Successful Meetings - December 2007 - (Page 56)

Sales Meetings > More Miles for Your Money cover it.” Some companies choose not to deduct cruise meetings at all because they offer such good value compared with land meetings. “With all of the entertainment and meals included and the easier planning, it tends to be a 30-percent savings over land-based meetings. The savings are worth the non-deduction,” use unusual rooms such as the bars and smaller reception rooms. Group sizes range from 50 for a seminar to a full-ship charter, which can host as many as 3,000 people. “If your group will take more than half of the ship, you have to charter the whole ship,” Weinstein says. That is because passengers usually are split into two in the package, which simplifies planning and almost completely eliminates unexpected expenses. “Menu planning is much easier, with vegetarian or low-salt options for those with special dietary needs. All of those contingencies are covered,” Weinstein says. “And your cost per person tends to be a lot lower.” That work being off their The cruise setting is ideal for meeting programs that don’t require 24-hour space holds and can use unusual rooms such as the bars and smaller reception rooms. hands, meeting planners can dedicate more of their time and attention to the other aspects of the meeting. “Before 1985, meetings on cruise ships were fully tax-deductible, but changes in the tax law disallowed these deductions [for the corporation],” Weinstein continues. Individuals can deduct the cruise as a business expense, so, he says, “you can gross up the cost, charging the attendee fair market value; they pay the tax themselves, and the host organization can give them money to Weinstein points out. Downsides? In addition to possible seasickness, another risk is that there might be fewer breakout rooms available. But for general sessions, the showrooms—with their great audiovisual setups already in place—offer the best production capabilities that any meeting planner could ever want. Planners can choose different lengths and itineraries to suit various types of meetings. The cruise setting is ideal for meeting programs that don’t require 24-hour space holds and can mimegasite.com groups for several activities—when one half is dining, the other half is at the shows, and vice-versa. This reduces the possibility of disruption from the ship’s other guests: The different groups won’t run into each other all that much, except during “after hours” activities. In addition to being very impressive, a privately chartered ship allows you to have virtually every aspect of the cruise customized for your group. You can decide which ports the ship will call on, what dishes will be offered on the menu, and which shore excursions will be available. The most important thing is that your guests enjoy the meeting and look forward to coming back for the next one. No matter what your meeting recipe calls for, all ingredients are available in different sizes and packages, on land or water. DECEMBER 2007 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS 56 http://mimegasite.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - December 2007

Successful Meetings - December 2007 Contents Editor's Note Special Report Research Industry Trends 2008 Meeting Events Planner Spotlight Websites of the Month Mouth for Sale Technology Talk Food & Beverage Pre-Event On Site Pre-Event Tools of the Trade Goodbye, Booth Babes Five Tips to Improve Your Golf Events When Crime Pays Office for Hire More Miles for Your Money Places & Spaces South Florida Biloxi / Mississippi Gulf Coast Fort Worth Monterey Beijing Gurus Special Supplement: Hawaii Island-by-Island Guide

Successful Meetings - December 2007

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