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Cruise
Lines: The New Meetings Competitor
The
27 April 2005 edition of the Zeitgeist e-Zine
The world
of Meeting Sales just got a little tougher.
As if the challenges of going head-to-head with your competitive set
day in and day out isn’t daunting enough, a new competitor has
entered the ring. They’re big. They’re glamorous. And they
offer virtually every meeting facility and lodging strength you have...and
then some.
Ladies and gentleman...beware the Cruise Lines.
Just as smart Destination Marketing Organizations are focusing on the
times of the week and year that business is lightest, so are Cruise
lines looking to shore up their flat periods. Holland
America recently spent millions upgrading its entire fleet
to add flat panel televisions and internet portals. Others are installing
corporate meeting and retreat rooms, satellite phones and wi-fi. And
two Seattle companies have just merged to bring their core competencies
(high-end travel and corporate retreats) together to focus on designing
cruise-based meetings.
And, from the planner’s perspective, what’s not to like
about this concept. Corporate retreats are boring (you wanna spend a
weekend in a suburban hotel?). Cruises are considered cool. And, now,
the required amenities that once prevented corporate planners from considering
these floating meetings exist.
And, from a destinational view, there is a more chilling aspect than
just the “cool factor.” In many cases, it’s less expensive
on the water. In a recent article
in the Puget Sound Business Journal, a planner estimates that
his high-end cost for room and food is $250 per attendee while a similar
meeting in Atlanta
would cost $475 a day. Past that, A/V costs are often less expensive
on a Cruise ship because most vessels already have a stage and high-end
lighting and sound ready to go for the evening performance. The ship
is only too happy to let you use it during the day...for pennies.
Which gets us to the evening entertainment portion of the package. It’s
already on board...and they’re eager to perform. And, there’s
also that issue of attendees deciding that they’d rather explore
the community, shop and look for other distractions. On a cruise, they’re
easier to control when onboard.
Finally, cruises are often seen by attendees as a great way to include
their mate for a desirable getaway where they don’t have to worry
about complaints about the destination. A Cruise is always cool, regardless
of the ports of call scheduled. It’s also a cooler place from
which to ideate a new corporate vision than a hotel meeting room.
So, the solution to this new threat? Outside of continually upgrading
our ability to create and manage a unique and exciting experience for
our clients and their attendees, I’m not sure I have one. But
I did want to alert DMOs to this new thrust from a new competitor.
If you’ve got an idea on how to compete, we’re
all ears....
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In our last edition, I commented on the recent spate of CVB professionals
getting bumped upstairs to take over their State’s Tourism Offices.
And, it’s expanded even further as Indiana’s Lt. Governor
just named another CVBer (Ellen Harper of the Vincennes/Knox
County Convention & Visitors Bureau) to head that State's
Main
Street Program.
Of course, in my amazement at the recent trifecta in Oklahoma,
Indiana
and Kansas...I
completely forgot about 3 other former CVB pros that are already leading
their State Tourism efforts: Claudia Vecchio in Ohio
and Randy Fiveash in Kentucky
(both formerly with the Branson
CVB) and Sara Otte Coleman in North
Dakota (originally from the Bismarck/Mandan
CVB, where I’ll be addressing their annual luncheon
tomorrow). J’exuse...
And, Durham’s
Reyn Bowman (a recent guest
on DMOU)
e-mailed me that this trend may have its genesis back in the ‘80s
when North Carolina tabbed Asheville’s
Dick Trammel. Damn...time flies, don’t it?
If I don’t have the chance to reconnect before National
Tourism Week, here’s hoping that yours finds a way
to resonate all that is great about this industry...and its impact on
our communities’ collective Quality of Life.
Bill
Wanna
comment on this or other topics. E-mail
Me!
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