Meeting Planner Careers

Whether you are considering your first cruise event or have used cruise ships as meeting and event venues several times, there are a few things about cruises that you might not know. Aside from offering all-inclusive packages with great prices, there are many other benefits that make group cruises particularly enticing.

Here are three benefits that make group cruises rather appealing:

1. Planning your next meeting or event on a cruise ship can save you up to 40% when compared to using a hotel venue. Meeting rooms, audio/visual equipment, onboard activities and entertainment, room service and meals are all included in your upfront price and you will avoid paying for many event necessities, such as lighting, floral arrangements, linens and labor. Add the benefit of no state or city taxes and it is easy to see how you can experience serious cost savings by opting for a cruise.
2. More than 80% of people have never been on a cruise, which will make your cruise event much more exciting and appealing to the majority of your attendees who have likely never experienced the luxury and relaxation of cruising.
3. Cruise ships offer numerous onboard activities and nightly entertainment, which means plenty of options for your participants and no entertainment planning tasks for you.

If a cruise ship venue sounds right for your next event, make planning even easier by using the convenient group cruise planning tool at Seasite.com.

Incentive cruises can be the optimal venue for incentive events of any size. The event may be small, intimate, and intense or a sizeable function that fulfills continuing educational requirements, or rewards employees for a job well done. 

Everyone can leave a cruise just a bit healthier, these days.  Gone are the days when a cruise was a never-ending buffet and shuffleboard. Dining is still first-rate and often gourmet, but it is no longer about indulging in empty calories. Cruise ship dining selections are offered to accommodate every need and lifestyle from vegetarian to gourmand.

Cruise ships are well equipped when it comes to staging corporate events, gratifying the requirements of the most stringent client. The best news is that these ships are more cost effective, compared to other standard conference venues. All inclusive cruise meetings can cut the cost of land based venues by 25-40%, allowing Event planners to persist even with today's shrinking budgets.

The demand for physical activities on a cruise has increased tremendously. Corporations are wisely heedful that physical fitness is vital to preserving their team members productive and healthy. Many cruise lines have the latest gym equipment and contract trainers to aid their guests stay in top shape. A stunning ocean view can relax the mind and boost the spirit while the body works away on the stair climber.

Pampering is also great for the body and spirit. A ten-minute chair massage enhances blood flow to the brain and the extremities, leaving the individual relaxed and more obliging. It can be a excellent team building event as well. Some cruise lines offer reflexology sessions, another great way to rejuvenate body and mind. Overall, a cruise leaves a corporate team well fed, healthier, and better prepared to meet the demands of the business world.

Another excellent point about a cruise event is the option to experience several destinations as you cruise along. 

Why not make your next corporate incentive event a meeting-at-sea ?

At the recent 2009 Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Southeast Educational Conference at the Edon Roc in Miami Beach we had the opportunity to hear Brad Nickel, VP of Marketing for Landry & Kling, speak. He gave a presentation called “Find Yourself Online”  and agreed to let us publish that presentation here, for those meeting professionals who were unable to attend.

Here is the presentation – let us know if you have questions!

Brad was also excited to tell us a little about the upcoming launch of a new resource for meeting and incentive professionals: Seasite.com.

Seasite.com, a new Landry & Kling company, will be the industry’s first online cruise marketplace for global meetings and events. Mr. Nickel, explained, “Seasite.com puts cruise sourcing on par with hotel site selection along with easy RFP generation for multiple brands and ships.”

The site will be launching in late September but in the meantime they are running a contest to win an inaugural cruise aboard the new Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas, billed as the worlds largest and most innovative cruise ship. To enter simply go to their web site, Seasite.com, and sign up to recieve their newsletter and be notified of the official Seasite.com launch. The contest winner will be selected at random on Sept. 10, 2009.

2009 MPI Southeast Educational Conference was held at the Edon Roc Hotel, Miami Beach, August 13th-15th. For more information visit http://mpisec.org/

Our thanks again to Brad – and here’s his bio: