Royal Caribbean International has revealed that the godmother of new ship Anthem of the Seas will be a travel agent.
The line has created a new campaign called ‘A Godmother Like No Other. Could It Be You?‘ and is teaming up with Travel Weekly to find an agent to take on the role at the launch in April.
The winning agent would not only be godmother to Anthem, but would also sing at the launch of the event. To enter, agents must show off their singing abilities by submitting a short video clip here.
Stuart Leven, UK and Ireland managing director, said having an agent as the ship’s godmother would reflect the line’s strong ties with the trade.
He said: “This is another wow moment for our agency partners. Royal has always been a trade-friendly brand and always will be. Since I started in this business, I have spoken about the relationship with the trade that I inherited. We not only wanted to protect that, but we wanted to take it to the next level.
“Agents are hardworking, so why shouldn’t they have a little bit of fun along the way?
“We won’t be short of people applying. I have worked in travel for more than 25 years and have recently spent time on agency shop floors with staff. If agents give just a snippet of the amount of energy they give to selling our brand on their performances, we will be in for something special.”
While famous faces have christened many Royal ships, the line has also turned to “everyday heroes” to take on the honour.
Leven added: “The industry’s everyday heroes are the frontline staff. We want to give an agent the chance not only to grab 15 minutes of fame, but to be part of history.”
The chosen godmother will receive voice coaching, a makeover and “the full X Factor treatment”, according to Leven.
She will also sing at Travel Weekly’s Agent Achievement Awards and enjoy a cruise for two on board Anthem.
To enter, agents will need to create a clip of them singing one of 19 shortlisted songs. The clips will be reviewed by a panel of judges made up of Leven; Jo Briody, the cruise line’s director of marketing and PR; Lucy Huxley, Travel Weekly’s editor-in-chief; and a music expert. Five finalists will then be asked to sing before the judges.
The winning songstress will sing the song chosen by Heart FM winners, who are voting for the ‘anthem for Anthem’.
The competition is open to any female agent – not just cruise specialists – who wants to work more closely with Royal.
“The ship is called Anthem of the Seas and everything we’ve done around it has had a musical theme,” said Leven.
“Naming ceremonies are theatre. It is a big entertainment event and the highlight will be the performance of our godmother.
Leven said the launch would still be full of surprises and that it would have a “futuristic” feel.
Travel Weekly’s Lucy Huxley said: “I can’t wait to see what our talented readers have to offer.”
Find out more about the competition and how to enter at travelweekly.co.uk/godmother