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
08 Mar 10 Archaeology Tours Are Popular Today
Archaeology tours are interesting options for meeting planners to consider when something new and different is required. These tours normally include travel, various types of lodgings, and meals while the tour is in progress and most will cover multiple locations over the course of a few days. Some of these tours are handicapped accessible, and many happen right here inside of the United States.
It is possible for a larger group to contact the tour providers to arrange for a tour that is tailored to the group needs or schedule. As an example, a conference room may be possible at a hotel location during the course of the trip for meetings. Every continent has many wonderful finds from our globes earlier times, so that these tours can be arranged to meet location requirements.
Most of the archaeology tours that are offered do not allow the attendees to participate in active digs. However, this is not true for all tours. It is possible to arrange for your meeting crew to have a hands-on experience with some of the tour providers. For many office workers, the proposition of being outside with something very interesting to see can make the thought of an archaeology tour very appealing.
Tags: Archaeology Tours, Attendees, Continent, Digs, Few Days, Globes, Hands On Experience, Hotel Location, Location Requirements, Lodgings, Meeting Planners, Office Workers, Options, Tour Providers, Tours Travel, United States
29 Jan 10 Selling Yourself as an Expert in Your Field
At least a little bit of self-promotional and selling yourself as an expert in your field is necessary, regardless of whether you are employed by a corporation, work under a self-employed meeting planner or provide meeting planning services on your own. In any of these situations, it is important that others in the industry begin to know who you are, that your current and potential clients perceive you as topnotch and that you view yourself as a well-versed, professional expert in your field. All of this is part of building your brand, which is important even if you do not own your own company – or at least not yet.
There are plenty of reasons to sell yourself as an expert and build you brand, with the most obvious being that someday you will be going out on your own, seeking a promotion or exploring your options for furthering your career at another firm. If you are already well known in the industry and have already participated in expert-like activities, such as making yourself available for speaking engagements or writing articles for trade publications, each of these transitions will be much smoother, and you will likely find that potential employers or clients will be seeking you out, rather than the other way around.
Tags: Career, Current, Little Bit, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planning Services, Options, Professional Expert, Speaking Engagements, Trade Publications, Transitions
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