Our Story
What started as a family-owned travel agency in Racine, Wisconsin, has grown into a global meetings, events, and incentives organization. Through decades of change, the family values and commitment to service behind M&IW have remained.
From a family travel agency to Meetings & Incentives Worldwide
A story that began in Racine, Wisconsin
In the 1970s, Dan Neider and his parents, Walter and Mildred, founded Neider Travelway, Inc. in Racine, Wisconsin. It began as a small travel agency serving the local community, with some corporate travel services.
As its reputation for service grew, Dan began exploring what else the family business could become. Corporate group travel became a focus, and corporate meetings followed in the late 1980s. The company changed its name to Meetings by Design and began working with nationally recognized organizations.
Those years were hands-on. Dan Neider and four full-time employees handled everything, from late-night work to carrying luggage for arriving groups. It was a small team doing whatever a program required, and an early picture of the service culture the company still values.
A new generation of leadership
In the mid-1990s, Dan’s daughters, Jean Johnson and Tina Madden, joined the company. It changed its name to Meetings & Incentives to reflect its evolving focus, and it continued to grow while maintaining its emphasis on customer service.
Today, Jean and Tina lead M&IW with a customer-first approach grounded in exceptional service, meaningful results, and continuous improvement.
Under their leadership, M&IW has expanded its global presence and opened global offices, built out its incentive and conference divisions, adopted innovative event technologies, and grown its team and business operations. In 2013, M&IW became a WBENC-certified Women’s Business Enterprise.
Continuing to evolve with the meetings and events industry
The same commitment to service, with a broader reach
Today, M&IW brings together experienced professionals across event sourcing, onsite operations, and other meeting and event disciplines to support organizations with programs of different sizes and complexities.
The company has changed names, broadened its capabilities, and kept evolving alongside its industry. What has stayed consistent since the founding is a commitment to service and to the people behind every program. That is the idea behind M&IW’s purpose: “Transforming your organization through the power of human connection.”
Let’s create what comes next
Connect with the team behind M&IW
From a small travel agency in Racine to a global organization, M&IW has been built on service and strong relationships. If you are planning a meeting, event, or incentive program, we would like to hear about it.