Cruise Progam

#1 - Skipping research Sticking with what you already know will get you exactly where you have always been.  A survey of your participants after your last program will tell you where they would like to go, but you have to make it fit your budget; and work in your agenda; and provide a wow factor.     Solution:  Get an expert involved, you'd be surprised to know that site selection services alone can cost no more than booking directly with a cruise line.  And you can get impartial advice.    Every cruise line will do their best to fit your program into their existing routine.  If one ship doesn't work, do you know all the alternatives?

#2 - Same old, same old... Taking your group to the same place every year, may seem like a safe choice.  After all, it scored really high on your participants' surveys right?   If your goal is to motivate or inspire attendance, you have to keep it fresh.  Your attendees will more likely get excited about a place they have never been to before - especially one they could not have gotten to on their own. How cool is it for them to tell their friends about where they are heading next.    Yeah, but that means more money right? Not necessarily.    Solution:  Changing your program by a week or two can sometimes give you fantastic savings.  Find ships in the middle of repositioning destinations or doing one-off cruises.  A charter gives you ultimate control of where and when you go, and can be surprisingly affordable all-in. Working with a cruise-planning resource can give you access to rates, dates and itineraries that are not widely publicized, plus give you a fast track to the ins and outs of managing a program at sea versus a resort.

#3 - Keeping it to yourself / Going it alone While you may not want to share your plans for an incentive with your competition, peer to peer resources can be your best bet.  Get referrals from other planners in your industry on reliable partners. Organizations like MPI, SITE, FICP or WBENC can offer their members exposure to best practices forums for their industries.    Solution:  What motivates a group of electronics salespersons from the Mid West may fall flat with a group of investment bankers from the North East. Like hotels, cruises also cater to different demographics.  Find out what your peers have experienced.  Supplier members of each of those organizations stay in touch with what their clients' needs are.  Don't expect industrial secrets, but they can provide you with information on ships that meet the standards of others in your industry.

#4 - Taking "No" for an answer Cruise lines are programmed to think in terms of individual vacation goers.  Arrangements are made for groups and charters with a lot of the same rules in mind.  A meeting planners' request to go outside of the usual is often times met with "NO."    Solution:  It sometimes takes presenting a plan of how your request can be accomplished in order to get to the "YES."  Most times it takes getting to key decision-makers. Working with seasoned professionals can save you time and aggravation.  Industry insiders can help you get to key decision-makers and also present a plan to the cruise line on your behalf that helps them envision your program from their logistical perspective.

#5 - Not Planning Ahead You just got through with your last program or meeting and realize - Yikes!  It's almost time for the next. How do you split yourself in two, pre-planning for the next one, while caught up in the middle of the one about to happen.  Get help.    Solution:  Working with a cruise planning company no longer has to be a choice of all or nothing. Just need help finding the right ship? Narrow down the world of possibilities with a ship selection service, then manage the planning yourself.  Chances are very good that you won't pay a penny more as most brokers are compensated by the cruise lines.  It gets the ball rolling even though you are not available to do the research yourself. A la carte services and pricing makes it easy for you to engage help (and justify to your company's decision makers) for specific tasks or stages of your planning.

Want to know more about these or other cruise planning issues?  Talk to the experts.  With over 25 years in business and a cruise-experienced staff, Landry & Kling have become the proven cruise planning and ship charter resource meeting planners can rely on.    Learn more about us online at www.landrykling.com or contact us at 800-448-9002 / inquiry@landrykling.com