By Mary Brutscher
Former Host Agency Owner &
Travel Educational Instructor
cruisefacecruises@yahoo.com

Working Smarter with Special Groups

When I used to own a travel agency, I always looked for ways to compete with the larger agencies, both locally and online. I quit wanting and looking for every bit of business I could find and got rid of time-wasting customers who took me away from potentially "good" clients. It was also at this time that I decided to go after incentive and meeting business, as well as carve out some other niches for myself.

I knew a minister who conducted marriage seminars and he and I discussed putting some of them aboard a cruise ship. I knew for an event such as this, we would need to keep the cruise at around four days in order for it to work with their specific needs.

The minister and his wife had a particular cruise line that they preferred, so that was the line I used. Getting the meeting space they needed on some of the older ships was a challenge at times, but when things did get a little confused onboard the ship, it ended up working out for the group's benefit. This niche was perhaps the easiest and most simple group sailing that I worked with - and often the most fun as well!

The next niche I began to carve for myself was "fan cruises" for fiction writers. This niche is a little harder to work and if you are not experienced working with groups, I suggest you not try a group such as this.

Getting the interest of a popular writer wasn't the hard part of working with this type of group. It wasn't even working out the financial aspect. It was the promotion! You don't have a group if you don't have the fans!

Once you have a writer who is interested in sailing with fans, you need to discuss what their fees (if any) will be. I negotiated with two popular writers who were very demanding. One wanted free cruise, free air and a fee. Another wanted no fee, but wanted a free cruise for the whole family (and it was not a small family!).

The first author I successfully worked on a cruise with wanted only their stateroom to be paid, which was a benefit to both of us. I benefited by not having to pay a fee and the author benefited by the publicity and the fan interaction.

You will also want to sail (preferably) out of a port as close to where the author lives as possible to save on travel expenses.

When it is time to promote the cruise, you want to send announcements out to all of your clients. Put information about the cruise on your Web site. Ask the author to include cruise information on his or her site as well, and also in any printed material or E-mail blasts. You may also want to get information about the writer's publishing house, as they can also be a tool for promoting the cruise.

Professional incentive cruises and meetings at sea was by far my most lucrative niche. It was also the most work! However, if you find a specific company that is well organized and you offer excellent service so you get repeat incentive and meeting business from them, it is well worth it!

You will need to be highly organized to work meetings at sea. Have a plan that covers everything from pre-cruise marketing to post-cruise followup — you want to find out from the group leaders how things went onboard the ship and what their future needs may be.

Selling the idea of a meeting at sea will not be as easy today as it was in the past. The economy is sluggish and many companies are barely hanging on. However, that does not mean the business is not out there; it just means that you have to work a little bit harder in selling the idea and its benefits.

Some of the cruise lines will already have a comparison in their incentive and meeting materials that show the comparison of a land meeting compared with a meeting at sea, but that is not enough. You need to show how having a meeting at sea can benefit the employee and business.

For example, some employees can't afford to take a nice, relaxing vacation, but if the company is paying for the employee and the employee just has to pay for their companion(s), this may be an affordable vacation.
Additionally, happy employees tend to take less days off from the job and are more productive. These studies have been in the news for years and should be easy enough to find online — one example is at www.tampabay.com

Also, instead of staggering vacation times out through the whole year, most, if not all employees can take a vacation at the same time(s) even if it means two separate meetings at sea.

When you have a business interested, get with the cruise lines and start getting quotes. You'll want to review the line's contracts and see what is included with the meeting group. For example, you may need microphones or smart boards. You may want to request a hostess table just to make things a bit easier for the attendees in communicating with others.

After you have the quotes, go back to the business and explain the contract, the payment options, cancellation policies and all other important information. You will also need to present them with a contract for your services.

Depending on the size of the group, I do not always charge a service fee because of the commission on the products. If you do, that fee will need to be included in the contract as will cancellation fees and change fees for your business.

You will also need to draw up a credit card permission form showing you are authorized to make charges for the cruise, airfare, hotel stays, etc.

Depending on the size of the group, you may need to dedicate a complete file drawer for them. You will want a folder that has the cruise line contract and information as well as your contract. You will also need a file for dining room setup, meeting space requests and special group requests, payments made, etc.

Each room will need a file that contains the employee and guest's personal information as well as special requests.

When you are speaking with a representative for the company, take notes and keep the notes. File them either in the company file folder or the folder for the employee being discussed. Never throw notes away for a group like this. I can't begin to emphasize how important it is that, when necessary, you be able to put your finger quickly on booking information for specific attendees or information on what was previously discussed.

Meetings can also take place on land at a resort. Did you know that it is possible to rent out a full resort, such as some of the Club Med facilities? Activities, food and privacy are all benefits of this type of group and will actually hold a little more interest for some companies than a cruise would. Make sure to offer this type of venue to potential clients as well.

Each one of these types of groups can work even in today's economy and each of these groups should bring you individual business from the attendees as well. It may take a little more work to get the business, but it will be worth it.