11 Oct 10 What Meeting Planners Need to Know About Cabins and Meeting Options on Cruise Ships
Most people liken planning a cruise to planning to regular event planning with a few twists. One of those twists occurs when it comes time to figure out who is sleeping where. There are a few things that many people might not know about cabins on cruise ships, and some questions people may not ever think to ask when planning meetings at sea:
• Less expensive cabins are usually priced on a per-bed basis and assume that two people are sharing a cabin. This pricing system might seem a little deceptive to people that do not do their homework, but it is often possible to upgrade to a single passenger cabin for a small fee.
• Similarly, it is often possible to lock out the second passenger by paying a modest fee. This can be done at nearly any time prior to departure and sometimes even post departure if there is room remaining.
• Meeting rooms are typically available around the clock but larger conference rooms might have time restrictions that can only be removed by booking in advance. Some cruise companies have a 2 or 4 week policy regarding booking these larger rooms so book as early as possible.
• Remember that catering options and preferences also need to be handled well in advance so figure out menus for special events early on if possible.
Tags: Catering, Clock, Cruise Companies, Cruise Ships, Event Planning, Homework, Many People, Meeting People, Meeting Planners, Meeting Rooms, Menus, Options, Passenger Cabin, Time Restrictions, Twists
25 Jun 10 Different Venues for Different Meeting Types/Sizes
Meeting and event planners are often expected to automatically know exactly where to go for almost any meeting or event. Instead of being caught flatfooted when asked for suggestions, it pays to know at least a dozen or so local venues and be ready with pricing information. Even if that pricing information is outdated, it should not be too far from accurate. Here are a few ideas of places to hold off-site meetings:
Local hotels – Most hotels of any substantially size have some sort of conference center, and may also offer catering services. Larger hotels typically have larger conference centers and better deals on rooms and/or catering.
BBB – Many local BBB offices have meeting halls, but they do tend to be limited in size and slightly expensive. On the upside, these facilities do tend to be very professional and can help add credibility to sales presentations.
Chamber of Commerce – Similar to BBB offices, many local Chambers of Commerce have meeting rooms that will lend a professional edge to any meeting. Many sales organizations find Chambers of Commerce help them close deals that are on the brink of falling apart.
Religious Community Centers – Many small churches, temples, and synagogues have given way to larger centralized facilities that have their own meeting halls. In most cases, these halls come both in denominational and secular varieties.
Tags: Bbb Offices, Brink, Catering Services, Centralized Facilities, Chamber Of Commerce, Chambers Of Commerce, Churches, Credibility, Event Planners, Hotels, Meeting Planners, Meeting Rooms, Professional Edge, Religious Community, Sales Organizations, Sales Presentations, Synagogues, Temples
09 Jun 10 Group Cruising Planning
Anyone considering planning a group cruise event can easily be overwhelmed, especially if they do not realize that there are many resources ready and waiting to help them. Here is a good workflow for anyone seeking to simplify group cruise planning:
Check with the Seasite.com first – they have online tools and services that can make planning virtually everything a one-stop process. Nothing is simpler than an all-inclusive group cruise planning at Seasite.com.
Failing that, start with travel – Participants will need to get to and from their hometowns to the port of call for the cruise ship, and that will often entail flights. Many airlines offer special pricing in such situations, so avoid using sites that specializing in shopping amongst airlines and make direct contact.
Cabins – Try to keep everyone appeased when it comes to cabins, but be aware that some people develop sea sickness based on the side of the ship they are on. That is to say that some people will rarely get seasick if their cabin is on the port side, but the same may not be true if they are given a cabin on the starboard side of the ship.
Meeting rooms and events – Remember to schedule at least a few events, even if they are less than formal. A group meeting in a spinning class or during a game of Marco Polo are interesting alternatives to conventional meetings.
Tags: Airlines, Cruise Ship, Cruising, Direct Contact, Flights, Game, Group Cruise, Hometowns, Marco Polo, Meeting Rooms, Online Tools, Participants, Port Of Call, Sea Sickness, Shopping, Workflow
15 Mar 10 All Inclusive Cruises – Best Choice on Land or Sea
If you want your next meeting to impress and still be affordable, an all-inclusive cruise is the right choice. There’s something special about a cruise: the ritual of bon voyage to the work-a-day world and life on land, the great food, the smell of fresh sea air, and the relaxing movement of the ship riding the waves. Cruise ships offer the latest in audio-visual technology and meeting rooms that can accommodate small intimate business meetings or larger groups with the same high level of service.
An all-inclusive cruise may include the price of airfare for your group, healthy activities, and entertainment. Don’t forget food – no one ever complained about too little food on a cruise! Many cruises offer gourmet options along with bountiful buffets of beautifully presented food.
Cruise ship atmosphere is perfect for work and play. Intensely focused meetings easily shift into team building activities while leaving time for relaxation in exotic ports of call. Many cruise lines offer fantastic entertainment that may not be available on land. Interests as diverse as fitness training and casino games are all part of the mix on a cruise ship. Ultimately, an all-inclusive cruise is an exciting, more productive, and more affordable plan for your next meeting.
Tags: All Inclusive Cruises, Audio Visual Technology, Best Choice, Buffets, Casino Games, Cruise Lines, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Fantastic Entertainment, Fitness Training, Intimate Business Meetings, Land Interests, Little Food, Meeting Rooms, Price Of Airfare, Relaxation, Riding The Waves, Right Choice, Sea Air, Team Building Activities
14 Dec 09 Dear Santa, Bring Me A Cruise Meeting?
Dear Santa Boss,
I’ve been good this year. I didn’t really didn’t try to spill Larry’s coffee all over those horrible business meeting presentation packets; that mess was really just an accident even though everybody started to applaud. I really didn’t mean to make Larry cry either. Poor Larry…
Well, let me rephrase this. Santa? I’m not always good. But, it’s present time anyway?
All I want for Christmas this year is for my July business meeting to happen on a nice sunny cruise ship with free food, after hours entertainment, and an air conditioned conference room. Oh, and a hair dryer available in case I spill my coffee on important papers again. Larry would like it if I requested a hair dryer. See? I’m even thinking of others.
Please Santa Boss, sir? The cost of an incentive cruise is often cheaper than car rentals, motel accommodations, and restaurant food plus important time can be saved by having all meeting members corralled on the same cruise ship where they cannot get lost in traffic.
Just because some people use cruise ships for vacations does not mean that my trip on a luxurious cruise ship cannot be used for work. Conference-style meeting rooms are available on cruise ships that will fit everybody involved, and we can always pull the blinds in those conference rooms until the meeting is over if the windows offer a nasty ol’ scenic view. I promise not to look out of the windows!
So, can I please have a cruise ship for Christmas this year? I’m good. It will save the company money.
Tags: Blinds, Boss, Business Meeting, Car Rentals, Coffee, Company Money, Conference Style, Cruise Ships, Cruise Vacations, Free Food, Hair Dryer, Hours Entertainment, Incentive Cruise, Luxurious Cruise Ship, Meeting Rooms, Motel Accommodations, Present Time, Restaurant Food, Rsquo, Scenic View
30 Nov 09 Increase ROI on Meetings & Events
Most meeting planners have probably already read about how companies want more value than ever before from their conferences. While this can create more work for you, there are some things you can do to work out the kinks long before they happen.
Think Replacement
If you need to help the company keep expenses at a minimum, replace these meeting parts:
- Replace the reception with a working lunch — this will let people meet and network, as well as enjoy a meal together.
- Replace the open bar idea with team building exercises or mind storming training–these programs have a much better chance of improving the ROI than a bunch of drunk employees blowing off steam.
- Replace entertainment with a spa wellness trip. You will have more refreshed folks ready to work.
- Replace land based venues with a cruise meeting, and save as much as 40%. Cruising is all-inclusive, so planners may be surprised to know that meeting rooms, meals, A/V equipment and luxury accommodations are all included in one low price.
Think Reduction
What if the customer says, "Okay, these cost savings are great, let's get rid of the reception, evening entertainment, and and welcome reception open bar meet-and-greet! So what do we do on the last day, then?"
Get rid of it. Tell your client that not only will she not need to make the usual expenditures that don't improve ROI on the cost of the meeting, she can eliminate the last night's hotel bill as well.
By just replacing the non-ROI generating activities and events, you have already increased the value of the meeting. Your client will be grateful for that for a long time. And happy, satisfied clients translate to more meeting planning business for you in the future. So, it pays to find every way to cut out unnecessary expenses and increase meeting ROI for your clients.
Explode meeting ROI with a cruise event. Cruising offers a savings of as much as 40% of the cost of hotelvenues, since a cruise is all inclusive. Go to Seasite.com to use the state-of-the-art cruise meeting planner, and make your next company event a cruise event!
Tags: Amp, Better Chance, Blowing Off Steam, Conferences, Cruis, Cruise, Evening Entertainment, Events Planners, Expenditures, Hotel Bill, Kinks, Long Time, Luxury Accommodations, Meeting Planners, Meeting Planning, Meeting Rooms, Quot, Roi, Spa, Team Building Exercises, Unnecessary Expenses, Welcome Reception, Working Lunch
28 Oct 09 Wynn Las Vegas Encore!
Boasting a coveted Mobil Five Star rating, Wynn Las Vegas debuted even more luxury for your groups with the opening of Encore. Fully integrated with the Wynn Las Vegas resort, Encore adds an addtioinal 60,000 square feet of flexible meeting space – including private board rooms and elegant ballrooms- to the Wynn’s 200,000 suqare feet of contiguous event space. Encore features 2,034 guest suites, ranging from 725 square feet to 5,800 square foot VIP Suites.
Tags: Elegant Ballrooms, Encore, Meeting Rooms, Private Board, Square Feet, Square Foot, Star Rating, Vip, Wynn Las Vegas, Wynn Las Vegas Resort
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