Corporate Travel Destinations

Modern meetings at sea are a potentially high tech affair full of alternative meeting formats and interesting ideas. Furthermore, there are many concerns that people have that are no longer serious issues when planning meetings at sea, such as:

• Price – Some people associate meetings at sea with high prices but nothing could be further from the truth. The fact of the matter is that meetings at sea are incredibly affordable by nearly any standard one chooses to use considering the all-inclusive nature of most tickets. Negligible expenses for entertainment and food are just part of the package!
• Motion sickness – Today’s cruise liners are positively enormous and are very steady in all but the most dangerous of waters. While one can never predict Mother Nature, science has severely reduced the odds of a massive ocean liner winding up in unfriendly seas. Furthermore, most ships have their own mini-hospitals will full staffs on hand for anything from motion sickness to an unexpected delivery!
• Lack of choice – A few decades ago cruise liners were half the size that they are today, and that meant a limitation on meal selections and other options. Modern cruise ships have multiple restaurants, bars, and even dance clubs contained within their massive hulls to give patrons a variety of dining, shopping, leisure, exercise, and even meeting options!

Not everyone knows all of the upsides of meetings at sea, and that could cause a poor decision to be made. In fact, it is probably accurate to suggest that many that have already considered meetings at sea may not be aware of some of the benefits or how to leverage them effectively. Business is all about seeing opportunities and learning how to leverage appropriately, and this includes learning how and when to use the hidden benefits of meetings at sea.

The biggest advantage to having meetings at sea is simple: almost everything is included at a great price. This is often overlooked when people compare the price of rooms alone to cabin space aboard a vessel. The fact of the matter is that the cost of entertainment, meals, meeting rooms, and more also needs to be factored into the equation. This can be leveraged at any time.

One of the secret upsides to meeting at sea is that there are choices when it comes to those inclusive options. For example, do you want a different catering or a different menu? Ask! Chances are good that the request can be met. Want to hold a meeting in a private sauna? Ask! How about private access to that fancy club? Again, just ask. If there was one common theme about the surprising upsides of meetings at sea it would simply be that most people do not know that they should ask.

When most people think of meetings, they imagine themselves stuck within the confines of four walls sitting around a table for several hours. For this reason, when a meeting planner suggests the idea of meetings at sea, some organizations may balk at this notion. Many mistakenly believe that a hotel or resort would be most budget-friendly than a cruise ship charter. From conference rooms equipped with the latest in technology to on-board rock climbing walls, a cruise ship charter can offer an organization a fresh perspective on meeting spaces.

Group cruise planning is a great way to get employees outside the four walls of the conference room and motivate them to be more creative and innovative. For example, meeting at sea may be held in suites or villas with their own private decks. For organizations looking for team-building exercises, a cruise ships can offer mixed-use sports decks for employees to participate in a variety of activities. A meeting planner should keep in mind that event planning does not have to be held in a venue with the traditional four walls. In order for organizations to encourage their employees to look beyond the four walls, event planners have to look beyond the four walls, too.

Ever since homeland security has become such an issue, moving through airport security has become more difficult.  As a seasoned business traveler, this part of your business trip requires some savvy preparation and your knowledge of the system so you can sail through security at the airport as quickly as possible.  But the ability to navigate airport security quickly is not something that comes easy or without some significant planning and training.

The biggest problem of getting through security is not you, it's the other people who did not come prepared for this process.  If you get stuck behind someone who is completely stumped by what is expected of them, it can take forever to get through the system.  So the first priority is to hit airport security when the crowds are low.  The easiest way to accomplish this is to take the first flight of the day out of that airline.  This will be the time when there are fewer people in the airport than anytime of the day.

Typically, it is only business travelers who are at the airport at six a.m. so they will be the ones that already know how to handle security and the lines will move much more quickly.  Like them, you have already learned the most recent rules about what will pass through security and what will get you stopped.  You will need your driver's license and boarding pass several times as you move through the process.  So have that out early on and ready to show it often.  Don't put that information away until you are on the other side of security and ready to go to the gate.  That one-step alone moves you along quickly through the different checkpoints of airport security.

Usually airport security uses a queuing system to handle the crowds.  That means that usually it is one long line moving up to the gates and then that line splits into several gates where various teams work the travelers through the scanning stations.  As you are standing in line to go through the gates, keep an eye on the different stations.  Some stations will stop more people or their equipment is too sensitive so it is moving slower.  You may notice that a new team has arrived and is preparing to open a new station.  With a bit of maneuvering in line, you can hit that new station as it opens and move through fast before the lines accumulate there.

You can cut down on how much you get scanned before you get to the airport.  Wear slip-on shoes that you can get off quickly and back on quickly.  Boots and tie shoes just slow you down.  Keep the amount of 'stuff" you are carrying through security to a minimum.  Put your wallet, keys and other pocket material in your briefcase or purse before you even get in line.  In that way you are down to shoes and that item to move through security and you can move more quickly.

Don't forget the 3-1-1 rule for carrying on any liquids.  You are allowed to carry liquids of no more than 3 ounces.  Those liquids must be placed in a 1 quart-size, clear plastic bag, and you are allowed only one such bag.  Have this bag accessible because you will have to separate that from the rest of your items being scanned.  In addition, laptop or notebook computers must be taken out of your carry-on bag and placed in a separate bin for scanning.

These tricks of the trade can make the beginning of your business trip much less of a problem and get you to the gate more quickly.  The security personnel will appreciate that you know what you are doing and you will reduce your stress and move along to your business goals with less anxiety and a greater focus on your objectives.

Recent research suggests that people making retail purchases are examining their expenditure more closely before making decisions. In other words, there is a lot less of the willy-nilly cash throwing that the upper-middle class to the wealthy had been guilty of for so many years during the height of their prosperity. Now these same people are looking for better value and asking themselves if they really need this or that. And now, this research shows, they are happier as well.

What this means to meeting planners and their business is not so much that you will have less of it–although that could happen and may be happening now–but that you will have to focus your attention on value as well. This focus will, of course, be on the client’s behalf, so you may end up working a little harder to bring home your bacon. Continue reading »

The tanked economy may be old news–and news we’re all tired of listening to–but has turned out to be a boon for meeting planners and those booking incentive travel. Ovation Travel Group predicts that the recent tears-long trend of increased rates will be reversed in 2009, and rates might drop. Ovation recently polled hundreds of hotels through the world, and found that some have already lowered their rates, so the trend may be starting.

With over 400 hotels responding to a survey, Ovation reports that this year hotels have already lowered their 2008 rates by 4.31 percent. The company says that overseas, 35.6 percent of the properties report their rates are down by 11 percent, and another 27 percent have held steady. This makes a total average drop in rates of 4.67 percent.

Here in the United States 37.1 percent of our hotels report reducing their rates by 10.2 percent, which mirrors properties worldwide. However, more of our hotels have maintained the 2008 rates–38 percent of domestic properties did not raise prices in 2009. This makes “Buy American” much easier for the domestic planner who is looking to book incentive groups locally.

Even though financially things are tough around the world, that doesn’t mean that you can’t send people on worldwide travel. If you have properties with which you have great relationships already, they may be willing to reduce rates for especially large bookings. These days everyone is fighting for business, so you might as well take advantage of it–find the hotels that have lowered their rates and reward their good sense with your business.