Are you in charge of organizing your company’s next meeting? Consider having it on a cruise ship.
Why a cruise ship? For starters, it will likely cost about the same price, or lower, than a traditional meeting venue. Surprised? We’ll tell you why in just a bit. Another reason you might want to hold your meeting on a cruise ship is, well, because it’s a cruise ship. Who wouldn’t be excited about attending a work function (that one might not want to attend otherwise) on a fun and festive ship at sea.
Many businesses are turning toward cruise ships as meeting venues because these spaces are cost effective, they promote excitement, and they offer a confined area (albeit a pleasant one) that encourages meeting attendees to gather and collaborate in their free time.
If you think you might want to hold your next meeting on a cruise ship, consider that your attendees will probably be thrilled beyond your imagination. But, before you hold your meeting, there are some things you’ll need to think about and details you’ll have to take care of. We’ll help you flesh out the necessary information so that you can have a successful meeting on a thrilling ocean liner.
The Cost
You might be amazed to learn that conducting meetings at sea is an economical and efficient way to hold your event. Meetings held on cruise ships are often comparable in price, or cheaper, than meetings held at land-based venues.
When you think about it, meetings that take place at hotels and conference centers usually need the same types of amenities as meetings held on cruise ships. They require lodging, dining venues, meeting space, and presentation equipment. When you book a meeting at a conference center or hotel, you typically have to pay for each of these essentials separately. Meetings at sea are often all inclusive. Cruise lines love to host meetings so they throw all of the passengers’ needs into one reasonable voyage fee.
The Experience
Meetings on cruise ships are extremely popular because they offer attendees an experience that’s unusual, exciting, and relaxing. How would you feel about showing up for your morning meeting if you had just gone for an early jog on a ship deck, with beautiful ocean views surrounding you as you worked out? What do you think your mood for your a.m. meeting would be like if you had enjoyed a fun night of conversation with coworkers the evening prior, with everyone chatting under the stars out by a sparkling pool?
Gathering your employees to meet, and discuss important or challenging information, often yields the most benefit when the setting for the meeting is light and non-pressure. So how about talking business while you’re traveling to an exotic and relaxing locale like Alaska, the Caribbean, or the Mexican Riviera.
The Meeting
Even though holding your meeting on a cruise ship will likely give attendees many opportunities to enjoy fun activities, the main purpose of the event is still to meet and talk about your company. So, cruise lines cater to businesses by offering technologically advanced meeting equipment and meeting rooms. Cruise lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean go out of their way to do everything possible to make meetings at sea successful, and special, by accommodating your needs for multiple training spaces, organized incentive awards programs, easy event coordination, and more.
If you think holding a meeting at sea is something your company would benefit from, it’s best to reach out to cruise lines and ask for a meeting point person. Rather than try to plan all the details of a meeting at sea on your own, we suggest you call various cruise lines like Carnival or Royal Caribbean and let their designated professional help you through the process.
If you’ve already held meeting on cruise ships, we’d love for you to share your experiences in the comments below. Let us know how everything went and if you’d do it again!
