It's a well known fact that cruising for groups, meetings and incentives offers outstanding value with savings of up to 40 percent off land-based venues, but is it right for you? According to a recent report in Corporate Meetings & Incentives magazine, 34 percent of their readers had booked a cruise for an incentive event and an astonishing 72 percent said they planned to book one – an unmistakable indication of where the industry is moving.

If you are planning a group cruise for your next incentive travel event, you may be considering whether chartering a ship would be a more appropriate option than booking reservations on a cruise containing unaffiliated passengers. It may or may not be, contingent on a number of issues.

Initially, it is valuable to understand your alternatives. When chartering a cruise ship, you frequently can pick between group, half-ship and full-ship charter options. Full ship charters clearly allow for the most freedom, customization, exclusivity and prestige, while group-level charters will probably be most economical.

All of these alternatives has pros and cons; but, they each present distinctive advantages for those event planners deciding if chartering a cruise ship is their top option.

In order for chartering a cruise ship for your next meeting at sea to be a good goal, you will need to have a definite number of attendees, a good idea of your event space requirements and the funds to make a significant financial commitment upfront, usually guaranteed by a letter of credit.

As soon as these things are in place, your next job is selecting the optimal cruise ship to fit your incentive event needs. This will need to include appropriately-sized meeting spaces, overall costs that are within your planning budget, a suitable itinerary and an overall quality that suits the level of service and prestige required by your meeting at sea client.

If you are planning a corporate incentive travel package, make it easy for yourself and delight your attendees when you go to Seasite.com start sourcing cruise event package.

Trade shows and conventions are ideal places to promote your meeting planning services, and are a great way to come in contact with large numbers of potential clients in a cost-effective, efficient manner. While there are many ways to advertise your business, few allow you to enjoy face-to-face contact with prospects like conventions and trade shows. As an added benefit, if you select events that are related to business, meeting planning, travel, event planning and related topics, the prospects with which you will come in contact have an increased likelihood of being members of your target audience.

This type of targeted marketing allows you to increase awareness of your services and expand your business, while staying withing your set marketing budget and avoiding incurring unnecessary costs. Advertising can be expensive, but you can rein in these costs by opting for tabling at events that focus on your market. If you plan to table at multiple events, it is well worth the initial investment to purchase a creative, professional display that is easy to put up and take down, and convenient to transport. This will cut down on your set up and break down time, and will keep your table looking organized and professional, allowing you to focus on meeting prospects and introducing them to your brand.