How much is too much?

By Rusty Pickett, ECC

We were recently on a NACTA seminar at sea, and as is typical these days, the subject of social and electronic media came up with respect to its use in our business. A very professional and aggressive agent, also relatively new, was describing how much time it takes to do her electronic newsletter, keep up with her Facebook account and also stay active with Twitter...(continue)

What Kind of Fool Am I?

By Scott Koepf

There may be a few of you who are already composing your E-mail to answer this question for me. While I will be happy to receive those replies, this question is actually designed to ask of yourself, not others.

It is the title of a song that became more famous than the show it came from, Stop the World — I Want to Get Off. Through singing the beautiful melody and piercing lyrics, the character tries to find the answer to the question in the title of the song, "What Kind of Fool Am I?"... (continue)

Birmingham England —
The Ultimate Shopper's Paradise

By Paull Tickner

Airside Kerbside in less than 30 minutes... Fantastic weekend rates at fabulous 4 star hotels... Amazing shopping... Welcome to Birmingham, Britain's second city and recently named as one of the world's top 20 places to visit in 2012 alongside the likes of Florence, Tokyo and San Diego.

The influential New York Times newspaper placed the city 19th on its list of must see destinations, highlighting a recent quote that Birmingham is the UK's 'foodiest town'.

In its write up the New York Times says: ''The chefs are building on an already rich dining scene. Birmingham is famous in Britain for its Balti Triangle, an area of town that is home to a beloved Pakistani-Kashmiri curry dish invented here.''... (continue)

Managing the Customer Relationship

By Mitchel J. Schlesinger

Think about your own motivations when you buy anything. For clothes, it is how stylish you feel you look or appear to others, or those of you in Green Bay, warmth. For insurance, it is security and peace of mind; for toys, the pleasure in the eyes of children; for a computer, a way to connect to the rest of the world and, importantly, conduct business.

The use of the word "commodity" to convey a non-brand distinct thing is not accurate. We don't buy "things," we buy ideas, personal feelings, happiness, self satisfaction, respect and solutions to challenges....(continue)

Damage Control, Surveys & Insurance

First, I found myself running damage control with my clients after Costa's tragedy. Then, Princess had an outbreak of the norovirus on two ships. The calls from clients asking the same questions, making the same comments, became very tedious. I was feeling like a robot defending the cruise industry, giving clients answers designed to reassure them so they would still make bookings.

Yes, the demise of the Concordia is so unthinkable, but the media did not emphasize enough that over 4,000 people were rescued with the help of the crew. (And that didn't come from a press release from Carnival)... (continue)