November 2009
Greetings!
Welcome to our first installment of Concurrents from Landry & Kling and Seasite.com. Each month you’ll find tips and articles to help today’s busy planner stay up-to-date and organize spectacular events-at-sea.
Frugal Planner:
Drive to Your Next Meeting – At Sea!
With airline ticket prices on the rise, more planners are searching for close-to-home 
meeting destinations. According to the Air Transport Association of America, nearly 10% fewer people are traveling by air, so it makes sense that drivability is becoming a key site selection factor. While “second tier” cities offer more affordable drive-to meeting venues, they often lack the sizzle and motivational appeal of their big city neighbors. Here’s a solution: plan a drive-to program and drive meeting attendance – on a cruise ship!
Slash your travel budget for a more memorable program – the money you save by cutting back on airline tickets can be used towards upgraded cabins, an exclusive shore event, or customized room gifts. And speaking of saving money, don’t forget that meals, meeting space and AV equipment are included with your cruise fare.
Read the full article and learn about ports available near you…
New Ship Highlight:
Carnival’s New Ship a Planner’s Dream for Meetings & Incentives
The Chamber Conference Room on the Carnival DreamOver the years Carnival Cruise Lines has kept pace with the fast-growing meeting and incentive market with innovative ships and expanded function space. With the recent debut of the Carnival Dream, planners now have a “fun ship” purpose-built for meetings at sea. Carnival Dream has taken its multi-functional meeting area to the next level with The Chamber, the ship’s 4,700 square-foot conference center. The Chamber can be used as a single large meeting room or converted into three separate rooms through the use of air walls to accommodate up to 232 attendees.
Read the full article and be one of the first to see photographs of The Chamber…
Featured Destination:
Discover Costa Maya – New Adventures of an Ancient Port
Costa Maya offers the largest concentration of Mayan archeological sites in Mexico and
some of the most exhilarating adventure and eco-tours in the Caribbean. With acres of unspoiled coastal land, pristine beaches, vast natural resources and rich historic and cultural influences; this once ancient Mayan port of call is a best bet for your meeting or incentive group sailing in the Western Caribbean.
Cruise passengers are transported from the pier to a 70,000 square foot state-of-the-art Mayan entertainment complex with artisan and luxury shopping areas, a beach club, saltwater pools, fine restaurants and bars, with lots of opportunities to explore the surrounding jungle and coral reefs.
Read the full article to learn what adventures are in store for your group…
Going Green:
Celebrity Solstice Commits to “Green Ship” Technology
Given today’s climate concerns – both economic and environmental – more meeting 
planners are striving to be “lean and green”. According to a recent study commissioned by MPI, 66% of corporate sales and marketing executives surveyed plan on implementing, or have already implemented, green meeting initiatives – that’s a 32% increase from 2008. Hotels are “going green”, but did you know that the cruise industry is using the latest technology to implement environmental initiatives on new ships as well as ships already at sea?
For example, Celebrity Cruises’ new eco-friendly cruise ship, the Celebrity Solstice, delivers a green cruise experience with a solar energy, fuel-efficient design.
