30 Aug 10 When Do You Need to Hold a Cruise Event?
Cruise events have been a popular choice for meetings and events of all kinds for years now, but not every meeting/event planner knows all that they need to know about planning cruise events. In fact, the lack of knowledge might turn some away from cruise ships. Here’s what a cruise ship has to offer:
- Low prices – Cruises are actually less expensive than hotels plus catering services plus entertainment expenses plus renting a conference room or meeting venue in almost all cases. Why? Because cruise companies build in the cost of all these services and distribute them across all of their customers all year long
- All inclusive options – All inclusive pricing makes cruises a cinch to plan. One price, one call, and the event can be planned. This saves time and money!
- Amazing catering – Want custom catering? You’ll have a hard time finding a better catering troop than those found on cruise ships. Shipboard caterers do catering day in and day out, every day and night. Nobody knows catering like these people!
- Custom meetings and entertainment – Want to have meetings in amazing locations instead of just a closed in room at the convention center? Try finding a better alternative than a cruise ship for even twice the price and you’ll be stumped!
- Some of the best restaurants and clubs anywhere in the world – It is important to play hard when you work hard, and that is why cruise ships pack some of the best restaurants, bars, night clubs, and even shopping centers around.
Tags: Best Restaurants, Caterers, Catering Services, Cinch, Cruise Companies, Cruise Events, Cruise Prices, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Cruises, Entertainment, Event Planner, Hard Time, Lack Of Knowledge, Meeting Venue, Meetings And Events, Night Clubs, Rsquo, Shopping Centers, Time And Money
25 Aug 10 Could a Cruise Meeting be In Your Organization’s Future?
Cruise meetings are a time honored and tested alternative to holding meetings in more traditional locations, yet they strangely remain a secret. The tendency of cruise meetings as an alternative to land-bound meetings is puzzling, especially with the amazing incentives and tantalizing prices being offered by cruise lines. Could a cruise meeting be right for your next event? Maybe, but ask yourself these questions first:
• Are you and your guests looking to see amazing views? Some people just like the same old boring office interiors all day, but they won’t get that on a cruise ship. On the other hand, many people will actually benefit from the creative art designs on most cruise ships as it can get the mind working in new ways.
• Are you ready for 5 star meals and entertainment? Cruise ships have an amazing assortment of top-quality restaurants and amazing night clubs. Add to this gyms, pools, and other activities, and you really have two choices: schedule some downtime or run the risk of people being a little late to meetings because of all the entertainment. The good news is that alternative meetings are available as are group-specific mixers or bar nights.
• Are you ready to be pampered? This is more of a trick question because just about everyone says yes! That is what you and your guests will get when you plan cruise meetings. It sure beats hotel service at the same price by an unbelievable margin.
Tags: Art Designs, Assortment, Creative Art, Cruise Lines, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Downtime, Gyms, Hotel Service, Incentives, Lines Cruise, Mixers, New Ways, Night Clubs, Office Interiors, Pools, Quality Restaurants, Star Meals, Trick Question, Two Choices
02 Aug 10 Cruise Ship Meeting Secrets
While many people planning cruise ship meetings simply make the meetings on cruise ships somewhat similar to landlocked meetings, this does not have to be the case. In fact, planning meetings and events on a cruise ship that do not take advantage of the inherently unique nature of a cruise ship are missing the point. Follow these helpful tips to take full advantage of even the secret features available to planners of cruise events:
Alternative meeting environments – want to book a large meeting room? Ask about the theater or onboard dining halls. Chances are good that one or two such rooms are reserved for possible meetings, but may be freed up once the ship leaves port.
Super-alternative meeting environments – want to have a face to face while getting a massage in one of the onboard spas? Go for it!
The menu is not necessarily limited – cruise ships are extremely competitive when it comes to dining and lodging. This virtually assures that any ship is likely to have a wonderful assortment of top notch chefs are always on hand and are probably climbing the walls wishing that somebody would order something that is not on one of the many menus.
Compensation – Booking larger groups and venues can result in special forms of compensation once the hard price limit is reached. Free cabin upgrades, exclusive access to a little known VIP gym or club could be the result for those that know to ask.
Tags: Assortment, Case In Fact, Chefs, Climbing The Walls, Cruise Events, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Dining Halls, Environments, Forms Of Compensation, Helpful Tips, Large Meeting Room, Meetings And Events, Menus, Missing The Point, Planners, Secret Features, Spas, Top Notch, Vip
23 Jul 10 Can Your Company Afford NOT to Hold Cruise Events?
If you have been looking at cruise meetings as an alternative that is not cost-effective, then you may be missing out on some of the math. Here is how you should be looking at the whole picture: even if your company does not pay for the meals and entertainment of participants at a meeting or event, then someone else might. IF given the choice between a cost effective cruise or a compensated hotel with continental breakfast, which would you choose? That’s right, you’d go with the cruise ship, and that is exactly what other people would do 9 out of 10 times.
When you consider all that cruise ships offer, they are truly a bargain destination for meetings. Those that look only at hotels and conference centers might forget this, and may be completely insensitive to the fact that they are actually costing their customers, partners, clients, suppliers, colleagues, or even branch offices to incur expenses simply to participate. This might be the cause of barriers to successful events and productive meetings, so be sure to evaluate your strategy carefully in this regard.
Also remember that cruise events are typically cost effective when measured against landlocked alternatives. The all-inclusive prices can often be lowered when booking multiple cabins, and there are plenty of compensated bonuses to be had. These bonuses, such as a massage in the spa, can be used as incentives to further enhance the profitability and success of a cruise.
Tags: 9 Out Of 10, Bargain, Colleagues, Continental Breakfast, Cruise Events, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Hotels, Incentives, Massage, Math, Participants, Productive Meetings, Profitability, Regard, Spa, Success
16 Jul 10 Meeting at Sea: The Perfect Meeting Destination and Surprisingly Affordable
Planning meetings can be fun, but it tends to be more fun whenever the meeting is someplace exotic or interesting. What is more interesting than a meeting on a cruise ship? Possibly a meeting on the International Space Station, but at around $20 million a ticket, it is probably better to go with meetings on exotic cruise ships bound for sun drenched destinations. Surprisingly, meetings at sea are not only more affordable than blasting off into low-orbit, but they are often more affordable than meetings held at hotels. Consider the following:
Hotels are forced to compete with many restaurants in terms of quality and offerings. Today’s cruise ships bring the restaurants and hotels with them, reducing the competition and overhead associated with advertising while simultaneously increasing the power buying authority of the vendor.
Safety is job number of all cruise ship employees, while job number two is ensuring that you and your business guests have a great time. This means you get more bang for your buck on a cruise ship than you would with a hotel in virtually any city.
Top quality business meeting rooms and chambers are available on cruise ships, big and small. Most cruise ships have rooms that can be easily converted from theaters to huge meeting rooms to dance floors with relative ease as well as standard meeting rooms. It does not matter how big or small your event is, a cruise ship is perfect!
Tags: Business Guests, Business Meeting Rooms, Chambers, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Fun, Great Time, Hotels, International Space Station, Job, Low Orbit, Meeting At Sea, Meeting Planning, Offerings, Quality Business, Restaurants, Sun, Theaters, Top Quality
12 Jul 10 Choosing Destinations
When it is time to plan a meeting, there are plenty of possibilities. The brochures and promotional materials make sound arguments in favor of many different venues, but ultimately a single venue must be selected for a single event. Here are some ideas to help you effectively reduce the number of options being seriously considered:
• To go all the way or not – If you are too busy to plan every little detail, look for all-inclusive options that handle some or all of the planning for you. This can lead to significant time savings and surprisingly, as well as a tangible amount of money saved.
• Local or long distance – There are both local venues and venues in other cities. If all the participants are from your city, then a local venue might make sense unless travel and attendance is to be considered a perk. If customers are the focus of the meeting/event, then go where they are.
• By land or by sea – Do not discount cruise ships as venues for meetings and events. In fact, cruise ships make amazing destinations for many different kinds of events. Remember that cruise events are more appropriate for certain audiences and companies than other.
• Consider price – Price is important, but that makes apples to apples comparisons difficult.
Tags: Amount Of Money, Apples To Apples, Attendance, Audiences, Brochures, Cruise Events, Cruise Ships, Different Kinds, Discount Cruise, Long Distance, Meetings And Events, Might Make Sense, Participants, Possibilities, Promotional Materials, Significant Time, Sound Arguments, Time Savings, Venue
02 Jul 10 What Does Your Choice of Venue Say About You?
Meeting and event planners often have many choices in venues whether they know it or not. While the boss or powers that be might specify a particular venue, it should not be assumed that such specific requests mean that the powers that be are not open to other ideas unless explicitly stated. Knowing what your choice in venue says about you is important; perception is reality after all. Consider the following when thinking about different venue possibilities:
Hotels – Hotels are tried and true venues for meetings and events, but they also show a lack of imagination and a commitment to doing things the traditional way. Traditional businesses tend to behave in very specific ways and are not fond of change.
Cruise ships – Cruise ships show an amazing flair for the dramatic and an appreciation for the finer things in life. Hosting meetings and/or events on a cruise ship shows that you value the other party/parties, and that you are not bound by the confines the old ways of doing business.
Convention centers – Convection centers generally have big and small chambers, but even hosting in a small chamber gives the appearance of a large organization with significant reach.
BBB conference rooms – Many local BBB offices have chambers that can be rented, and they lend a significant amount of credibility at bargain basement prices.
Tags: Bargain Basement Prices, Bbb Offices, Business Convention, Chambers, Confines, Convection, Credibility, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Doing Business, Event Planners, Finer Things In Life, Flair, Imagination, Large Organization, Meetings And Events, Party Parties, Perception, Possibilities, Traditional Businesses
21 Jun 10 Great Reasons to Hold Cruise Events
The truth is that just about everyone wants to go on a cruise at one point in time, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to do that with the mounting pressures of work and family. Luckily there are cruise events that can be held for nearly any reason, and those events could prove to be irresistible to anyone who has ever wanted to sail away from their problems. Here are *** great reasons to hold a your next even on a cruise ship:
Everything is included – No more trying to coordinate rooms, catering, and events; cruise ships have this taken care of. In fact, many cruise ships have a helpful planning staff that can handle everything from travel to special needs and requests.
Complete and total care – No other event venue is as self-contained yet complete as a cruise ship. A world-class gym, spa, restaurants, casinos, theaters, places for the children to play and more are all included.
Accessible to everyone – It would be harder to find a venue that was as friendly to those who are differently-abled as a cruise ship.
Elevators and ramps are everywhere, making a cruise liner very accessible.
No need to worry – Unlike destinations on land, everyone on a ship is a tourist. No more thieves or pickpockets to worry about.
Tags: Casinos, Catering, Class Gym, Cruise Events, Cruise Liner, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Cruise World, Elevators, Pickpockets, Point In Time, Ramps, Restaurants, Spa, Special Needs, Theaters, Thieves, Travel Special, Truth, Venue
16 Jun 10 Cruise Meetings are Affordable
When many people think of cruises, they do not think about work. While everyone is free to have their own mental images to do with as they wish, the fact is that cruises are actually cost effective solutions for holding meetings in many cases. In fact, there are entire industries where few options for hosting meetings or events make as much sense as cruise meetings do.
Consider the alternatives for a moment, and a better picture will emerge. Renting hotel suites and a banquet hall can be expensive and somewhat bland. Add to this expenses related to catering and entertainment, and even basic meetings hosted at a hotel and/or conference center can become very expensive indeed. All of these facilities are available on a single cruise liner at prices that cannot be matched; it is like putting all of the resources under one roof, managed by a single business.
Anyone who knows a good deal about businesses and pricing can probably appreciate the value of allowing a single company to leverage its size and buying power to return the lowest cost possible. This not only makes cruise meetings a very practical alternative to hotels and/or conference centers, it makes cruise ships significantly more fun. Add to this the incentive value of bringing top talent, partners, and clients on the trip, and it is clear why many organizations host their meetings and events at sea.
Tags: Banquet Hall, Cost Effective, Cruise Liner, Cruise Prices, Cruise Ships, Cruises, Effective Solutions, Few Options, Hosting, Hotel Suites, Hotels, Many People, Meetings And Events, Mental Images, Single Company, Talent Partners
03 Jun 10 Landry & Kling Announces Strategic Alliance Partnership with MCI Group
Cruise event specialists join forces with leading global event management company
MIAMI, MAY 28, 2010 – Cruise Events Specialists Landry & Kling today announced a strategic alliance with MCI, a leading global association, communications and event management company. The partnership agreement includes Landry & Kling company Seasite.com, the first cruise portal dedicated to the cruise meetings and events market.
Under the new alliance, MCI will promote the use of cruise ships for group meetings and events accessing Seasite.com services and resources including cruise sourcing, contract negotiations, and valuable planning tools. In addition, MCI will request Landry & Kling services for its clients who require cruise logistics custom planning services – from the pre-event planning phase through on-site event implementation.
"Through our ongoing working relationship with Landry & Kling, we will expand our service portfolio to include cruise ships and continue to deliver high quality service to corporate and association meeting planners and their attendees,” said Roger Tondeur, President of MCI. “Cruise ships provide cost-effective, innovative venues for meetings and events, and we are pleased to team with the forward-thinking leaders of the cruise events business to broaden our industry reach.”
To support the ongoing partnership, Landry & Kling will recommend Ovation Global DMC (part of MCI Group) to its customers who require Destination Management Services such as port excursions, special events or group transportation at key Ovation locations. These destinations include (but are not limited to) Malaga, Valencia and Barcelona, Spain; Cannes, Nice, and Monte Carlo, France; Livorno, Rome, Naples, Sorrento, Taormina, and Venice, Italy; Stockholm, Sweden; and Hong Kong.
“We are delighted to team with MCI, one of the largest meetings and events company in the world, to bring additional value-added services to our customers,” said Mark Phillips, Chief Operating Officer of Landry & Kling. “Their global destination management services and other valuable resources will complement many of our customers’ cruise event programs.”
About Landry & Kling and Seasite.com
Landry & Kling Inc., cruise event specialists since 1982, recently introduced Seasite.com, the first online cruise platform for meeting professionals. Seasite is an industry sourcing tool to search, select and plan group cruises, with access to 35 cruise lines in one site, meeting-friendly search criteria, e-RFP’s, meeting/function room capacities, dining details and other unique tools available nowhere else. Visit www.seasite.com or www.landrykling.com
About MCI
MCI is a globally integrated association, communication, and event management company. Since 23 years, MCI helps companies, governments and associations bring people together to create meaningful connections and win. MCI’s combined expertise helps clients to outperform by offering strategy, creativity and execution in the field of Association Management & Consulting, Performance Improvement, Global Congress Management, and Meetings & Events. Our support services include Global Destination Management in 36 countries and Audio Visual & Staging solutions. MCI has 43 offices in 21 countries and employs over 920 professionals worldwide. Visit www.mci-group.com.
Tags: Alliance Partnership, Association Communications, Barcelona Spain, Contract Negotiations, Cruise Events, Cruise Portal, Cruise Ships, Destination Management Services, Event Management Company, Global Association, Group Transportation, High Quality Service, Malaga Valencia, Mci Group, Meeting Planners, Partnership Agreement, Rome Naples Sorrento, Service Portfolio, Stockholm Sweden, Venice Italy
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