01 Jun 11 Break out of the boring and go for unforgettable at your next meeting
At every conference and corporate meeting, attendees are crammed into a hotel ballroom or conference center and basically told what they are expected to do. Whether its motivating them to do something, teaching them to do something different, or setting expectations for what you envision them doing, the message remains the same; you are telling them to change their ways because yours is better. That’s the main point behind David Gurteen’s article We must stop doing things to people. He goes on to say that “we need to approach people with ‘How can we work better together?’.”
Tags: Antithesis, Attendees, Audie, Auto Pilot, Cookie Cutter Approach, Cruise Ship, Engagement Team, Excitement, Free Time, Gurteen, Hotel Ballroom, Invitation, Little Time, Meeting At Sea, Meeting Center, Middle Of The Ocean, Rsquo, Social Interaction, Team Building, Traditional Hotel, Typic, Typical Conference, Voicemails
27 Oct 10 The Value of Meetings at Sea for Participants
When many people start planning meetings at sea they forget to remember that the meetings are as much for the company as they are for the participants. The participants are usually the main focus of the meetings at sea, so they should certainly never be forgotten in the shuffle. Here is how participants might view the value of a meeting at sea:
- It is a chance to get out of the office and away from the normal office routine – This is both good and bad, but it can be turned to the advantage of the host with proper planning. Do not simply hold meetings as normal aboard ship, hold exciting meetings with fresh coffee and fruit. Consider alternative meetings such as the spinning room, or one of the pools onboard the cruise liner. Keep business moving forward but strive to do so in a more relaxed manner.
- Time to see the world – The world is truly an amazing place and cruise ships get to see some of the best views ever. Scheduling a sunrise or sunset meeting while amazing views are available via the windows is a poor idea at best.
Tags: Advantage, Amazing Place, Cruise Liner, Cruise Ships, Focus, Fresh Coffee, Many People, Meeting At Sea, Nbsp, Office Routine, Participants, Pools, Poor Idea, Sea People, Shuffle, Spinning Room, Sunrise, Sunset
09 Sep 10 The ABCs of Meetings at Sea
Meetings have traditionally been held at hotels, conference centers, and other land-based public venues, but all of that is changing. The new way to host meetings and major events is to do at sea on a luxury cruise ship. Why? Because of the ABCs of meetings at sea:
- A is for awesome service – Cruise ships are renowned in the travel industry for their unparalleled commitment to customer service.
- B is breathtaking views – Some hotels have nice views or quaint views, but few of them can match the views afforded by a cruise ship. One day it is a gorgeous island paradise, the next morning it is clear open waters until the ship eventually arrives in a port with historic interest. Hotels stay put, what you get is what you get.
- C is for customization – There really are not too many limits to what you can ask for and not reasonably expect to get on a cruise ship.
These floating resorts offer all sorts of options to make your cruise a truly unique and wonderful experience.
There was an ‘s’ at the end of ABCs, and it is small for a reason. That small s stands for savings, and the fact that you will actually save a modest amount of money by opting to have a meeting at sea instead of having it in a hotel with a conference room. No more caterers, no more booking a night club for a serious mixer, no more DJs to worry about. All you will have to do is determine where to invest those savings.
Tags: Abcs, All Sorts, Amount Of Money, Breathtaking Views, Cruise Ships, Customer Service, Gorgeous Island, Host Meetings, Hotels, Island Paradise, Luxury Cruise Ship, Meeting At Sea, Mixer, Next Morning, Night Club, Open Waters, Public Venues, Rsquo, Travel Industry, Unparalleled Commitment
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
05 Oct 09 Meetings at Sea
It’s no secret that business meetings are often a combination of business and pleasure. People are working harder than ever to keep companies solvent. Rewarding employees is a bit more complicated; they deserve a nice trip to an exotic location yet it’s important to keep up appearances to the public. Try combining events, the reward trip with a conference. A corporate cruise can fill both those needs.
Sea travel is a great way to build team spirit while traveling to an exotic location. A cruise makes an ideal place for a business meeting – after all, how far can your people wander off? Food is available almost 24/7 and there are numerous activities to break up the intensity of the conference. It’s also private and while there is much to do, there is great opportunity to focus solely on the matter at hand.
In addition, when you come into your port of destination, that’s when the fun begins. Everyone feels a sense of accomplishment by completing the demands of the conference and they are ready to cut loose and have a bit of fun. The company saves money because the mode of travel has absorbed part of the conference costs, including food and lodging.
Seasite.com, the first online cruise portal dedicated solely to serving the cruise meetings market. And the timing couldn’t be better because cruising slashes 25-40% off the cost of a land-based meeting or incentive trip, helping event planners adapt to today’s shrinking budgets. The single, most comprehensive source for savvy, do-it-yourself planners and novices alike, Seasite delivers all the tools, ideas and resources needed to launch a successful incentive cruise event or meeting-at-sea.
Tags: Accomplishment, Bit Of Fun, Budgets, Business And Pleasure, Business Meeting, Business Meetings, Corporate Cruise, Cruise Portal, Event Planners, Incentive Cruise, Incentive Trip, Intensity, Meeting At Sea, Mode Of Travel, Nice Trip, Rewarding Employees, Sea Travel, Seasite, Slashes, Team Spirit
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