Meeting Planner Careers

Meeting planners have long since been in charge of arranging events and planning meetings both on and off-site, but cruise meetings might be something new and unexpected. There are some perks to planning cruise meetings that not everyone knows, and some might be best to keep under your hat. For example:

• The concierge service – The concierge service can actually do most of the organization work for you! Don’t tell the boss, but be sure to offer lavish compliments upon the concierge and let their boss know just how much you appreciate them taking the work off your plate.
• Catering options galore – While most meeting planners have to organize catering before the event, most cruise ships have plenty of on the fly catering options. Catering can (and probably should) still be arranged before leaving port, but the concierge service can make everything a snap.
• Travel networks and discounts – One of the best aspects about hosting meetings at sea is that cruise lines tend to have affiliations with airlines. This is not always the case so be sure to ask, but in most cases the product is nothing short of savings!
• Who needs Kinkos? Most business trips and meetings at sea can come with fully prepared documents, binders, and virtually anything else at a price that is hard to compete with. No more runs to Kinkos to get presentations prepared!

Are you constantly looking for ideas to develop meeting attendance? Are appealing corporate travel destinations sometimes just not enough to create the excitement and enthusiasm crucial to generate the desired results? Although opting for destinations in Mexico, South America, The Caribbean, The Bahamas or other inspiring locations are generally sufficient to have attendees tripping over themselves to guarantee their attendance, on occasion you need something particularly special to really attract people.

Unforgetable, once in a lifetime experiences are the most excellent way to ensure that your event attendance will improve, such as world-class sporting events, an all inclusive incentive cruise, rare exhibits or concerts put on by musical icons are all sure to boost interest in your next corporate incentive meeting or event.

A cruise event is one of the best ideas if you really need to inspire employees. Your event participants will never fail to remember the thrill of visiting several exotic destinations and merely unpacking one time. In addition increasing attendance, incentive trips such as an all inclusive incentive cruise can be much easier on the incentive travel budget, too.

Meetings at sea can save up to 40% over a comparable land-based hotel venue, and furnish wonderful onboard facilities and dining choices. Additionally, cruise ships are being constructed with events in mind, e.G. Dedicated meeting facilities, leading-edge technology, flexible public spaces and large theaters that can seat as many as 1,600 people.

Meeting space and A/V equipment are complimentary with nearly all cruise lines, and the dedicated meeting facilities provide groups more privacy and technology. Fresh new meeting venues such as a cruise ship’s magnificent show lounges, comedy clubs, and culinary centers can generate creative thinking and team building. And there is no shortage of fun activities and challenging sports facilities for your incentive group to take part in between meetings, offering tons of motivational appeal (and bragging rights) for attendees of every age. Built-in activities for spouse/guest programs save you planning time and money. Family incentive cruises are easier and far less costly than land-based programs, and teens, who typically resist family trips, find cruising allows them more freedom, friends and food than any alternative venue.

If you are planning a corporate incentive travel package, make it easy for yourself and delight your attendees when you go to Seasite.com start planning cruise meeting package.

Some planners tend to think of cruise ships as nothing more than floating hotels, but nothing could be further than the truth. A hotel is a tried and true business environment, and that has its own ups and downs. Cruise ships have many advantages over the tried and true hotel, including:

• The fact that cruise ships are exciting and new – sometimes projecting a new and fresh image is all it takes to be new and fresh. After all, perception is reality.

• Amazing alternatives – Want to host a meeting in the sauna? Book it! Want to have a meeting or event in the spinning room? No problem! Almost any room can be booked in advanced, and proper support can be made available.

• World class meals right around the corner – Cruise lines actively compete for business by attracting top chefs from around the world. It is no wonder that some of the best restaurants and caterings services list ports of call as their addresses!

• Health problems? Call the doc! Not many people know this, but cruise ships usually carry a mini-hospital with them wherever they go. Generally equipped to handle everything from the sunburn to minor surgery, a helicopter pad typically enables those with more serious medical conditions to be safely and quickly transferred. This removes any concerns that a ship is not nearly as safe as hotel.

Many people are striving to “live green” in every possible way and that can include wedding and honeymoon plans. It can be a dilemma for a couple who don’t want to give up their dreams of a romantic honeymoon cruise. They want the dream but not at the expense of the planet. The good news is that several cruise lines are doing their part to reduce their carbon footprint and working to keep the oceans clean.

The Celebrity Solstice Cruise ship has 216 solar panels that power the elevators and 7,000 LED lights. It isn’t enough to power the ship, but certainly is a step toward the right direction. The vessel is aerodynamic, making her more fuel efficient, and has a water filtration system that purifies water before it is dumped into the ocean. Tin, aluminum, and glass are recycled as well. A Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Solstice is a good choice for green couples.

The first cruise line to earn a Green Star notation environmental award was the Italian line, Costa. Costa works with the World Wildlife Fund to protect marine habitats, decrease energy use, and educates staff and guests on environmental issues. Each of their 15 vessels is designed to be a floating palace complete with beautiful woodwork, art displays of all kinds, and marble adornment throughout the ship.

To book a group for a cruise wedding, Seasite.com offers group cruise planning.

Cruise ships are best known for their luxurious amenities and travel to exotic locations. Although sometimes criticized for their actions by the media, the cruise industry continues to help people affected by natural disasters. The Celebrity Eclipse is the latest case in point.

This solstice class cruise ship canceled at least the first part of her launch festivities in order to help travelers stranded due to the effects of recent volcano activity in Iceland. Celebrity Cruises are working with UK tour operators to arrange passage back to England for travelers who have not been able to return due to flight cancelations and airport closings. At least 2000 people, some of whom have been stranded for seven days, will sail back to England and enjoy the amenities of this ship.

Cruise ships have a history of offering aid in times of crisis. In January 2009, the Royal Caribbean delivered desperately needed food and supplies to earthquake victims in Haiti. Carnival Cruise ships rented out three of their vessels to shelter victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Ecstasy, Holiday, and Sensation provided shelter for seven thousand weary people who lost everything to the hurricane. In 2009 when Typhoon Ketsana hit Manila, Star Cruises, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises of Australia, and others committed resources and money to help victims of this natural disaster and the subsequent tsunami.

Soccer fans all over the world are counting the days to the World Cup held this year in South Africa. Spaces are filling up rapidly on the MS Noordam and the MS Westerdam, Holland America cruise ships sailing into Cape Town on June 10. They will leave Cape Town and sail to Durban and Port Elizabeth, then return to Cape Town for the last 2 weeks of the event.

The cruise ships can accommodate more than 4,000 guests. Each guest will attend at least one of the matches held in Cape Town, Durban, or Port Elizabeth. Airfare to specified matches in Johannesburg, Rustenburg, Polokwanem, and Tshwane/Pretoria is also provided.

Guests return to the safety and fine accommodations after an exciting match and do not have to wrestle with the hustle bustle of the crowds attending the World Cup. The cruise lines offer a range of restaurants, clubs and bars as well as the concierge services afforded to the deluxe suite and penthouse guests. Holland America takes security very seriously; their specially trained staff will work 24 hours providing the maximum security on board and during transfers and shuttles.

Make the summer vacation one to remember, but be quick about it. Cabins won’t be available for long to the greatest soccer event of the year.

Go to http://worldcupcruise.com/ for more information about these World Cup Cruise events!

You may be wondering why you would want the assistance of a cruise advisor when planning your next cruise event. If you are a meeting or event planner you should not need any help planning an event on a cruise ship – right? While you may be an excellent meeting planner well-versed in planning events in a variety of venues, it never hurts to make your job easier by using systems put in place specifically to assist you in planning group cruises.

Using group cruise planning tools and cruise advisors, like those available through Seasite.com, can make your planning process much simpler and more convenient. Employing these useful tools can also assist you in finding the right ship for your event and help you enjoy significant cost savings. For example, one of the handy search options available on Seasite.com allows you to peruse meeting space grids to determine which ship will best meet your needs, and their E-RFP allows you to easily send your RFP to multiple cruise lines, with the added benefit of them following up on the RFPs for you.

When you can receive this kind of personalized attention and assistance without paying any more than you would have when buying direct, there is absolutely no reason to not take advantage of these great services and tools – and plenty of reasons why you should.

Miami, FL (Jan. 28, 2010) – Planning a meeting at sea requires searching for detailed ship information and not always finding what you need. Now, with Seasite.com, the first cruise portal for meetings and events, incentive cruise and group travel buyers will find all the ship data they need in one place – at no cost.

“Everyone who procures group travel should bookmark Seasite.com to simplify cruise sourcing and planning” said Jo Kling, CEO Seasite.com.

Seasite.com provides 24/7 access to all cruise brands, so that you can: 

1-   Search and compare cruise options; then create an online RFP and submit it to multiple cruise lines.
      (Seasite’s group pricing is the same as booking direct.)

2-   Find ship data never before offered online or in print, such as:
      - Meeting/function room capacities
      - Details about private group dining
   

3-   Identify the cruise lines most committed to groups, and search their mini-sites (all laid out the same —
      when you’re familiar with one, you’re familiar with all.)

4-   Search for a cruise anywhere in the world by any date range. Sort your results by meetings-specific
      criteria.

5-   Refer to the Knowledge Center to answer all your questions, e.g.
      -  What will your group travel budget buy?
      -  What’s a typical budget for an Association cruise?
      -  How do Cruise vs. hotel costs compare, including tax deductibility?

For cruise sourcing, visit www.seasite.com

Newly launched Seasite.com provides 24/7 access to all cruise brands, and the most content-rich and searchable database for the cruise industry.

Miami, FL (Vocus/PRWEB ) January 21, 2010 — Planning a group cruise requires searching for detailed ship information and not always finding what you need – even on the cruise lines’ own web sites. Now, with Seasite.com, the first cruise portal for meetings and events, group organizers can find all the ship data they need in one place – at no cost.

I’ve bookmarked Seasite.com – it’s invaluable in selecting the right ship for a group and to verify it’s a good fit before I present it to my client. And for operational planning, it has all the info I need – which isn’t on cruise line web sites.

"I’ve bookmarked Seasite.com – it’s invaluable in selecting the right ship for a group and to verify it’s a good fit before I present it to my client,” said Millie Evans, President/CEO Alliance Incentives and Meetings. "And for operational planning, it has all the info I need – which isn’t on cruise line web sites.”

Seasite.com provides 24/7 access to all cruise brands, and the most content-rich and searchable database for the cruise industry, so that planners can:

1.   Find ship data never before offered online or in print, such as:
   - Meeting/function room capacities
   - Dining room seating, and details for private group dining
   - Outdoor group function areas
   - A/V equipment lists
   
2-   Search, compare, and save favorite cruises; then create one RFP and submit it to multiple cruise lines. (Group pricing is the same as booking direct.)

3-   See the cruise lines most committed to groups, and search their mini-sites (all laid out the same — when you’re familiar with one, you’re familiar with all!)

4-   Search by ship name for a chronological list of future Itineraries and Basic Ship Information, and find it faster than a brochure.

5-   Search for a cruise anywhere in the world by any date range (as short as several days or as long as several months). Sort your results by meetings-specific criteria.

6-   Refer to the Knowledge Center to answer all your questions, including these:

7-   Discover a list of "Cruise Gems” – those rare, hard to find, short cruises.

"Everyone who plans group travel should take a good look, and bookmark Seasite.com if they want to simplify cruise sourcing and planning” said Jo Kling, CEO Seasite.com.

For more information on Seasite.com, A Landry & Kling Company, visit www.seasite.com or call 888-713-1371.

About Seasite.com/Landry & Kling
Seasite.com is designed for meeting and event planners who want more control in the cruise sourcing and planning process. It’s the fastest and easiest way for group organizers to master the world of cruising, building on all that’s been learned by Landry & Kling, who are credited with being the first distribution channel between the cruise industry and corporate America. Now, 28 years since their startup, they have responded to changing times by creating Seasite.com, with innovative cruise sourcing tools that enable meeting planners and other travel intermediaries to be more pro-active and confident in booking cruises. Seasite group pricing is the same as booking direct, with the advantage of impartial Cruise Advisors to assist as needed.