Written By: Mary Pat Sullivan, Content Director – Travel Weekly Events
Travel Weekly is excited to announce CruiseWorld’s 2019 event programming.
Professional development is critical to growth and success for any business. If you are seeking new skills, expert supplier training, industry certifications, or some lessons from some of your most skilled peers, all of these goals can be accomplished with the plethora of educational opportunities available at CruiseWorld this November in Fort Lauderdale.
As always, industry top executives will be in attendance to take the stage and inspire. Back at CruiseWorld is the crowd-favorite Mastermind Sales & Marketing panel, several Presidents’ Panels representing a variety of different cruise lines, keynote speeches from CEOs, TW Talks, and more. Travel Weekly’s CruiseWorld offers event attendees unprecedented access to the brightest minds in travel each year, and those who attend this fall will benefit from three days of immersion at a training and networking event like no other.
Returning to CruiseWorld following tremendous success last year is a pre-event comprehensive training course with The Travel Corporation and several of their brands, taking place at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 12th.
On Wednesday the 13th, the first official day of the event, supplier partners and event sponsors will offer certification and in depth training programs. Included on the agenda are presentations from Carnival Corporation, Hawaii Tourism United States, and VAX VacationAccess.
Additional professional development and marketing programming will also be offered on Wednesday. New to this year’s program is a series of panels exploring and supporting success selling niche travel experiences, including: Culinary and Cultural Experiences, Adventure and Experiential Travel, Opportunities in Luxury Travel, and Family & Multi-Gen Experiences.
Thursday, November 14th, brings one-hour supplier training classes from Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Hurtigruten, and Riviera River Cruises, and destination training from Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB, Israel Ministry of Tourism, and Visit Anchorage. Every facet of the industry will be represented at the signature one day CruiseWorld Exhibitor Showcase also on Thursday, including destinations, tour operators, hotels and resorts, airlines, consortia and host agencies, professional services, transportation, and of course, cruise lines. The full 2019 exhibitor list can be viewed at www.cruiseworldshow.com/exhibitor-list.
One of the most popular and praised aspects of CruiseWorld is the peer-to-peer training workshops. On the final day of the event, Friday, November 15th, highly successful travel agency owners and influential members of the industry will share their secrets to success. Topics include valuable lessons on: how to qualify clients; mastering email marketing; hosting a successful cruise night; delivering exceptional customer service; breaking out of your sales niche; creating travel influencer campaigns, and more.
Friday’s programming will introduce a first ever “Pitch Perfect: Sell the CruiseWorld Audience Live” during General Session. Five suppliers will join two top national travel agency owners and members of the GTM (Global Travel Marketplace) Advisory Board live onstage. These advisors will pitch potential client opportunities and travel troubleshooting experiences and demonstrate with the suppliers onstage how to craft the perfect customer experience.
Closing the event, travel advisors will have the opportunity to earn their Special Needs Group certification.
The range and variety of topics and speakers at CruiseWorld provides value for all types of travel advisors. The event is an educational and motivational opportunity not to be missed for both newer home-based professionals as well as seasoned and successful veterans.
CruiseWorld will be held November 13th-15th at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County Convention Center, with a record 15 ship inspection opportunities available in both Fort Lauderdale and Miami on November 16th and 17th following the event.
For more information on Travel Weekly’s CruiseWorld, including the full event agenda and available ship inspection opportunities, visit www.cruiseworldshow.com.
Travel Professional Community members can use the special partner promotion code HBTA to receive a $25 discount off the current event registration rate.