many agenda days and how many travel days in total?
- What kind of organizations are proposed for visits, and on what criteria?
- Is there pre-trip preparation and a closing session?
5. Inclusions and exclusions to confirm
Ask in writing what the price covers: agenda, coordination, interpreters, internal transfers, accommodation, meals, flights, insurance and visas. It varies by program: for example, the Global AI China page includes accommodation in China and the Global AI New York page does not include accommodation.
6. Deliverables, only if agreed
Working materials, a findings report or follow-up are agreed in each trip's proposal; they are not assumed. A trip provides context and contacts; results depend on what the company does afterwards.
Programs with published dates
- Global AI China — October 18–23, 2026 · April 11–16, 2027
- Global AI New York — November 15–20, 2026 · May 23–28, 2027