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Meeting Planners Agree..Ships are Popular

BUSINESS PLANNERS FIND CRUISE SHIPS POPULAR LOCALE FOR COMPANY MEETINGS AND INCENTIVES

Miami (November 19, 2008) - Corporate America has discovered that cruise ships are ideal sites for mixing business and pleasure, leading more companies to plan business meetings at sea. Ranked high among those features are: - Inclusive price - Value for the money - Available activities - Attendee satisfaction - Captive audience

When it comes to meeting facilities, vessels offer a variety of flexible meeting space options, from breakout rooms for small-group gatherings to large auditoriums for presentations. Larger ships also feature sufficient areas for private gatherings, including social functions and dinners. These “floating convention centers” feature beautifully appointed meeting rooms designed to host multi-purpose events in an atmosphere known for luxury and pampering.

Cruise ships offer state-of-the-art equipment to handle special events. Onboard technical expertise to help design a program is often available. For busy professionals who feel the need to stay connected, there are onboard Internet cafes. Several lines offer e-mail and Internet access through network connections in individual staterooms.

The overall cruise ship experience is an ideal environment to combine work and pleasure. With the wide variety of amenities and activities available, colleagues can work and play together. Family members can enjoy the casinos, fitness centers, and supervised kids’ programs while employees are being productive – and everyone reunites for dinner.

From the corporate perspective, the inclusive nature of a cruise makes it a great value as an incentive. With all the amenities of a land-based resort vacation plus numerous ‘extras’ – often at a lower price tag – a cruise fits well into corporate budgets. And for employees, a cruise offers a full menu of activities – including spas, Broadway-style entertainment, top-of-the-line fitness facilities as well as the ability to visit a variety of ports of call. It is the ultimate reward.

A cruise is a great motivational tool. Those in charge of motivating/rewarding their employees have come to realize what millions of cruisers have known, a cruise is a much-sought-after prize.

Celebrity Cruises: Provides an advanced array of meeting and interactive video services as well as onboard convention coordinators to manage on-site logistics. Seven of the line’s nine ships feature Cinema and Conference Centers, specially designed to host multi-purpose events, including capabilities for multi-media slide presentations, video projector playback from videotape, computer-generated graphic presentations, video-conferencing via satellite.

Norwegian Cruise Line: The Norwegian Dawn and Star feature meeting complexes that can be used together or separately. They also offer state-of-the-art technical equipment for presentations, plus diverse lounges ideal for private gatherings, a cinema and auditorium ideal for screenings and PowerPoint presentations. The newer ships have centers to seat up to 126.

Radisson Seven Seas Cruises: Radisson Diamond has dedicated meeting space for 178 guests, while the Seven Seas Voyager has a card/conference room able to accommodate 64. All other public space on the line’s vessels can be utilized as meeting space for groups and charters.

Royal Caribbean International: The Voyager-class ships offer a comprehensive conference center capable of accommodating more than 400 people, with full audio-visual capabilities. They also feature a multi-media screening room for 60 people and the state-of-the-art Studio B, which accommodates more than 900 people and has full production light and sound capabilities.

Angela DeDomenico

Meeting Planners Agree..Ships are Popular