MIAMI, FL (March 18, 2010) – Longtime cruise meeting and incentive specialist Landry & Kling Inc. – who last fall launched Seasite.com – has appointed Mark Phillips to the new position of Chief Operating Officer. Phillips, founding team member at StarCite, Inc. and, most recently, Managing Director/Vice President, International Markets for StarCite, will leverage his broad meetings industry contacts and expertise to deepen Landry & Kling’s penetration of the global MICE market and accelerate the use of Seasite.com, the first online cruise portal for meeting and event planners.
Phillips’ appointment to this pivotal new role is “a defining moment for our company,” said Jo Kling, CEO Seasite.com. “Mark’s track record with StarCite paves the way for Seasite’s strategic relationships with travel professionals around the world who want to add cruise venues to their portfolio to reap the benefits and ROI of the underutilized cruise sector.”
“His global sales and operations know-how will be a tremendous benefit to our company“ added Joyce Landry, CEO Landry & Kling “and, since leaving StarCite, Mark has been consulting with Financial Times 1000 companies on initiatives to improve operational efficiencies and global reach. This exposure has multiplied the assets he brings to Landry and Kling.”
As COO, Mark will assume day-to-day oversight of both Landry & Kling and Seasite.com, including business development, marketing, strategic partnerships and all operations. This reorganization will allow owners Kling and Landry to focus on strategic growth initiatives, key relationships and diversifying cruise products as the company anticipates exponential growth. Current products range from simple cruise sourcing/brokering via Seasite.com, to Landry & Kling’s custom planning for incentive cruises and ship charters, and cruise logistics for global events using floating hotels.
Landry & Kling tapped Phillips to enhance the electronic product capabilities of Seasite.com as well as expand their international footprint, as he did with StarCite, developing offices in the UK, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and China. Phillips’ extended experience with Strategic Meetings Management Programs and Strategic Sourcing initiatives will enable Landry & Kling and cruise line partners to bring a new voice into meeting industry conversations which typically have not included cruises in the past.
Additional expertise gleaned from 8 years in the hotel industry will enable Phillips to find unique solutions and opportunities for Landry & Kling/Seasite clients as well as partner suppliers, based on his first hand experiences at Hilton International Hotels and Cunard Hotels as Rooms Division Manager, Group Technology Representative , Front Office Trainer and Manager.
Phillips has been an active member and speaker for key industry organizations including MPI, ACTE, NBTA, HSMAI and HEDNA. He is a former board member of the Hospitality Industry Software Council and contributes frequently to media outlets as a topical expert on global meetings, small meetings, expense tracking, audit and compliance issues.
“Landry & Kling owes its success to a corporate culture that is driven by passion, professionalism, creativity and the willingness to revolutionize and reinvent,” states Joyce Landry. “Mark has a reputation as an innovative leader. That, along with being extremely focused and strategic, are among his many attributes that will help take us to greater heights”
About Landry & Kling and Seasite.com
Landry & Kling Inc., cruise event specialists and pioneers of the meetings-at-sea concept, provides turnkey solutions for ship buy-outs, incentive cruises, all kinds of meetings-at-sea and dockside ship charters for global events. Services include site selection and ship sourcing, contract negotiations and custom cruise planning. Landry & Kling recently launched Seasite.com, the first online cruise platform for meeting and event planners.
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.
At the recent 2009 Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Southeast Educational Conference at the Edon Roc in Miami Beach we had the opportunity to hear Brad Nickel, VP of Marketing for Landry & Kling, speak. He gave a presentation on Guerrilla Marketing for Meeting Planners and agreed to let us publish that presentation here, for those meeting professionals who were unable to attend.
Here is the presentation – let us know if you have questions!
Brad was also excited to tell us a little about the upcoming launch of a new resource for meeting and incentive professionals: Seasite.com.
Seasite.com, a new Landry & Kling company, will be the industry’s first online cruise marketplace for global meetings and events. Mr. Nickel, explained, “Seasite.com puts cruise sourcing on par with hotel site selection along with easy RFP generation for multiple brands and ships.”
The site will be launching in late September but in the meantime they are running a contest to win an inaugural cruise aboard the new Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas, billed as the worlds largest and most innovative cruise ship. To enter simply go to their web site, Seasite.com, and sign up to recieve their newsletter and be notified of the official Seasite.com launch. The contest winner will be selected at random on Sept. 10, 2009.
2009 MPI Southeast Educational Conference was held at the Edon Roc Hotel, Miami Beach, August 13th-15th. For more information visit http://mpisec.org/
Our thanks again to Brad – and here’s his bio:
Brad Nickel, Vice President, Marketing / Seasite, a Landry & Kling Company Guerrilla Web Marketing
In this interactive and innovative session, internet marketer Brad Nickel will share valuable insights on how to maximize your impact on line and how best to optimize your website with the smallest investment of time and money. Avoid the painful pitfalls of Search Engine Marketing. You will learn how to make the most out search engine marketing and best practices for garnering attention for your services and personal brand on the web with little financial expenditure. Learn powerful tools to generate new business using Search Engines and discover new ways to free advertising to generate leads on the web.
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