A Room With A View: Conferences & Retreats at Sea

We have all attended conferences and retreats held at a local hotel or conference center.  They tend to follow the same pattern:  Meet in a cold (sometimes REALLY cold) ballroom, have a couple of breaks, maybe lunch is included, or you have to find a local spot that can accommodate a huge influx of guests in a short period of time.  It’s typical, clean-cut, and gets the job done.

But what if you could turn that conference into an experience participants will remember for years to come?  What if you could do this for a flat fee and have participants clamoring to join you?

How can you turn your next event into this type of experience?  Consider holding your event on a cruise ship!  Not only do you provide your participants with first-class accommodations, all-inclusive fees, and resort-like experiences, but you can also take advantage of state-of-the-art conference facilities on most newer ships.  And, in most cases, these facilities are included in the set-up costs for your group.  The only stipulation is that you meet their minimum guest requirement (around 32 participants, depending on the cruise line).

An event at sea is great for:

• Speakers and coaches looking to hold an exclusive mastermind class

• Incentive trips to reward your top salespeople

• Trainers offering CEU credits or other intensive training for specific industries

• Groups that love to travel together or have a specific interest in common (e.g., cooking, wine-tasting, etc.)

• Family reunions or destination weddings

What’s great about planning an event at sea is that you can choose any destination you want – provided it is accessible by ship.  Think about checking off destinations on your bucket list – the Caribbean, Croatia, Alaska, Thailand, India, Europe – the sky’s the limit.

Ideally, you’ll want to choose a trip with at least 2-3 days at sea, so you have some exclusive time with your group.  Successful cruise-based events also take a while to plan, so you should start the process 12-15 months ahead of time, and market the event at least 10-12 months prior to sailing.

This is not an endeavor that you want to undertake on your own.  There is a lot of coordination required with the cruise line, so we highly recommend using a travel professional to help you through the process.  Here at Luxury Destinations Concierge, we specialize in creating successful events at sea.  Contact us at 805-236-4437 to start planning your next luxury conference or retreat.