Cruise Planners 2016 Convention Focuses on Relationships and Meaningful Interactions
Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, announced the theme and highlights for the sold-out Cruise Planners 2016 Annual Convention. This year’s Cruise Planners Convention theme is “I Am CP.”
"This confident theme is Cruise Planners’ commitment to our entire network of travel professionals,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and co-founder of Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative.
The “I Am CP” theme is a mixture of positive declarations that Cruise Planners franchise owners, preferred travel partners and Home Office Team can proudly declare and are in line with Cruise Planners unique brand positioning – for example:
- I Am Innovative
- I Am Connected
- I Am Inspired
- I Am a Change Maker
- I Am Full of CruisitudeTM
“The goal for 2016’s Convention is for Cruise Planners agents to hone their skills and help define and focus what their specialties are using “I Am CP” for inspiration,” Fee said. “Our suppliers and industry partners are a critical component of agents’ success and can provide direction and support for agents looking to develop their niche.”
More than 600 Cruise Planners travel advisors are expected at the sold-out event furthering a sense of camaraderie throughout the entire home-based network. There will be multiple ways for agents to connect on a large scale and individual basis with travel suppliers.
Convention will be focused on advanced training with the goal of providing agents with tools for success through preferred partners’ engagement including:
- Motivational sales and marketing workshops
- Preferred travel and destination partner forums
- Cruise line, destination, land and tour company executive presentations
- Industry trade show where CP agents can network and strengthen relationships
Travel advisors will attend multiple days of training specifically tailored to their success including some new introductions such as:
- CP Genius Lab: An in-house help desk of sorts answering a variety of agent’s back-end business and technology questions on how to best run their travel agency. Topics can range from mobile technology assistance and setting up emails to search engine optimization and accounting and QuickBooks.
- Destination to Success: As more savvy travelers want to go to off-the-beaten path trips, it is even more important for agents to be familiar and comfortable with global geography. Cruise Planners will have an interactive geography game focused on top cruise ports, how to best book land and destination wedding groups, and more.
- Additional Niche Marketing Sessions: Cruise Planners recognizes the value in travel agents finding their niche and will offer sessions on special needs travel, small ship cruising, and specializing in theme parks and attraction vacations.
- Focus on More than Just Cruises: Cruise Planners sales mix continues to grow with river cruise, luxury travel, all inclusives, land vacations and ticket sales as the company continues to grow in both cruise sales while expanding its land business. As such, there will be more learning and networking opportunities for exclusive partnerships with Cruise Planners.
As always, Cruise Planners will incorporate charitable giving into its convention and this year the 600+ group will participate in Light the Night and low-impact walk around Bayfront Park in Miami to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The first few days of the annual convention, November 3rd – 8th, will be held at the Miami Intercontinental Hotel, then hundreds of agents will sail on Royal Caribbean International’s Harmony of the Seas North American Debut sailing, out of Port Everglades on November 8th.
"I Am CP, and each of our travel agents helps make up the entire CP Family,” Fee said. “And together, we are all CP."
