Just add water
All-inclusive, cruising can provide a cost-effective option for corporate events, according to Lakshmi Durai, executive director Middle East for Royal Caribbean, who said the company was promoting the meeting and conference facilities of Brilliance of the Seas, which will be based in Dubai next winter and sailing short regional cruises that are ideal for this market.
“The incentive for corporate clients is the fact that meeting facilities come within the standard cost of a normal cruise bundled with fine dining, speciality cuisine, leisure and entertainment on board,” she said.
As well as three conference rooms with capacity up to 64 people, there is a theatre seating 915, full a-v and opportunities for corporate branding, separate dining, dedicated short excursions plus onboard service co-ordinators.
Short itineraries are also available in the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Asia, and ships feature Broadway and comedy shows, spas, casinos, theme parties, mini-golf, rock-climbing walls, ice-rinks, surf FlowRiders and more.
But, while cruising as an event option is growing in popularity, Francesca Mugnari, sales manager at Costa Cruises, sounded a word of warning.
“We have had a lot of interest from the corporate market for our Gulf cruises, but sailings in March and April this year were sold out, and we could not accommodate requests for groups of 150 and more — this market is very last minute,” she said.
For 2009/2010, Costa will be bringing in its two newest ships, Costa Luminosa and Costa Deliziosa, offering increased capacity, Samsara spas, 15 restaurants and bars, 4D cinemas, golf simulators and putting greens and a Grand Prix simulator, as well as meeting and conference facilities.
CONTACT: www.royalincentives.com and www.costacruises.com
Advertisement
RACE to succeed
Jordan’s historical charms are being discovered by the events sector with new hotel stock adding to its qualifications as an incentive and meeting destination. According to Ola El Sissy at the Gulf office of the Jordan Tourist Board, the range of itinerary options within a relatively small area means organisers are spoilt for choice: A famed incentive is the trip on the old Hijaz railway made famous by Lawrence of Arabia.
Organiser of the Roman Army and Chariot Experience (RACE), Stellan Lind, said the company was running two shows daily with 30 legionaries and 10 gladiators as well as racing chariots: “We can custom make shows in Jerash for companies or move it to hotels such as the Mövenpick at the Dead Sea,” he said.
“The CEO can be dressed as an emperor with toga and golden laurel, entering the hippodrome on a chariot decorated with flowers.”
CONTACT: www.jerashchariots.com and www.visitjordan.com
Back to nature, in style
Team building and corporate retreats are a speciality of Oman operator, Hud Hud Travels, which has combined luxury with experiential travel to take clients to the vast reaches of Oman.
“We have a capacity of between four and 50, travelling by 4WDs and offering combinations of sea, mountains and desert, but with gourmet meals, a candlelit dining tent, luxury tents with ensuite facilities and telescopes for star spotting,” said partner John Solosy.
“We recently took out 35 heads of oil companies in to the desert for a meeting with no distractions, while last year we did a Land Rover launch in the Wahiba sands, bringing through back to back groups for three-day trips at a time.”
CONTACT: www.hudhudteamlead.com
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
