Cruise meetings get some respect

No need to be lost at sea.

Two new training programs will teach corporate planners all they need to know about cruise meetings, and new promotions will bring down pricing for planners and the travel agents who help them.

When the new Certified Meeting Professional manual rolls off the presses this fall, it for the first time will include a chapter on how to plan meetings and incentive programs on cruise ships.

And the topic of cruise meetings will be included in CMP testing for the certification for the first time.

The Society of Incentive and Travel Executives also has gotten with the cruise training program.

It last week included a module on planning and negotiating cruise meetings as part of the educational sessions at a conference—and more than 100 planners showed up.

Ron Gulaskey, Celebrity Cruise Lines’ director of corporate sales and charters, who led the SITE session, was not surprised at the turnout.

He’s seen business from corporate customers grow by 25% a year for each of the past five years, as corporate planners realize they can save time and money by taking their groups to sea instead of to resorts, he says.

Cruise lines in recent years have been focused on corporate customers, eyeing the chance to meet the 84% of Americans who have never been to sea.

Celebrity’s new ships include dedicated meetings spaces, flat screen TVs and projectors, sound systems, ballrooms and conference facilities.

The Reflection has a ballroom that converts into a private dining area and an outdoor field of grass that can host concerts under the stars, or games like croquet and bocce ball.

For incentive programs, Celebrity targets the 500 companies with the largest sales forces, including insurance companies, financial firms, restaurant chains, and banks. The auto industry also has made a comeback over the past two years, Gulaskey says.

To sweeten the pot for corporate customers, Celebrity offers one free cruise for every 16 booked, plus group amenity points that can be used for cocktail parties, ice carvings, or other onboard purchases. "We’re very rich in points," he says.

In a couple of weeks Celebrity also will launch a new promotion for corporate planners similar to its popular 1-2-3 Go promotion for consumers, allowing planners to choose from three promotional offerings, Gulaskey told TravelMole.

For consumers, the choice is free gratuities, unlimited drink packages (including soft drinks, bottled water, and specialty coffees in addition to liquor) or an onboard credit.

Gulaskey believes that only a lack of training keeps corporate planners from seeing the many benefits of a cruise incentive or meeting: all-inclusive pricing that includes room service and comes out cheaper than a resort, a contained area that keeps the group together and bonding, free nightly entertainment, plenty of things for spouses to do all day, dinners at superb restaurants for just $35, and unforgettable experiences.

The new training programs teach corporate meeting planners how to create a cruise RFP, work with onboard staff, decorate meeting rooms and private parties, and save money on food and beverage.

And of course planners are not alone. Nine out of 10 corporate customers use a travel agent or incentive house to help them plan a cruise meeting or incentive program, Gulaskey says.

For the travel agency, a corporate meeting on a cruise ship offers a chance to meet 100 new potential customers, and to set up a help desk that brings them over to chat.

"Once they know you they will think of you for their own vacations," he says. "It’s a great way to expand your business and revenue."

By Cheryl Rosen