Travel
Healthy Meetings at Sea
By
Sep 25, 2006 - 7:00:00 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com).. Have you ever found yourself struggling to find the perfect hotel to book for an upcoming seminar? One that is cost-effective, and yet provides a beautiful environment where you know your attendees will be well taken care of? How about a hotel that offers new entertainment every day, that encourages attendees to bond and socialize, and that will inspire your colleagues to enthuse “that was the best meeting I’ve ever attended!”

Sound too good to be true? Not at all – but instead of looking for a hotel that can meet these expectations, you might want to consider having your next meeting on a cruise ship! Judy Perl, a veteran of the corporate cruise business, has found that an increasing number of healthcare companies are looking toward cruise ships as a surprisingly affordable alternative to hotels. “Whether it’s rewarding top-performing sales representatives or holding an advisory panel or continuing medical education session, cruise ship can offer a number of benefits over a more traditional venue,” Judy explains.

First of all, a cruise ship is much more cost efficient when you compare time, trouble and cost. If you plan an event at a resort, you have to bring a lot of employees with you to coordinate the event, and most of those employees are doubling up and doing jobs they are not familiar with. “This can be very challenging for employees, and it costs money,” Judy points out. “Bringing additional employees and materials means that you need more hotel rooms, more airfare, more food… plus you have to train people to do things they aren’t used to doing.”

On a cruise ship, you have a veritable army of professionals at your beck and call. Unlike hotel staff, a ship’s staff is not seasonal or new, and chances are they’ve been doing their job for a long time, so everyone knows where everything is, and has managed many, many events prior to yours.

At a hotel/resort, it can be difficult to keep communication levels high with all your participants. On a ship, the communications system is right there – the rooms are close to each other, and there are no worries about security, overheard conversations, or infiltration. Cruise ships, by their very nature, provide a secure and confidential meeting environment conducive to open discussion and team building, Judy explains.

“In addition, a cruise ship always offers those extra little touches that make a truly exceptional experience,” Judy notes. “There is familiarity between the participants and the workers since the ship’s staff remains the same through the duration of the cruise. The staff gets to know you and your preferences.”

There are no hidden costs when you charter a ship. If you try to add up the total cost of hotels, food, transportation, entertainment, facilities rental, and then you add on the additional cost of meeting rooms, drinks, food… all of this just constantly adds up when you plan an off-site event at a hotel or resort, and you can be very unpleasantly surprised by the final cost. On a ship, most, if not all, of these things are included in the price. You can use the ship lounge as a meeting room, the dining room for dinner. It’s all available with no hidden costs on a cruise ship.

The logistical advantage to holding an event on a cruise is excellent. Each participant wakes up in the morning and they are already at their event. Compare this to a resort hotel, where every day you have to wait for people to meet at the lobby and then move them by bus, car service or taxis. There is nothing worse than sitting on a bus waiting to go somewhere, and all the time and cost really adds up. If you consider the logistics, luggage transfers, and other advantages, a cruise is a very efficient way to organize activities.

Finally, Judy points out the most obvious benefit of a cruise, which is the opportunity for guests to visit multiple exotic locations without packing and unpacking. A cruise ensures exciting activities, unaffected by inclement weather, and your guests will enjoy top quality cuisine every day, often prepared by top chefs.

“It’s no wonder a cruise always creates excitement, motivates participants, and ensures enthusiastic attendance,” says Judy. “It’s the exotic alternative without the price tag!”

Judy Perl has over 20 years of experience in the corporate cruise industry. For more information about cruise planning and events, email judy@judyperlcruises.com or call
toll-free 866.572.7847.

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