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There is a misconception among a number of segments of the corporate meeting and incentive travel industry that cruises are an excessively expensive choice for corporate meetings and incentive travel. When instead, choosing to arrange your next corporate event onboard a cruise ship can be extremely economical and can effect in sizeable cost savings when compared to corporate event destinations that are land-based.
According to a recent report published in Corporate Meetings & Incentives magazine, 34 percent of their readers had used a cruise for an incentive program and an astounding 72 percent said they planned to – a clear indication of where the industry is moving.
This is especially true when incentive travel and meeting planners take advantage of inviting packages offered when planning meetings with many attendees. The cost benefits can be even more if the majority of the attendees live nearby a port or cruise terminal, avoiding the need for air travel.
The notion of participating in a corporate meeting at sea event is additionally much more thrilling and intriguing to meeting participants, which results in them in reality looking forward to the voyage, to a certain extent dreading yet another incentive event where they use up hours locked in a boring meeting room in Omaha or Kansas City.
Onboard cruise ship activities and entertainment are an outstanding way to relax after a long day of meetings, and offer ample of options for days off. Stopping in fascinating ports of call also adds appeal to shipboard corporate incentive travel, and permits event participants to spend time enjoying attractions, dining, entertainment and shopping off the ship as well.
Plan your next corporate event on a cruise ship and you will find that attendees will be happier, more motivated and more productive as they enjoy the opportunity to both work and have fun onboard.
If you are planning a business incentive travel package, make it easy for yourself and delight your attendees when you go to Seasite.com start sourcing cruise event package.
When companies contact a meeting planner to assist them with incentive travel, there are several things that the meeting planner must know to ensure a successful trip. Many times, the company has not even considered some of the most basic elements that the meeting planner needs to plan incentive travel. In order to plan an incentive program that will right for the company, the company and the meeting planner need to know the ultimate goals of the incentive travel as well as the company budget. Companies usually have an idea of their budget, but concrete goals are sometimes lacking. Knowing these goals will be essential to incentive travel planning. Once these crucial details are determined, a meeting planner can begin designing and preparing an incentive travel itinerary.
After goals and budget have been established, a meeting planner will make a recommendation regarding the location of the event. Once the location has been approved and confirmed, a meeting planner will be responsible for negotiating a competitive travel package for the company. When a satisfactory package has been secured, a meeting planner will then begin planning events based on the company's incentive travel goals. A meeting planner will assist the company in facilitating all aspects of the trip.
Incentive travel planners may find themselves arranging travel packages for a variety of winners, including some with high salaries and others with more moderate incomes. Because of this, planners must ensure that all of their participants will be able to enjoy their travel awards equally, particularly if staff members at different pay rates will be traveling to the same destination at the same time. Fortunately, there is a very simple, convenient way to accomplish thus that is sure to appeal to all of the participants that receive travel awards: cruises.
Incentive cruises are an excellent option for incentive travel and provide an all-inclusive travel package that will allow each of your winners to fully enjoy their travel incentive, regardless of their personal budget. With included meals and snacks, complimentary room service, first-run movies at no charge, use of fitness facilities at no additional cost, free onboard activities, nightly entertainment and duty-free shopping, travelers at all income levels will find incentive travel cruises an appealing, enjoyable experience.
Opting for incentive cruises also provides additional benefits to the incentive travel planner and the company paying for the travel awards. As a cost-effective option that is simple to organize and sure to encourage employees to perform, cruises are an ideal choice when it comes to planning incentive travel.
Incentive travel planners are well aware of the many reasons they must keep a watchful eye on the costs associated with incentive travel programs. The company paying the travel expenses will naturally require a detailed list of expenditures and will have a budget that you must stay within, as well as greatly appreciating your efforts put towards saving money without losing quality. However, with all of this emphasis placed on how much incentive travel packages will cost the company, it can be easy to overlook the expenses that the participants will incur.
In some cases, this may be an insignificant detail that does not affect the participants’ ability to enjoy their travel award to the fullest, but for some incentive travel winners, the costs involved may prohibit them from taking full advantage of this opportunity – or from participating at all. It is one thing to arrange a luxury vacation for well-compensated executives who can afford to indulge in room service for every meal at high-end resorts, but it is quite another to arrange a satisfying travel package for hardworking salespeople or staff members who may not have high salaries.
Incentive travel planners should keep this in mind when selecting destinations and would do well to do a bit of basic research on area prices to ensure that affordable meals and entertainment options are available.
By its very nature, incentive travel should have an air of luxury and absolutely must be enticing in order for it to function as an incentive. It simply cannot be a run-of-the-mill trip that the potential participants could easily throw together themselves. Incentive travel packages must be memorable, meaningful, perfectly planned and expertly executed. That being said, incentive travel planners are under increasing pressure to cut costs and deliver travel packages that fit into new, reduced travel budgets. As they struggle to meet the demands of their supervisors or client companies, while staying within budget, incentive travel planners are now constantly looking for ways to lower travel expenses. The trick is to find ways to cut costs without cutting corners.
Here are some ways that travel planners are adapting to the changes that have come with this economic downturn:
1. Opting for all-inclusive incentive cruise 2. Choosing lower-cost domestic and international destinations 3. Opting for lower-cost food, beverage and hotel choices 4. Planning more free time into the travel schedule, as opposed to offering multiple planned activities 5. Reducing the number and cost of pillow gifts, or cutting them out completely
When determining the best way for you to cut costs without cutting corners, keep in mind that a lower-cost destination choice coupled with upscale pillow gifts and luxury amenities will deliver a more memorable, enjoyable trip, as compared to opting for a stripped down travel package at a high-end destination.
As an incentive travel planner, you are likely always looking for ways to augment your incentive travel programs and add meaningful extras that will enhance the traveler’s experience. From entry-level travel gifts to luxury luggage sets, there are many options from which to choose when selecting merchandise to include in your incentive travel package.
Luggage is an obvious choice and can range from a simple carry-on to an entire set, but there are also many other fun gift options that your travelers are sure to enjoy. Quality digital cameras, particularly those by big name brands, are another popular choice that travelers are sure to appreciate, as is sporting equipment that is appropriate for the destination or iPods, headphones and other gift items for making their flight more enjoyable.
If you are planning incentive travel on a budget, you can also opt for more affordable options, including:
• Discount cards for area attractions and transportation • Tickets to local attractions or entertainment venues • Organic, high-quality personal care and toiletry kits • Messenger or laptop bags • Travel wallets • Luggage tags • Travel pillow, eye mask and blanket sets • Executive travel stationary sets • Travel alarm clocks • Travel jewelry or tie cases • Travel shoe shine kits
Also, to make these gifts even more meaningful, keep in mind that each of these items can be imprinted with your company logo.
You do not have to make every meal a stylishly themed function when planning your next corporate meeting or incentive travel package, but there should always be at least one fun food function, and possibly more. Of course, creating a memorable meal takes more time, effort and money, but it is well worth it to ensure that your attendees will be talking about your event for months or years to come.
Even if you are working with a slim budget, or have many other planning components that require your focus, you can plan a themed function with ease and for less by working with your venue using these three tips:
