Cruising for Business.

Schedule your next business retreat on a cruise for fresh-air thinking

When meeting planners were interviewed for the 2001 Meeting Outlook Survey conducted by Meeting Planners International, 94% said that staying at, or under budget, is an important part of the planning process. That may help explain why more businesses are hosting meetings and incentives at sea, says James Godsman, president of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), a non-profit organization representing 25 major North American cruise lines.

"Business executives are finding that a cruise ship provides all the amenities of a land-based resort -- plus plenty of extras -- and often for a lower price tag," says Godsman. The study also reveals that activities for spouses and children are important to half of the respondents. Here, too, cruise lines fit the bill. "When businesses host meetings at sea, everyone is pleased -- the bosses because the price is right, and employees because the cruise experience exceeds their expectations and they can bring along their families," he adds. "While the employees get down to business, their families enjoy the ship's many activities, everything from supervised activities for the kids to luxurious amenities -- including spas, fitness centres, casinos and boutiques -- for the grown-ups. And everyone is reunited for dinner."

During the 1990s, cruise lines began designing vessels with dedicated meeting space, conference rooms and business amenities (AV equipment, fax machines, flip charts and easels, microphones, computer centres, copy machines and walkie-talkies) to rival those found at land-based meeting sites. Some lines even provide secretaries, language translators and meeting co-ordinators.

Their efforts have paid off. According to the 1998 Meetings Market Study, conducted every two years by Meetings & Conventions magazine, the money spent on corporate meetings at sea more than doubled from 1991 to 1997. Corporations spent US $20.3 million hosting 6,000 meetings at sea in 1991; by 1997, that figure had reached US $42.9 million for 7,600 events.

Trisha Stewart is the operations manager at Greencrest, a small marketing, advertising and public relations firm based in Ohio. The group of seven employees took a four-day cruise in January to review the year that had just ended and brainstorm for ways to grow in the year ahead.

"We were a small group, so we didn't need anything formal in the way of meeting facilities," Stewart says. "We would gather on one of the decks, pull tables together, and bask under a tropical sun while we worked. We spent eight hours that way (minus a couple of short breaks), but it didn't feel like it."

The group also made time for fun, taking the day off when the ship called in Bermuda. "Everyone went into port to explore," Stewart adds. "It was a great trip. Everyone liked it better than past trips because of the variety it offered: the ocean, pools, shopping and gambling." (Past retreats were held in the Florida Keys, Las Vegas and at ski resorts.) The cruise came in well under budget, Stewart says, and is a definite possibility for future retreats.

Lance Wyeland is the former meetings planner for a disability insurance company. Earlier this year, 900 employees attended the company's annual sales conference/incentive meeting on board a cruise ship. According to Wyeland, it was a hit. They held their first meeting aboard a cruise ship in September 1998, a second followed in January, and a third is in the works.

"It was phenomenally successful," Wyeland says. "I don't think there was anybody I spoke to who didn't enjoy the program, and didn't favourably compare it to high-end land resorts." The group was large enough to charter a ship, which gave the company the freedom to chart their own course for adventure (they literally chose the ports of call they wanted to visit) and to hold events any place they wanted.

Breakout sessions took place in lounges and the library, and the awards ceremony was held in the main dining room, candlelit for the occasion.

Plus, the ship's show lounge, which already came equipped with tiered seating, video projection and a number of other high-tech features, was the perfect setting for meetings and a special game show.

"All of that was included in the cost of the cruise," Wyeland says, "It would have likely cost more at a land resort."

Diane McDougall is a freelance writer based in Oakville, ON.

Keeping in Touch at Sea

While cruise ships are still the ultimate oasis of comfort and relaxation in today's hectic society, a growing number of cruise ships are designed with passengers' communication needs in mind. Features on many vessels include e-mail capability, fax machines, telephones with long-distance capability, PCs, incabin data lines for laptops, and even laptop rentals.

"What this means is that anyone who feels the need to stay in contact with someone from home or the office will have plenty of ways to do so on a cruise," says James Godsman, president of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). "There should be no concern at all about leaving the office behind. On the other hand, because communication facilities are there for passengers to use as they see fit, those who wish to truly leave the world behind need never go near a phone or a fax," says Godsman. "The excuse, 'Sorry, I'll be out to sea,' is still an option."

This paradox is a fairly recent phenomenon, according to Marc Mancini, Ph.D., and a consultant who specializes in travel industry concerns. "Communication from ship to shore, until recently, was technologically awkward and fairly expensive. For these reasons, many lines didn't offer much in the way of communication," says Mancini. "But there weren't many complaints from passengers because cruises were widely viewed as a way to get away from it all."

Ironically, it is that very belief which keeps some people planted with their feet firmly on the ground. "As technology progresses, we are constantly conditioned to keep in touch with the rest of the world, to accept and send messages on a continual, instantaneous basis. Many people enjoy that, others want to escape it," Mancini adds.

To accommodate the needs of passengers who wish to stay in touch with their land-based colleagues, CLIA-member lines are offering increasingly sophisticated means of communication.

Generally speaking, travellers who wish to work while on board will, depending on the vessel, find a variety of business equipment, from phones, fax machines, computers and e-mail, to conference rooms and language translation facilities.

"The bottom line," says Mancini, "is that if you'd be at a loss without constant communication, it's available on a cruise ship. But you can still have the fantasy of being unreachable if you really want it."