07 May 10 Simplify Incentive Travel with Group Cruise Deals and Convenient Planning Tools
No matter if you are a corporate conference and event planner, a wedding planner or a corporate travel planner, a detailed knowledge of group cruise packages and how they can help you and your clients is essential to successfully incorporating cruise ship venues and destinations into your planning services. It is one thing to have experience with sourcing cruises for executive retreats or incentive travel packages, but understanding the convenience and cost savings of taking full advantage of group cruise packages opens the door to noteworthy budgetary benefits, as well as developing alternatives for the types of events you may think about hosting on a cruise ship. From weddings with fewer than 10 guests to meetings at sea with a entire ship charter, meeting, event and incentive travel planners will find that cruise ships can be a cost-effective option that offers noteworthy advantages and enhancements when compared to land-based events.
Opting for a group cruise event can result in up to 40 percent cost savings over selecting a land-based venue and provides the added advantage of being perceived as a luxury option, even while costing far less than a typical luxury resort on land. Beyond the noteworthy cost savings to be enjoyed with group cruise deals, planners will also find that organizing meetings at sea can be far easier than making arrangements for their land-based counterparts. While events on land require planners to organize most components independently, including venue, catering, decor, entertainment and equipment, planning events on cruise ships is much simpler and more convenient. Cruise lines are well-versed in hosting events on-board and are well-equipped to provide everything you need for a successful event. From themed decor to audio-visual equipment, cruise ships already have all of the components you want, as well as built-in dining and entertainment options at no additional charge.
After you have determined that group cruise packages are well-suited for your event and travel planning needs, the next step is determining the tools you need to make group cruise sourcing easy and convenient. It is essential that you are able to simply get your hands on the information you need, such as which cruise lines are a good fit for groups, the meeting facilities, accommodations and other pertinent ship data for particular cruise ships, and which cruise lines have options for the dates and destinations you require. It is also extremely advantageous to be able to compare cruise lines and ships side by side and to have the ability to create a single RFP that can be sent to each potential provider. These tools will make your group cruise planning even easier and will assist you in finding the best group cruise deals available.
Taking advantage of group cruise deals for your incentive travel or corporate event needs is an excellent way to stay within your travel budget, while providing participants with a rewarding, luxury travel experience and a topnotch meeting or event.
Seasite.com offers the first online group cruise planner that allows event planners to source cruise events conveniently with a single RFP.
Tags: Added Advantage, Audio Visual Equipment, Corporate Travel, Cruise Deals, Cruise Lines, Cruise Packages, Cruise Planners, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Cruise Weddings, Entertainment Options, Event Planner, Executive Retreats, Group Cruise, Incentive Travel Packages, Luxury Option, Luxury Resort, Ship Charter, Travel Planner, Travel Planners
01 Feb 10 Branded Gifts Serve Many Purposes
Branded merchandise is a great addition to incentive travel packages and meeting planning. For those of you who provide meeting planning services to corporate clients, promotional products are a way to increase awareness of your brand, or you can offer products imprinted with your client’s information as an additional service. If you plan meetings and incentive travel for your employer, you can incorporate promo gifts into your planning as pillow gifts, or as functional items to be used during your event.
Here are several examples of branded gifts that can add value to your incentive travel packages or meeting planning services:
• Luggage tags
• Travel wallets or document holders
• Sunglasses
• Beach towels
• Toiletry bags
• Conference folders
• Conference bags
• Stadium blankets
• Laptop bags
• Key chains
• Luxury personal care kits and bath products
• Carry-on luggage
• Golf towels
• Divet tools
• Ball caps
• Sweatshirts, polo shirts or jackets
• Umbrellas
• Travel sewing kits
• Manicure kits
• Shoe shine kits
By gifting one or more of these branded items to your attendees or incentive travel winners, you will enhance their experience, while providing meaningful, useful business gifts that also promote company pride and increase brand awareness. The multiple benefits to you, your clients or employer and your attendees or winners are certainly reason enough to consider including branded gifts in your planning process.
Tags: Ball Caps, Beach Towels, Company Pride, Conference Folders, Divet, Golf Towels, Incentive Travel Packages, Key Chains, Laptop Bags, Luggage Tags, Manicure Kits, Meeting Planning Services, Meetings And Incentive Travel, Pillow Gifts, Polo Shirts, Shoe Shine Kits, Stadium Blankets, Toiletry Bags, Travel Sewing Kits, Travel Wallets
29 Jan 10 Four Tips for Saving Money on Lodging
Whether or not you are planning an event on a limited budget, getting a great deal is always a bonus. When you can save your employer or corporate clients money on expenditures like lodging, they are sure to take notice and will be delighted to know they can trust you to work the best deals possible when planning their events, meetings or incentive travel packages.
Here are four tips to help you same money on accommodations when planning your next shindig:
1. Be flexible. If you can be flexible on dates and days of the week, you can usually negotiate a better room rate for your attendees’ lodgings.
2. Limit Attrition. Do your best to get a solid grasp on how many attendees you expect. This will help you reserve the correct amount of rooms, avoid promising room blocks that you might not be able to meet, and establish a good relationship with hotels you may be using again in the future.
3. Opt for second-tiers and suburbs. By avoiding the top destinations, you will find that rates are much more affordable just a few miles away, or in suitable cities that just happen to not be on the A list.
4. Negotiate reservations for multiple events at the same time. If you have several clients interested in using a particular hotel for their meetings, or if your employer plans to return for an annual meeting year after year, this gives you more negotiating power when it comes to room rates.
5. Consider an all inclusive cruise event which will provide luxury accommodations, and include other amenities including gourmet meals, entertainment and top-notch meeting facilities.
Tags: 3 Tiers, Attendees, Attrition, Best Deals, Corporate Clients, Days Of The Week, Expenditures, Future 3, Good Relationship, Gourmet Meals, Grasp, Incentive Travel Packages, Lodgings, Luxury Accommodations, Meeting Facilities, Negotiating Power, Room Blocks, Shindig, Tips For Saving Money, Top Notch
Advertisement
Corporate Meeting Planner Resources
- What Makes Travel Events and Meetings Amazing?The act of hosting a meeting in an exclusive or interesting location can be made more impressive with a little planning or can be ruined as a gesture with carelessness. Here is what you need to think about in order to keep your travel events purely amazing: Events – Going to an exotic destination and failing [...] […]
- Best Plan for Meetings at SeaPlanning a meeting at sea is not as difficult or as different as it might sound on the surface but there are still a few key differences to be aware of. Some of the best meeting planners keep the following advice in mind: Equipment and space for equipment is at a premium – It might be [...] […]
- Factors to Consider When Shopping For a Cruise EventAnyone planning on hosting a cruise event should certainly check to see which cruise companies can get the job done at the best price, but there is often more to consider than just the bottom line. In fact, some customers that have not given a lot of thought to the logistics and organizational side of [...] […]