Travel Agent Professional Oct. 2012

Travel AgentProfessional

October 2012Issue 20

By Sherry Laskin, ACC

October 2012

www.autoeurope.com

http://issuu.com/action/page?page=18




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Travel Agent Professional TA

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64 Ten Tips for a First Trans-Atlantic CruiseBySherryLaskinTravelWriter/NACTAWebinarModerator

10 Who I’d BeByScottKoepf

VicePresidentofSalesAvoyaTravel/AmericanExpress

14 Redheads Can Finish First!Les-LeeRoland

OwnerofThePackageDeal

14 How Affinity Groups Can Make Home Base Agents VERY...ByMitchellJ.Schlesinger

VicePresident,Sales&MarketingVoyagestoAntiquity

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October 2012Issue 20

By Sherry Laskin, ACC

Cover by Celebrity

October 2012 Issue 20

Travel Agent Professional has its roots in Home Based Trade, the firstmagazine of its kind, started by Joel Abels in 2004. Joel and Lenore Abelsran Travel Trade for nearly half a century – it was started by her grandfa-ther, John S. Lewis, and her father, Sidney Lewis, in 1929, and they tookthe publication over after her grandfather’s passing.

Under Joel’s direction, the company grew to be one of the travel agentindustry’s leading publications, reaching more than 45,000 agentsthroughout North America. It spawned a famous series of trade showsand three monthly magazines – Cruise Trade, Tour Trade and HomeBased Trade.

The Abels also garnered enormous respect – Joel received the NealAward, called “the Pulitzer Prize of the business press,” for his hard-hit-ting editorials.

On a personal note, after working with Joel for over a decade and stay-ing with him until the end, I grew to truly care for and respect the man.He was like a second father to me. Joel was old school, he stood by hisword and believed in his work. There will never be another.

While nobody can replace this industry legend, we’re hoping thatthis new publication, which reunites the original Home Based Tradeeditorial board, will be able to carry on his passion for travel andthose who sell it.

Ann M. Hoek

Travel Agent ProfessionalP.O. Box 120202

Staten Island, NY 10312E-mail:

[email protected]:

718.227.7541

Ann M. HoekPublisher/Creative Design

[email protected]

Bonnie WallingEditor

[email protected]

Alan CohenVice President marketing

[email protected]

Meet Our Editorial BoardMitchell J. Schlesinger

Vice President, Sales & MarketingVoyages to Antiquity

www.voyagestoantiquity.com

Rusty Pickett, ECCShellback Cruises

www.shellbackcruises.com

Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal

Scott KoepfVice President of Sales

Avoya Travel/America’s Vacation Center

www.joinavoya.com/default.cfm?ref=11583

Sherry Laskin, ACCTravel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator

www.cruisemaven.com

Sue Sh apiro, PresidentShapiro Travel [email protected]

www.shapirotravelresources.com

Paull Tickner,Creator of Special Interest Britain

[email protected]

ContributionsLee Rosen, CEO

Leisure Popswww.leisurepops.com

Joel M. Abels Legend In the Travel Industry

April 1927 to January 2007

September 2011

This online magazine is dedicated to the memory of Joel Abels, Travel Trade's editor andpublisher. Joel and his life's work may be gone, but with your help it can live on.

Travel AgentProfessional

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August 2012


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Sherry LaskinTravel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator

www.cruisemaven.com

By Sherry Laskin, A

CC

Ten Tips

Cruise“It’s not exactly in the middle of

nowhere.” That’s what I findmyself saying

whenever someone says tome, “I’d never go

onatrans-Atlanticcruise.”

I have to admit, while not exactly in the

middleofnowhere,thereisn’tawholelotof

activity goingonaround you, exceptmaybe

for an occasionalwhale or dolphin sighting.

Youdo feel likeyouareout thereallalone.

Kindof.

Phot

o by

RC

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Travel Agent Professional

Never mind my very first trans-oceanic trip in

1961 aboard the petite Matsonia, from Los

Angeles to Honolulu. Let’s fast-forward to my first

“grown-up” trans-Atlantic crossing in 2005. This

would be a litmus test for latent agoraphobia. To

visualize that, imagine a tiny cork gently bobbing or

violently tossing around in an Olympic-sized swim-

ming pool, with no swimmers in sight. Yes, I was a

bit nervous.

When my first trans-Atlantic ship, the Celebrity

Century, quietly slipped through the channel in Ft.

Lauderdale and out to sea, I drew a deep breath

and said to myself, “You can do this.”

And “do this” I did.

Since then, I’ve done a total of eight trans-Atlantic

“voyages,” as Cunard prefers to call them. What’s

it like and do you really feel totally stranded out

there? Here are some of my thoughts and advice

to help clients making their first trip across an

ocean.

Be prepared. Channel your inner Boy or Girl

Scout and be prepared — with lazy day diversions.

With a minimum of six consecutive sea days, even

the most entertaining of the mega ships will have a

lull in the activities.

All of the ships have some sort of library. For the

best selection, get there when it first opens. By the

second or third day, the choice for best sellers has

dwindled.

Not a reader? Bring your home craft project

(providing it fits into your suitcase.) You’ll find

knitters, needlepointers and scrapbookers meeting

each day in some public space, as unhosted activi-

ties.

Wine tasting has expanded into single-malt scotch,

craft beer and tequila tastings. There is a fee, but

what else do you have to do?

Smell the roses. If you find yourself on the

verge of activity overload, scout out a quiet spot

to watch the sea. I usually search for both an

indoor viewing area as well as an outdoor, wind-

blocked vantage point.

Sunny days with flat seas warrant an outdoor van-

tage point. On foggy or rough seas days, you’ll want

to curl up in a comfy chair near a picture window.

Yes, you will want to look out and see what’s going

on. When you’re mid-ship on a low deck, you’ll

hardly feel those 30-foot seas and gale force winds!

Keep moving. On some ships, you can almost

walk your way across the Atlantic. On Cunard’s

wraparound outdoor walking track/promenade, a

mere three times around is 1.1 miles. On other

ships, you can walk in circles 10 or 11 times to fin-

ish one mile.

(continued on page 6)

Ten Tips

Cruise

If a good fitness center is important, head on over to the cruise

line’s Web site for photos of their workout facility — the bigger

the better. A tiny gym means having to use one of only five

treadmills for 1,000 passengers on a trans-Atlantic crossing,

which is going to take some planning.

The legendary weight gain. With a stretch of six to

possibly ten sea days, one of the biggest concerns is weight gain.

I’ve come to realize over time that it isn’t the actual over-eating

that is the cause, but the amount of salt in the food that is the

culprit. Also, I hear a lot of people complaining about swollen

feet and ankles. Again, it’s the sodium in the food.

Solution? Tell your dining room waiter that you would like to

be on a sodium-free diet for the cruise. Here’s how it works: every

night at the end of your dinner, the waiter (or head waiter) will

present to you the menu for the next evening. You choose your

entire dinner and the order is brought to the kitchen where there

are other special diets orders (gluten-free, allergy requests etc.).

By eliminating the “built-in” salt, you will avoid retaining water

and thus not blow up like a pufferfish. But be forewarned: if you

order salt-free, your dinner will be salt-free. This means that the

gorgeous bowl of steamy French onion soup will arrive sans

toasted French bread and cheese. You can always do a modified

salt-free when something sounds too good to pass up.

A trans-Atlantic is a great time to do nothing. This isn’t an “If It’s

Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium” experience. Trans-Atlantic cruises

are generally not “port intensive.” But if there is a port you

would like to visit, chances are you can find a cruise that stops

there en route to where you will disembark.

With careful planning, you can find an itinerary which will visit

two to five ports along the way once you’ve crossed the ocean.

Some cruise lines are eliminating the “cruise” portion and are

almost mainlining straight across with only one port visit before

debarkation in Europe.

October 2012


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October 2012

Hop on the bus, Gus. Important to note,

Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 is the ONLY cruise line

offering regularly scheduled non-stop trans-Atlantic

crossings nearly year round. The Queen Mary 2 is

also the ONLY purpose-built actual ocean liner, not

cruise ship, in service today. She’s built for trans-

Atlantic voyages and sails them beautifully.

Make a new plan, Stan. My suggestion is

that once you’ve decided on which trans-Atlantic

voyage to take, book yourself into back-to-back

cruises so that you stay onboard for either the

first cruise once you arrive in Europe or the last

cruise before the westbound crossing. That way,

you not only feel “special” in saying that you are

“continuing on,” but you get to spend time in

many wonderful ports throughout Europe.

What time is it, anyway? One of the best advan-

tages of a trans-Atlantic crossing is the elimination

of jet lag. Yes, you arrive at your destination either

in Europe or the U.S. without needing two or

three days to catch up to the local time zone.

Which direction is better? Personally, l prefer a west-

bound crossing because it results in 25-hour days.

Here’s how it works. Say, for example, you

are booked on a crossing with seven sea days

before you get to Florida. Starting on the first or

second night after departure from Europe, clocks

are set back one hour at bedtime. You continue to

do this for maybe two consecutive days, take a

break to adjust and set the clocks back again until

you reach your debarkation port.

I find that I do wake up a bit earlier than usual

towards the end of the voyage, but I’m well-rested

and ready to go.

Going eastbound, with 23-hour days, you might

find yourself at the buffet at 2 a.m. because your

body is telling you it’s only 9 p.m.!

If you are sensitive to time changes, be sure to

check that the ship you are on will have a 24-hour

food option, even if it’s only room service.

Otherwise, you might find yourself, like I have

many times, at the 24 hour coffee and tea location

at 2 a.m., getting a flavored tea to bring back to

my room to have with cookies that were saved

from the afternoon.

Is anyone out there? For a little piece of

mind along your journey, remember that the ship

travels in shipping lanes. You are never too far from

another ship, even though it may not be visible.

However, there is a portion on the north

Atlantic where you may find yourself in “no-

man’s-land” for a day or so depending upon the

route that your captain decides to follow. Be

prepared for a brief blip in satellite communica-

Phot

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tions, which affects the Internet and television.

On my recent Cunard voyage, we never lost a sec-

ond of communication via Wifi or TV. Ships’ satellite

technology (meaning the company that they con-

tract with for access) vastly improves every year.

Roundtripping. Finally, if you have the time, why not

do like I do and make the trans-Atlantic crossing in

both directions? This does take a bit of skillful

planning and occasional maneuvering, but it is,

quite frankly, the best way to visit Europe.

For example, cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to

Barcelona. Continue onboard for a

Mediterranean cruise , which returns to

Barcelona. Spend a couple of days in Barcelona

and then make your way via train to Paris.

Depending upon your schedule, spend a night or

two in the City of Lights.

At 9 a.m., take a taxi to the Gare du Nord

Eurostar train station.In 2.5 hours, with 21 minutes

of that spent zooming under the English Channel,

you arrive rested and relaxed at St. Pancras train

station in London.

Walk a few yards from your train to the departure

hall, find the Cunard representative and board

their motor coach to Southampton. In another

two hours, you’ll board the Queen Mary 2 for

your voyage home.

With the mystery of a trans-Atlantic crossing

hopefully solved, why not start planning your trip

today? If you would like the convenience of staying

in the same cabin for back-to-back cruises, book

early. Otherwise, your room attendant can help

you change cabins on turnaround day. But if you

can remain in the same cabin, it’s so much easier

and less stressful.

Once you’ve experienced the exhilaration and

excitement of crossing an ocean, you will be

hooked. For a very memorable experience, sail

into New York City. Cruise ships arrive into New

York harbor at dawn, pass under the colorfully lit

Verrazano Bridge and quietly sail past the illumi-

nated Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Everyone is out on deck at 5:30am to view this

amazing sight. I’m sure many passengers reflect on

how their ancestors might have felt hundreds of

years ago. I’ve seen grown men cry and overheard

people speaking in hushed voices with thick Irish

brogues. Others blankly stare at Ellis Island. It’s a

very moving moment, indeed.

Now that you know there is nothing to fear and

know what to expect, it’s time to plan your trip.

Here’s to your first crossing!

By Scott Koepf

October 2012

Scott KoepfVP of Sales Avoya Travel/American Express

www.JoinAvoya.com

10 Who I’d BeDon’t be an Ogre. Pretty simple

advice. That is, of course, unless

you really are an Ogre like the

most famous one of all, Shrek.

While you may be familiar with the

movie, I will, as always, reference

the musical of the same name.

Shrek suffers from low self-esteem

due to years of being ridiculed and

chased with pitc forks, which is

actually quite understandable. I

believe travel agents suffer from the

same issue. While we can be thank-

ful that most of our clients don’t

resort to pitchforks, we have over

the years lost a bit of our mojo.

The good news is that recently

there has been an upsurge in posi-

tive media about travel agents.

While we need to celebrate that, it

will take more than that to truly

overcome any lingering doubts

about the value of our profession.

Even after Shrek saves the Princess

in heroic fashion, he still can only

see himself as an Ogre. Travel agents

save vacations and perform heroic

tasks all the time but still don’t give

themselves the proper credit. This

song that Shrek sings as he grapples

with his place in the world could be

sung by travel agents.

I thought I’d be a hero, With sword and armor clashing

Looking semi dashing, A shield within my grip

Or else I’d be a Viking, live a life of daring

While smelling like a herring, upon a Viking ship.

I’d sail away, I’d see the world, I’d reach the farthest reaches

I’d feel the wind, I’d taste the salt and sea.

And maybe storm some beaches.

That’s who I’d be. That’s who I’d be.

I dreamed I’d be a poet, Write a different story,

One that told of glory, and wiped away the lies

And to the skies I’d throw it, the stars would do the telling

The moon would help with spelling, and night would dot the ‘I’s

I’d write my verse, Recite my joke, it’d fit in perfect timing.

I’d share my heart, confess the things I learn, and do it all while

rhyming.

But then we learn. But then we learn.

An Ogre (travel agent) always hides,

an Ogre’s (travel agent’s) fate is known

An Ogre (travel agent) always stays in the dark and all alone


12

October 2012

The amazing thing is that Shrek is already all of

the things that he wishes he’d be! He is a hero to

the Princess and all of the other fairy tale charac-

ters. While he may not smell of herring (although

I am not sure the standard Ogre aroma is much

better) he already lives a “life of daring” like a

Viking. By the lyrics of this song alone, he is also a

poet. It is simply a matter of perspective. Because

he sees himself as “just an Ogre,” he does not see

what he already is.

In the same way, travel agents sometimes suffer

from the same self-imposed limitations. But you

need to take a look at who you really are. You are

a hero! You create dreams, save your clients from

costly mistakes, and change lives. You are a Viking!

You travel the world, and to most people live a life

full of daring adventures. You are a poet! Each

vacation you create is poetry in motion!

Shrek ultimately learns the truth about himself

while not losing the fact that he is all of those

things and an Ogre. You are also all of these things

and a fabulous travel agent! It is all about perspec-

tive. Believe in yourself and take a different per-

spective — especially if you find yourself becom-

ing an Ogre!

Remember, you are a hero, you slay dragons every

day, you write the best chapters of your client’s

lives, and you talk to donkeys! Well three out of

four is impressive and there are no angry mobs

with pitchforks anywhere in sight! A travel agent –

that’s Who I’d Be!

Norwegian Cruise Line Selects Amadeus For Next Generation Air Travel Booking

Technology

Multi-year IT agreement will delivermore options and service for travelagents and consumers to book airtravel along with cruises while alsostreamlining employee travel

Amadeus, a leading travel technolo-gy partner and transaction processorfor the global travel and tourismindustry, and Norwegian CruiseLine, an innovator in cruise travelwith a 44-year history of breakingthe boundaries of traditional cruis-ing, have entered into a 10-year ITagreement to provide the cruise linewith a flexible, scalable technologyplatform that will deliver new airshopping and booking functionalityfor travel professionals and con-sumers, as well as improved air trav-el integration andproductivity forNorwegian’s own corporate andcrew bookings.

“Norwegian is extremely excitedabout partnering with Amadeus toimprove our air booking technology.The new platform will enable us togive travel professionals and con-sumers access to real-time air pric-ing and inventory, allowing them tofind the lowest airfares possible,”said Crane Gladding, Senior VicePresident of Revenue Managementand Passenger Services. “This innov-ative technology will provide agentsand travelers with a convenient one-stop-shop for both cruise and airreservations, making it even easierfor our valued travel partners to dobusiness with us.”

The integrated, customized air/seareservations solution will enable trav-

el agents and travelers for the firsttime to quickly and efficiently accessand process bookings for the best airtravel options while they shop forNorwegian cruises. The Amadeusplatform will be used acrossNorwegian’s consumer booking web-site, travel agent booking website andby their in-house agents. The cruiseline will be able to integrate contract-ed, negotiated,and published air fareson a single display to assure userscan access and select from the bestavailable air travel options.

The solution will also be used inter-nally by Norwegian’s corporateemployees and fleet personnel to ful-fill their comprehensive and complexglobal air travel needs. The solutionwill enable the cruise line to effi-ciently interface complex global trav-el requirements for their staff andcrew along with airline availabilityand ticketing. The solution will beused by the cruise line’s approxi-mately 16,000 corporate and crewprofessionals to shop and book theirpolicy-compliant air travel aroundthe world. Norwegian currently ownsand operates a fleet of 11 ships sail-ing to more than 200 ports through-out the world and carries more than1.5 million guests annually.

Technology development is current-ly underway and the cruise line willroll out the new functionality inphases in 2013.

“Amadeus has had a long partner-ship serving the technology and dis-tribution needs ofNorwegian CruiseLine. Now under this new agree-

ment, Amadeus’ next generationtechnology will enable them to fur-ther enhance the travel shoppingexperience for their customers andemployees alike,” said CarolynCauceglia, Vice President, StrategicSales & Account Management,Amadeus North America.

Cauceglia said Amadeus has a com-mitted focus and successful trackrecord as a premier provider of ITsolutions to the cruise industry.Amadeus has provided distributionand IT services to Norwegian foralmost three decades. Norwegian isalso a part icipant on AmadeusCruise, the industry’s leading brows-er-based, graphical cruise bookingtool for travel agents. Norwegian isalso available via the newlylaunched Amadeus Cruise Shopperproduct, a complete online salessolution for leisure travel companieslooking to sell cruises online.Notes to the editors:

About AmadeusAmadeus is a leading transactionprocessor and provider of advancedtechnology solutions for the globaltravel and tourismindustry.

Customer groups include travelproviders (e.g. airlines, hotels, rail,ferries, etc.), travel sellers (travelagencies and websites), and travelbuyers (corporations and individualtravelers).

The group operates a transaction-based business model and processedmore than 947 million billable traveltransactions in 2011.

Showcase

To find out more about Amadeus please go to www.amadeus.comTo visit the Amadeus Investor Relations centre please go to www.investors.amadeus.com


October 2012

14

If you have been reading my columns

over the years, you know that I have

not just a passion about my profession

— I also have a temper.

Some relate it to my red hair.

Sure, I was born a redhead, but at my age, I am far from natural.

I recently had a day to turn my red locks white. It started out

like any other, with a phone call about my marketing that

made me feel good.

I had recently sent out my monthly Happy Birthday, Happy

Anniversary and Thinking of You cards. Yes, lots of you send

out a celebratory card, but how many of you send them out

five months in advance?

I select the people who will be having a milestone birthday

or anniversary. If it ends in a “5” or a “0,” it is something

special.

So I sent out a card to clients who haven’t booked anything

in a couple of years and would be celebrating their 55th

wedding anniversary in February. My message on the card

was that I wanted to be the first to remember the special

day, and if they were planning a gathering, perhaps I could

suggest options — including travel.

By Les-Lee Roland

Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal

Redheads Can FinishFirst!

Now, the Web is both the

agent’s friend and our

enemy. In this case, it was

both. When clients say they

will check out the Web, I

know they may be directed

to a site that offers deals

that are hard to match.


15

Well, Mrs. K, called me immediately thanking me

for remembering. She said she was thinking along

the same lines, a trip for the two of them, plus

their daughters and sons-in-law. She mentioned Fiji

but didn’t like the long flights from Florida.

Knowing the type of vessels she has liked in the

past, I suggested a new itinerary on either Wind

Star or Star Clippers. She said she would check it

out on the Web.

Now, the Web is both the agent’s friend and our

enemy. In this case, it was both. When clients say

they will check out the Web, I know they may be

directed to a site that offers deals that are hard to

match.

Sure enough, she called me and said she checked

out my suggestions. She had Googled the cruise

line I recommended, and was led to Vacations to

Go. Yes, they pay to be listed at the top when peo-

ple type in the cruise line. She found the perfect

cruise and wanted to make sure my price was the

same or better.

I told her that I would price out the amount of

cabins she needs, and with my fingers crossed, I

said it was very rare that anything advertised

on the Internet would be lower than what I

could offer.

I immediately checked out Vacations to Go aka

Cruises to Go aka “problems.” Yes, the rate was

good, and the $100 shipboard credit was great.

I called the cruise line, and was quoted a price

that was $200 more per cabin. I told the reserva-

tion agent that I saw it advertised for less on

VTG’s site.

Here’s where the red hair comes into play.

The res agent said that promotion is no longer in

effect, it ended two days previously — on a Saturday.

I said that if my office was closed over the week-

end, couldn’t it end today, on Monday. He said no. I

asked him if they would honor the price for VTG if

the clients booked it today. YES! YES! YES!

He, a res agent, not a big person in the organiza-

tion, said that Vacations to Go is a big account for

them, and they could get the price. He went on, as

my hair was turning grayer, to say, “Perhaps if you

start to do as much business as they do, you can

get better pricing.”

Have you ever heard anything like that from the

phone person for Royal Caribbean, HAL, Globus,

or any of the other suppliers listed on the VTG

Web site? I think not.

I regrouped, had a cup of coffee, and then called

back on a different line, to their corporate office

— which may be just a phone station in the same

room. I explained the dilemma and mentioned how

I was spoken to. I told them I was affiliated with

two hosts, and consortia, and asked how we could

work this out. I said for a reservations agent to put

me down was a total insult.

Redheads Can FinishFirst!


16

October 2012

Whatever I said hit a nerve. I was reassured that I was a valu-

able agent for them, all agents are valuable to them, not just VTG. She

said she would override the pricing, match it for me, AND I would

get a $200 shipboard credit per cabin. The credit was not just to bet-

ter the deal — we explored what the consortia was offering, and

they qualified for the credit.

I booked the cabins right away. The cruise line is preparing a

special event for them as well.

Great! Until….one son-in-law informed me that he had previously

joined a travel club — the kind that advertises a free cruise, no

strings attached, if you come to a presentation. These are popular

invites in Florida, the Carolinas, and other areas.

Well, this guy was lured in and paid $5000 to join — which he called a

great deal, since the starting price was $8000. He called them and asked

for “his” rate. He was promised a 20% rebate on whatever he booked,

including the airfare. He asked if I could match it. Nope — I can’t.

I asked what has he gotten 20% on since he signed with them. The

answer — two car rentals! He hasn’t used them for anything else yet.

What about the free cruise they offered with NCL, RCI, or Carnival?

He told me it was not exactly free, they were charging service fees and

taxes (that I mentioned were higher than what the lines actually

charged). But he still believes in the company.

As he thought about it, I was looking for my L’Oreal haircolor coupons.

Glory be, the company could not match my price with the shipboard

credit — remember, that offer had expired. I guess they didn’t know

how to call a corporate person like I did and plead their case.

Bottom line, or maybe top line, my hair is red again. I have the book-

ings secured, airline tickets confirmed, pre-and-post cruise stays and

insurance arranged.

So what’s the moral? Fight, fight, fight for those bookings — and,

if you’re a redhead, maybe fight a little harder.


OASIS Launches Future Agent Sales Training(FAST) Program to Accelerate New Agents Entry

into the Travel IndustryU.S Travel Association: Travel Industry Creating Jobs Nearly 30% Percent Faster

Than Rest of EconomyOASIS, www.OasisAgent.com, a leader in

the development of turnkey programs forhome based independent travel agents, haslaunched its comprehensive new FutureAgent Sales Training Program (FAST). TheFAST program is designed for new home-based travel agents, who can jump-start theirbusiness by enrolling in the unique OASISFAST program.

“The OASIS FAST program(oasisagent.com/fast/) is unmatched in the trav-el industry,” states Kelly Bergin, OASIS vicepresident of business development. “FAST pro-vides future agents with product, destination,and proprietary SigNet training. The FASTenrollee is then partnered with an experiencedagent to mentor and help the new agent quick-ly enter this explosive industry. Access to theleading travel industry marketing tools throughthe Signature Travel Network ensures that theycan grow their business and succeed. With thetravel industry approaching $100 billion insales (Source: PhoCusWright), this is an idealtime for anyone seeking an exciting, flexiblecareer, to consider becoming a home-basedtravel agent,” Kelly added.

“Why You Need a Travel Agent,” an articleby Larry Olmstead in the January 2012 issueof Forbes, notes that travel agents knowmore, are better connected, and have accessto benefits and incentives that consumerssimply cannot get.

OASIS exceptional business model allowsagents to join the program with no initiationfees. They receive 100% commission minusa small transaction processing fee.Individuals entering the FAST programreceive comprehensive, ongoing education,access to a customer relationship manage-ment database and many other benefits.With a significant decline in brick and mor-tar travel agencies, the demand for the value-added, customer-focused services home-based travel agents can offer is soaring.

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OASIS, the Outside Agents Sales Integration System, is a division of Smart Travel Group of Boca Raton, Florida.For more information about OASIS Agent visit www.OasisAgent.com or contact Kelly Bergin at 800-613-8380extension 120, or by email at [email protected]

About OASISOASIS, the Outside Agents Sales Integration System,is a division of Smart Travel Group of Boca Raton,Florida. For more information about OASIS Agent orthe OASIS FAST program, visit www.OasisAgent.comor contact Kelly Bergin at 800-613-8380 extension120, or by email at [email protected].

By M

itchell J. Schlesinger

Mitchell J. SchlesingerVice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to [email protected]

So let’s start at the beginning. In the

mainstream cruise market, group business has an

overall conversion rate (actual group passengers

as a percentage of group beds blocked per sailing)

of around 10%-15%. So let’s imagine a cruise ship

with 1,000 cabins. The revenue management

department would like 300 group cabins on a par-

ticular sailing. This means, the company, through

its group department and sales force, needs to

block 2,000 cabins at group rates to materialize

the 300 cabins for that one sailing using a 15%

conversion.

Mind you, this is just for one sailing of one ship.

Similar requirements for a full year would call for

104,000 group cabins blocked for that same vessel.

You get the picture. The larger lines are process-

ing MILLIONS of group cabin block requests

because the conversion is so relatively low – and

the reason for that is the majority of groups

blocked are speculative and NOT of an affinity

group nature.

On the other hand, affinity groups generally con-

vert anywhere from 40%-90%, which is why cruise

lines will be very accommodating to agents who

develop a consistent track record of high convert-

ing affinity groups. It completely changes how they

manage a particular sailing or series of sailings

because they are better equipped to project how

much group business is coming because of the

stronger conversion ratio.

HowcanHomeBasedagentshavecruiseline

DSMs/BDMsfightingovertheirbusiness?Byunder-

standingtheaffinitygroupmarket.Letmehelpyouput

particularaspectsoftheaffinitygroupbusinessinto

perspectiveandbecomeanimportantbusiness

resourceforyourpreferredsuppliers.

18

October 2012

How Affinity Groups Can Make Home Base Agents

VERYPopular With Your Cruise Partners!!

19For Home Based agents in particular, this repre-

sents a significant opportunity. I would like to offer

two suggestions regarding both creating and

broadening the reach of your affinity business. The

key to this is knowing two things about all of your

clients and prospective clients: what social/civic

organizations they belong to and in what special

interests/activities/hobbies they partake.

Social/civic organizations, or what I refer to as tra-

ditional affinity groups, include a variety of organi-

zations, such Rotarians, Knights of Columbus,

churches and synagogues, the PTA and soccer and

Little League teams.

For Home Based agents who are immersed in

their local communities, these should be easy to

target if they’re involved in these groups them-

selves, or have family, friends or clients who are.

However, because they are “local” community

groups, with the primary tie being membership

or social involvement, their size can be some-

what limited.

The other affinity group type, which I call interac-

tive activity groups, is Internet-based, has no geo-

graphic boundaries and can be much larger. This

involves people across the country who communi-

cate with each other about special interests, hob-

bies and activities in which they participate.

Ten years ago there was basically no scrapbooking.

It is now a multi-billion dollar industry — if you go

to Google and search for scrapbooking clubs, you

will see seven million hits! The same goes for hob-

bies such as quilting, photography, cooking, wine

tasting and various types of dancing.

A client who quilts may have a sister who quilts in

another city, they both have friends and family who

quilt, and as the commercial use to say, and so on

and so on etc. It doesn’t matter where they live,

they can be attracted to come together to share

their passion for this activity.

By communicating across the Internet, you can

achieve sizable groups, which convert at high per-

centages. This is going to make you VERY popu-

lar with your preferred suppliers.

There is one more, very crucial step for making

sure any affinity group you put together is success-

ful and putting the seal on how much you can

make your preferred suppliers appreciate you. It

concerns notifying and pre-planning the group

activities with the preferred supplier in advance to

insure that your groups are well taken care of

onboard.

Cruise lines have a grid for every sailing that out-

lines all the activities they have planned across the

public rooms during the course of the cruise, many

of which are revenue generating. These are very

important to the cruise line for obvious reasons,

so your need of one of these public rooms or

meeting rooms for your group requires them to

re-organize their schedule.

Remember something else: You are not

the only agent booking a group on that sailing. The

sooner the cruise line knows about your group,

the more they can make sure that there are not

multiple groups competing for the same public

rooms, all of which interferes with their scheduled

events and those that you are planning.(continued on page 20)


20So here are some DOs and DON’Ts for affinity group handling

with your preferred suppliers:

1. DO make every effort to book your affinity groups at least 15 months in advance of the sailing.

Why? You will probably get a less restrictive deposit policy for the first several months.

2. DO advise the cruise line as specifically as possible what the group needs will be during the

cruise, immediately upon booking the group.

This facilitates several important factors:

• If it is a large group requiring use of public space on multiple occasions, the cruise line can

reorganize its schedule of activities accordingly;

• If the needs are complicated (electrical outlets, extension cords, lots of tables etc) it gives

you and them plenty of time to pre-plan;

• If the group department is organized, it should prevent them from booking a large group

with similar space needs on the same sailing. In essence, it is a race for space and if you noti-

fy the line first, they should work with you to insure your group gets what it needs.

3.DO send the cruise line an activity grid for the week as soon as you finalize one, so that if nec-

essary, it can be shared with the hotel department and the group services manager on the ship.

4.DO focus your affinity group business with your preferred suppliers as often as possible in

order to further strengthen your relationship.

5.DON’T schedule your activities smack in the middle of port days. While to you that appears to give

you more room on the ship, but to the line, it is preventing guests from purchasing shore excursions.

6.DON’T schedule onboard events in places which should generate revenue, but with your

group, won’t. A group activity held in a lounge where there will be no beverage consumption is

seen as counterproductive to the cruise line.

7.DON’T wait to advise the line about your group. Advising the line at final payment that you

have 300 quilters coming is a recipe for disaster.

If you develop a consistent track record as an affinity group producer — one that consistently pro-

duces multiple groups per year that convert at very high percentages — and you pre-plan well, you are

going to become VERY popular with your preferred suppliers and receive special attention from them.

There is a direct relationship between the number of affinity groups you produce, the conversion levels,

how well you pre-plan with your preferred suppliers and the ultimate success of each group. In the end, your

understanding the perspective of how your cruise partners view this process will importantly strengthen you

relationship with them – which will make your affinity group business more successful and more profitable.

October 2012

October 2012

Expedia CruiseShipCenters' HonoredWith 2 Travel Weekly Magellan Awards!

Travel Weekly's Magellan Awards honor the best in the travel industry, and ExpediaCruiseShipCenters was presented with two this year! With a Gold Magellan in Training forour annual National Conference and a Silver Magellan for our direct mail loyalty maga-zine, Dream Voyages®, Expedia CruiseShipCenters continues to be at the forefront of mar-keting and training innovation.

These outstanding awards are evidence of the ongoing support and powerful tools we provideour agents with. We are committed to ensuring that all 3,800 of our Consultants from our 160locations from coast to coast have access to the training and systems they need to succeed.

Here's what one of our Sales Managers from our retail franchise location in North Bay,California had to say about our marketing programs:“Marketing is an important part of growing my business and Expedia CruiseShipCentersmakes it easy. With promotions and contests that attract new customers, my 7SEAS Clubcontinues to grow, while the email newsletters and Dream Voyages loyalty magazine helpto ensure my clients book with me again and again. All of this is done with the click of abutton so I can spend more time on what really matters — planning dream vacations formy guests.”

K-K Afre, Sales Manager

Find out how you can leverage our award-winning training and marketing, an 80+ PartnerSupport team, and the power of the #1 brand in travel as an Expedia CruiseShipCentersConsultant. RSVP for an upcoming webinar or choose the session to the top right that bestsuits your schedule. Let us help you discover all of the ways that joining our team canChange Your Life.

Warm regards,Pat HeathfieldExpedia CruiseShipCenters

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Expedia CruiseShipCenters, Just Cruises43277 Garfield Rd, Clinton Township, MI 48038

Phone: 586?840?7447/800?837?4477 Email: [email protected] ¥ www.cruiseshipcenters.com/JustCruisesHB


For the first time, Alamo Rent A Car and National CarRental locations are serving customers in Brazil.

Five Brazilian airports — Guarulhos International Airport in SãoPaulo; Galeao Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport in Rio deJaneiro; Tancredo Neves/Confins International Airport in BeloHorizonte; Brasilia International Airport in Brasilia; and SalgadoFilho International Airport in Porto Alegre — are home to newAlamo and National locations.

A recent franchise agreement between Enterprise Holdings — ownerand operator of Alamo and National, as well as its flagship EnterpriseRent-A-Car brand in North America — and São Paulo-based Unidas, aleading Brazilian car rental operator, will bring the Alamo and Nationalbrands to more than 100 Unidas airport and city locations throughoutBrazil by March 2013. Under the 15-year agreement, Unidas operatesas the National and Alamo franchisee at the new Brazil locations.

“We are pleased to introduce the Alamo and National brands to theBrazilian market with the opening of these first five locations,” saidGreg Stubblefield, executive vice president of global sales, marketingand strategy for Enterprise Holdings. “This partnership with Unidas— a company that strongly shares our belief in customer service —both expands travelers’ options and presents tremendous growthopportunities for all three brands throughout Latin America.”

Pedro de Almeida, executive president for Unidas, added, “Webelieve business and leisure travelers in Brazil will enjoy havingthese expanded rental options, and we are committed to providingthe excellent service our trusted customers have come to know andexpect from Unidas, Alamo and National.”

With annual revenues of $14.1 billion and more than 70,000 employees,Enterprise Holdings also operates, through its regional subsidiaries, morethan 1 million cars and trucks, making it the largest and most comprehen-sive car rental service provider in the world measured by revenue, employ-ees and fleet. Enterprise Holdings also operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Carbrand in the UK, Germany and Ireland, and a franchise network that oper-ates the National and Alamo brands throughout the Americas. Earlier thisyear, Enterprise Holdings acquired Citer SA in France and Atesa in Spain,and made a strategic investment in China-based eHi Auto Services.

For more information, visit www.alamo.com orwww.nationalcar.com.

Alamo Rent A Car & NationalCar Rental Locations Open in

5 Brazilian Airports

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Abou t Alam o R en t A CarFounded in 1974, Alamo Rent A Car –the largest car rental provider to inter-national travelers visiting NorthAmerica – is a value-oriented, interna-tionally recognized brand serving therental needs of airport leisure travelers.Alamo offers low rental rates and ahassle-free customer experience at themost popular travel destinationsthroughout the world. In addition,Alamo customers in the U.S. are able toconveniently choose their own vehicles,based upon their advance reservationand requested car class, and then sim-ply drive away from the airport.

Abou t Nat iona l Car R en ta lFounded in 1947, National Car Rentalis a premium, internationally recog-nized brand serving the daily rentalneeds of the frequent airport travelerthroughout the world. With National,time-sensitive customers in the UnitedStates are able to quickly choose theirown vehicles, based upon theiradvance reservation and requested carclass, and then simply drive away fromthe airport. National — whichlaunched the car rental industry’s firstcomprehensive frequent-renter program— further expedites the rental processfor Emerald Club members by offeringcounter bypass as well as access toNational’s “Emerald Aisle,” an exclu-sive section of the lot where memberscan select any vehicle as long as theyreserve a mid-sized car. In addition,Emerald Club members can choose toreceive EmeraldAlertsSM — emailedcommunications that include Arrivaland Return Alerts, and Drop & GoSM

service with convenient eReceipts.

Franch ise Agreem en t With Un idas Will B r ing Alam o and Nat ional B ran ds to 100+ Brazil Locat ions by March 2013

ROYALCARIBBEAN.COM

THE SEA KISSES EVERY SHORE.WE TAKE THE RELATIONSHIP EVEN FURTHER.

The sea is calling. It whispers your name, inviting you to a place more beautiful than anything you’ve seen. Where light dances on the waves, and the gentle sound puts you at ease. Where you can enjoy a piña colada, a massage, ice skating and rock climbing all in one place. Only Royal Caribbean International® delivers the one vacation that’s a full sea of possibilities.

Travel Agent Professional Oct. 2012

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