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AFT VIEW


Speaking Up!


Our cruise insider Peter Rushton, who runs the P&R Agency, takes a special look at what makes a ship ‘guest speaker’


I


t seems that, in these less-than-halcy- on days of financial crises, one cost saving option open to cruise operators is shorter port visits, which give rise to


longer, more frequent ‘sea days.’ To my mind, this is actually a benefit,


as days at sea provide more opportunity to discover the ship itself and experience the many and varied joys on offer. I’m thinking of things like ice carving demonstrations, galley and bridge visits, cookery demos, talent shows, organised games, art auc- tions, beauty pageants – and the ‘Lecture’ programme, more correctly referred to as the ‘Guest Speaker’ programme these days. Most lines use the services of speakers, some as celebrities, some filling an ‘After Dinner’ role, others in support of themes and yet others providing the important historical and cultural background to the ports of call.


These days, there is likely to be a place for any subject from Arthurian Legends to Zen Buddhism – providing the speaker can deliver with enthusiasm, informatively, authoritatively and, above all, entertainingly. Because, at the end of the day, the speaker is primarily there as an ‘entertainer,’ albeit they won’t be wearing a comical hat or be billed on the cabaret sheet. But just where do they come from? The lines themselves attract would- be speakers like pollen attracts bees, and many run selection programmes of their own. Others farm out their speaker requirements to specialist agencies that remove the onerous work of sifting out the weeds from the wheat.


Speaker auditions at The P&R Agency


In this process the agency will ensure the ‘new kid on the block’ at least knows which end of the ship goes first, and what he or she might expect once aboard. The bigger agencies, too, are a repository for unsolicited applications and most make a concerted effort to see and talk to every- one, and to fill the demanding role of re- cruiter for the industry. And it is dynamic, for the injection of ‘new blood’ keeps the speaker programme vital and appealing. Since many prospective speakers are drawn from the ranks of regular


 Winter 2011-12 WORLD OF CRUISING 99


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