Corporate Travel Destinations

In a recent blog article posted by Cvent entitled, Caribbean Incentive Travel: Summer Travel Benefits, the top 10 reasons why the Caribbean is a great destination for summer incentive travel are outlined.  While all those are valid reasons, I thought it would be interesting to raise the idea a notch by providing the top 10 benefits to CRUISING the Caribbean for Summer Incentive Travel.

So, here goes:

1.     Lower Cruise Fares – Many cruise lines offer summer deals and specials.
2.    Ability to Visit Different Islands – Why stay put in one resort when you have the whole Caribbean to explore?
3.    No Need to Unpack Several Times – Do it once and you’re free to enjoy the rest of your trip as you island hop.
4.    Activities to Suit All Ages – Whether its the adrenaline rush of the exciting Zip Line ride, surfing the day away on a Surf Simulator or brushing up on your golf skills, there’s something for level of desired activity for any age (also included in the fare!!).  Kid’s Clubs allow for some parental downtime and a variety of spa services are also available on board (spa services are separate).
5.    Meeting Facilities and Event Venues are FREE to Reserve – While resort hotels may discount them during the summer months, on a cruise ship they’re always FREE!
6.    Variety of Dining Options – With multiple restaurants to choose from included in the fare (and some additional exclusive options available for a nominal charge), you’ll never be bored at meal time.
7.    Beat the Summer Heat- What better way to get away from the city heat than to sit back and enjoy the tropical breezes and breath-taking beauty of the Caribbean.
8.    Air Travel More Affordable and Convenient to US Ports – Many airlines have frequent and reasonable flights to cities such as Miami and Fort Lauderdale where cruise ships board, rather than paying a premium to fly directly to an island and having limited flight options.
9.    Expansive Selection of Entertainment Choices – Enjoy a Broadway-class show, dance the night away in one of the many lounges and clubs or partake in deck-side festivities, there’s always something exciting to do on board and once again, included in the fare!!!!

And the last and probably most AMAZING…

10.    Fabulous Sunsets from the Middle of the Ocean-  Truly a sight to behold as you stand on deck and marvel at nature’s wonder while the skies are painted in hues of pinks and oranges.  It’s a view that simply can’t compare to land-locked sunsets.

It was a widely held belief that people who cruised were either honeymooners or an older, less-mobile crowd.  Either way, you were subjected to small cabins, cheesy entertainment and banquet hall-type cuisine.  However, in the last 15 years all that has dramatically changed. 

Cruise lines have revolutionized how people cruise in the 21^st century by offering exciting sporting and recreational activities, Broadway-caliber entertainment and gourmet fine dining.  In doing so, they have succeeded in attracting a younger, more active crowd which has reinvigorated the industry.

The corporate meeting and special events market has also reaped some of these rewards with state-of-the art meeting rooms and technological amenities to rival and surpass any “traditional conference room”.   The advantages to booking a corporate meeting do not end there.  Many ships provide concierge meeting planning assistance making it a one stop shop for all your planning needs.  Plus, with pricing that includes all meals, entertainment, and ship-board activities, planning a budget for your special event is a breeze.

The Cruise Lines International Association reports that 15 million people went on a cruise last year compared to 500,000 in 1970.   Corporate meetings and special events at sea have also increased substantially and it’s easy to see why.  After all, where else can you zip-line nine decks above an ocean liner in-between meeting programs?   

Cruise meetings might sound lavish and expensive, but the opposite is true: not only a cruise meetings often more affordable than the alternatives, the truth is that cruise meetings are far more trendy and chic while offering tangible benefits to businesses. In today’s business environment it pays to have a little bit of panache and know when to use it. Meetings on cruise ships might be just what it takes to close that big deal or to impress investors. Here’s why:

• Cruise ships have to be updated more frequently than hotels in order to stay relevant. This is even true when comparing cruise ships to hotels in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, locations famous for the short lifespan of their local hotels.
• Cruise ships also tend to be better maintained than their land-bound counterparts. This is almost a requirement that they need to impress visitors who are often initially concerned about trying something new and different.
• Most business class passengers on cruise ships are treated like royalty, which is only a tiny step above how normal guests are treated. This means that you spend less time planning and reacting, more time analyzing and moving forward.
• A change in conditions, such as being on a gorgeous cruise ship and surrounded with a mixture of business and pleasure, is often enough to change the decision making process of individuals that are on the proverbial fence.

There are some factors that have got to be taken into consideration when traveling with a group: Accommodations, meals, meeting rooms, A/V equipment, activities, entertainment, and many, many other assorted details. Organizing group travel can swiftly become a nightmare as expenses start to rack up and overwhelm many companies scanty travel budgets.

Decreasing expenses to save costs on incentive trips such as these will effect in less than excellent trip reviews from individuals in the group, having the possibility to decrease employee morale and negatively affect productivity. Rather than organizing an expensive expedition on land, companies and organizations should think about taking their attendees on a cruise event to the Bahamas.

With land based venues, each feature of the excursion must be planned on an separate basis. The hotel may not have a restaurant or have only one dining option. Separate meeting area may have to be reserved, and all of the A/V equipment considered necessary may not be provided by the business meeting facility. When the meeting is over, employees may not know where to find local entertainment or activities they would enjoy. In addition, attendees have no real incentive to network or spend time with one another outside of scheduled convention events. Finding transportation for the group from the hotel to restaurants, activities, and meeting spaces can also be difficult.

Now think about a cruise ship. A cruise meeting is more often than not all inclusive, and incentive planners can adapt the cruise to meet the needs of their clients. Compared to land based venues, a group cruise event can save companies as much as 40 percent. This is because luxury accommodations, gourmet meals, meeting rooms, A/V equipment, activities, entertainment, and many other services are inclusive of the cruise fare. Therefore, taking a group cruise to the Bahamas can be less costly than organizing a trip on land. Moreover, the Bahamas is a tropical, exotic destination that will be seen as exciting and adventurous. Since everything is included in a cruise, participants can network together and participate in activities as a group. This helps to build unity and cohesion between the company’s top performers and management.

Taking a group on a cruise to the Bahamas is certainly more advantageous that most companies realize. Rather than spending on hotels and expensive restaurants, save money and book a cruise event. A cruise to the Bahamas will be memorable, and it will give new employees an incentive to work harder and achieve distinction. Incentive travel programs are essential to the success of a company and retention of top talent. Incentive travel programs such as a group cruise to the Bahamas is an admirable method to attract top talent to a company, motivate success, and give the organization a conspicuous edge.

Organize a group incentive cruise meeting to the Bahamas for your next incentive event. Seasite.com offers group incentive cruise meeting planning resources that will make it easy to plan group incentive cruise meeting events entirely online.

Corporate travel is not just average travel. Corporate travel is designed to award top-performers within a company or organization for their hard work, dedication, and innovation. Top-performers and first class employees deserve more from their employer than simply mediocre and mundane corporate travel. Of course, in uncertain economic times the extravagance of corporate travel has to be balanced with the financial resources available for incentive travel expenses. However, businesses do not have to choose between quality and value when planning corporate travel. They can enjoy both by booking cruise ship charter.

An incentive cruise is an ideal way to award top-performers and motivate others within the organization. By choosing to conduct meetings at sea, businesses can save approximately 40 percent compared to land-based incentive travel. Travel incentives such as a ship charter are excellent because they are all inclusive. Cruise event participants can enjoy premium services, accommodations, dining, and entertainment on an incentive cruise. A cruise ship charters' inclusive incentives will be attractive to even the most well-seasoned traveler. Since a cruise event may be less expensive than land-based travel, group cruise planning is a real value to the business. Therefore, businesses do not have to sacrifice quality or value if they choose an incentive cruise for their corporate travel.

There are many metaphorical closed doors in the business world. Worse, there are doors that are sealed tight. There are ways to open those doors, even those that seem sealed shut. One such way is to consider sending invitations to a cruise event. After all, requests for meetings and invitations to conferences can be ignored by many but few will turn down an invitation to travel on a cruise ship. In fact, most people would consider an invitation to travel aboard a cruise ship to be an honor. Here are a few points to consider:

• Most cruise ships are all inclusive – This means that a single price covers almost every a guest could want. Whether you are inviting all-star employees in an attempt to build morale, stubborn clients, potential clients, or intransigent suppliers, everyone invited to cruise events/meetings will feel like they are highly valued.
• Almost nobody can resist the opportunity to take a cruise – This is one of the main reasons why cruise events and meetings have such high attendance rates. Simply put, a hotel is possible for most people to resist.
• Special events can extended the irresistible nature of a cruise – most meeting and/or event planners are more than happy to schedule special events for members of a large group. Those that could resist a cruise might not be able to resist a cruise plus a little something extra.

Many companies and large corporations use cruise meetings effectively, but they closely guard some of their secrets. Here are three easy ways to get far more mileage out of a cruise:

1. Start by signing up for a corporate credit card with the cruise company if they have one. Most corporate credit cards in this class are surprisingly reasonable when it comes to fees and terms, and almost all of them yield useful travel-related rewards.
2. Plan ahead. Remember that a ship at sea is difficult and expensive to resupply so plan for banquets and other special events ahead of time and give the chef in charge of catering ample warning before leaving port. It may take a week or more to get good deals on vegetables or meats.
3. Note that it never hurts to ask, even when it comes to using public spaces. Want to host a meeting on the aft shuffleboard lobby? Ask! Want to book the spinning room or yoga center for a pre- or post-meeting event? Go for it! Want to host a meeting in the spinning room? That can almost certainly be arranged too if you ask in advance.

The sky really is the limit on a cruise ship when it comes to accommodating customers, especially corporate and business clients. Be sure to make requests in advance and you can be surprised how accommodating cruise liners and their staffs can be.

While smaller meetings and events on cruise ships are all well and good, there is another option that is actually even better for those who truly have a need: chartering and/or buy-outs.  Ship charters are surprisingly affordable, as it gives the cruise company a chance to earn their overhead without spending as much on marketing, but there is so much more to consider:

• Some meetings need to be secretive by nature, and buy-outs/chartering ensures that none of the other passengers might be eavesdropping. On the other hand, companies that host cruise meetings where others can see them might not only seem more open and honest, but they may seem more attractive to investors.
• A buy-out of all cabins on an existing cruise ensures complete access to all facilities at all hours. In short, you are calling just about all of the shots save for the course. Even then, the captain of the ship might be amenable to arranging longer stays in Port A and skipping Port B.
• Complete concierge services is also typically available on charters. This should be no surprise since the concierge usually serves the guests. Since all the guests are your invitees, all you have to do is kick back and relax and let someone else sort out their problems.
• There are big and small charter cruise ships available. Do not worry if all you have are a hundred or so participants as there are smaller cruise ships that are ideal for the task at hand. Even a smaller cruise ship is still an enormous floating meeting and entertainment facility.

When planning a cruise meeting or at least considering a meeting at sea it is important to realize that a cruise environment is unlike any other. Where else can you find so many services, goods, and styles of accommodation under one roof? The biggest difference between meetings on a cruise ship and meetings in more traditional environments is that meetings on a cruise ship can take entirely different form without seeming unusual. Here are a few great ideas for alternative cruise meetings:

If the meeting is small, consider taking the meeting in the massage center. A few powerful individuals can relax while resolving problems or planning a potentially successful course of action while they are extremely relaxed.

Medium sized meetings could be conducted from the spinning floor or the palates class. A little physical exertion can get the mind working at high-speed. After all, oxygen is carried to the brain in the bloodstream, and getting the heart pumping increases the amount of blood and oxygen being circulated.

A shuffleboard environment is also a great way to have multiple groups of people get acquainted, and perhaps conduct informal conversations prior to the start of formal meetings that can be held in more formal settings.

Seaside conference rooms are also a great alternative to vistas of cityscapes and real jungles trump concrete jungles when it comes to scenery every single time.

One of the best benefits of having cruise events is that, well, they are cruise events! This means that everyone gets to have a great time and escape their daily grind, unless they happen to work on a cruise ship. Since the chances of that rare occurrence seem remote at best, the simple fact of the matter is that anyone attending cruise events is likely to be inspired. In fact, even those that are not invited along for the cruise event are likely to be inspired. Consider the following:

Partners and suppliers that meet key goals and are offered a limited number of cabins on cruise events are likely to value the business relationship in terms that are measured in more than just dollars and cents. This can be very valuable as globalization continues to cause long-term market readjustments that can allow for fierce competition from new adversaries overnight.

Employees can be inspired by the opportunity to travel on the company dime, especially when it involves cruise events and rubbing elbows with the top brass. The stories they tell when they get back are likely to prove inspirational in their own right.

Executives and top talent are likely to consider cruise events to be perks, even if a little work or a few meetings are involved.