Design | Plan | Execute
At your direction, we will expertly design, plan and manage the entire process. Your Cruise Event Manager will initiate plans for all aspects of your charter and assist you behind the scenes to ensure continuity from the beginning to the end of the cruise and beyond. Working with us is like adding a cruise-experienced convention services manager to your team. Whether it’s supporting you in the execution of the planned program or guiding you through any unforeseen situations, your dedicated Cruise Event Manager will be by your side each step of the way charting your course to success at sea. Our management fee would be based on the services you need, nothing more. Much and sometimes all of which would be covered by commission compensation received from the cruise line. Following is a menu of the services we can provide.
Step 1: Design
- Conduct discovery meeting with you and your stakeholders to gain complete understanding of the logistics and business purpose of event.
- Find the right ship based on your specific requirements and negotiate best price, inclusions and contract terms on your behalf.
- Create a tailored program that integrates the business purpose of your event with the cruise experience.
- Maximize shipboard and shore-side corporate branding opportunities for your organization.
- Make recommendations for custom shipboard and shore-side events and activities.
- Coordinate a ship tour or event planning cruise.
- Facilitate event design meetings with the cruise line and other vendors.
- Negotiate pricing and terms for products and services provided by cruise line and other service providers.
- Suggest, source and book speakers and hired entertainers that will help you achieve event goals and objectives.
- Develop and monitor program budget.
- Establish roles and responsibilities, rules of engagement and event planning timelines.
- Assist in development of event theme.
- Provide design consultation for marketing and communication pieces.
- Secure prices and coordinate printing projects including welcome letters, registration forms, etc.
Step 2: Plan
- Develop a Cruise Event Navigator for your charter; a detailed work plan that guides the delivery of your program.
- Review and reconfirm event schedule, venue assignments, and special requests with cruise line and any outside vendors.
- Monitor event budget and communicate the status of all financial aspects of the program.
- Manage all supplier deadlines and deposit due dates.
- Determine registration, data management and reporting requirements.
- Design event registration website.
- Set up individual credit card payment processing.
- Coordinate pre/post cruise hotel arrangements as needed.
- Identify and communicate audiovisual, production and F&B requirements to cruise line and other service providers as needed.
- Procure theme décor, props , and exclusive entertainment.
- Generate detailed event orders for all group events and activities.
- Assign staterooms.
- Coordinate dining room seating.
- Set up master accounts.
- Arrange freight plan to ensure shipment of equipment, signage, supplies , amenities and other items so they are warehoused, inventoried and subsequently delivered to the ship on embarkation day.
- Coordinate shipboard cabin deliveries.
- Identify travel staff needs and hire accordingly.
- Create staff schedules for each member of the on-site travel team .
- Set up cabin deliveries.
- Arrange ground transportation and coordinate with air travel provider.
- Create personalized Know-Before-You-Go document to be sent to each participant.
Step 3: Execute
- Manage individual online registration processing.
- Provide customer service phone support.
- Collect and track all required registration data.
- Communicate all registration information to cruise line and other service providers as necessary.
- Provide registration confirmations and individual invoices via email to all registrants as applicable.
- Provide detailed reports on registrants and individual payment processing.
- Send each attendee Know-Before-You-Go event update email prior to cruise.
- Cruise Event Manager sails with you as your dedicated cruise event services manager, acting as your liaison with shipboard personnel and shore-side vendors.
- Set up shipboard staff office.
- Receive and inventory all shipments of equipment, amenities and supplies.
- Coordinate ground transportation and airport meet & greet service for arriving attendees.
- Conduct pre-conference meeting establishing shipboard communication lines, roles and responsibilities as well as decision making authority.
- Handle VIP arrangements and requests.
- Management of hired entertainment contracts and riders.
- Oversee group embarkation and debarkation process.
- Conduct individual review meetings with shipboard department heads.
- Conduct personnel instructional briefings and daily team meetings with travel staff.
- Staff and manage hospitality desk.
- Monitor performance of cruise line and other service providers, so all obligations are met.
- Arrange daily master account review with ship.
- Oversee and advance all shipboard and shore-side events to ensure they are set and ready as agreed.
- Assemble and coordinate distribution of program materials.
- Conduct a daily review of the cruise event schedule with you making changes as necessary based on weather conditions, executive request, etc.
- Consult with meeting support personnel to determine gratuity payments for key shipboard staff.
- Confirm and monitor pickup of all rental equipment and supplies.
- Arrange for return shipment of all materials, supplies, signage and equipment.
- Survey participants on your behalf and generate summary report with results.
- Provide financial reconciliation showing differences between actual and estimated budget number along with explanations of variances.
- Conduct post-cruise wrap-up meeting to review attendee evaluations and post event feedback from staff, vendors and stakeholders.