MICE CRUISES BY TOM NEWCOMBE
the unique venue can encourage people to attend,” she says. “A cruise provides a captive audience with less interruption, resulting in the audience being more focused on the speaker and content.”
CONNECTIVITY Earlier this year a report from the GBTA found that free, fast wifi was the most important ‘add-on’ a travel manager can negotiate for travellers – something hard to provide on a cruise ship, as Janet Parton, UK & Ireland head of sales at MSC Cruises, explains: “Of course, wifi on board a ship is not going to be as good as broadband, as it’s reliant on satellites. But we recently announced new internet packages to reflect the habits and needs of our guests. It’s something we are continu- ally trying to improve – and the price is a reflection of how much it costs to have a good connection at sea.” On MSC Cruises, the price per day for the maximum bandwidth package and four devices is Ð19.90 but is something most buyers should be able to negotiate down for its delegates.
SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE The task of organising an event, meeting or conference at sea – whatever the size – can throw up many challenges not normally associated with land-based
It’s the fact you are holding an event at sea that creates the selling point for delegates
events. “One major tip I would have is if you haven’t organised a conference on a cruise ship before, then find someone who has – their knowledge is worth its weight in gold,” says McLeod. He adds: “You have to bear in mind
you’re fitting into the ship’s plans. They can’t change what the other 3-4,000 guests are doing, so closing off certain venues or areas of the ship for your del- egates is a big deal, and involves good communication and planning with the ship’s staff.”
Chief executive of consultancy Festive
Road, Paul Tilstone, says that timing around rehearsals for speakers and stage events present a challenge. “Speakers’ on-boarding schedule and the availability of the stage meant that rehearsals and stage set-up were pretty crunched, while
Catching the wave
MICE cruise specialist Landry & Kling lists ten top cruise-event choices for planners 1 Incentive cruises Group or individual cruises can be used
as a motivation tool for employees.
provides a productive setting in which to generate future business opportunities together.
2 Customer appreciation and employee recognition Cruising 3 Business meetings Innovate by choosing a cruise for your annual meeting, board meeting or sales conference.
5,000 people, a ship is a convenient, self-contained venue that can help increase attendance and control cost.
4 Conventions and trade shows With capacity for up to
Programmes for medical, legal and other professions can successfully use a cruise if the right ship and destination are selected.
5 Continuing education, association conference
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM 6 Executive retreats If your company is looking for a
budget levels. 7 Consumer incentives Use this to give sales a
competitive edge.
through travel programmes that earmark a portion of the cruise price for a worthy cause.
8 Fundraisers Organisations can motivate donations 9 Full-ship charters For the ultimate cruise experience, charter a vessel for your organisation’s exclusive use. 10 Dockside charters or ‘floating hotels’ If there’s a shortage
in a port city, consider a dockside charter to accommodate the overflow.
BBT JULY/AUGUST 2016 87 of hotel space for a citywide convention or global event change of scene, a cruise delivers the results at multiple
the sessions had to be undertaken during certain times only,” he says. “To combat this we did as much preparation as we could in advance with speakers and made them aware they may need to be more flexible than normal.” He also recom- mends an on-ship co-ordinator. “It’s really important to have a crew member who knows exactly what your needs are and who can make things happen.” Rogan adds that due to the nature of a cruise ship, and the fact you are visit- ing more glamorous destinations than normal, it can be harder for delegates to get buy-in from senior management. “From my experience I found that due to the conference being held on a cruise ship, this was perceived by some as being a ‘jolly’, whereas a conference at a hotel would not have been questioned due to it being the norm.” Tilstone believes it’s an alternative companies should consider, but advises to look at all the challenges that can arise. “Planners must think about the pros and cons, which include the perception that a conference at sea might be more fun than one on dry land. Companies need to truly understand the impact a ship has on formats and engagement opportuni- ties. As long as they take all of these into consideration, it is something we may see more of in the future.”˜
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