Agents who join the first Ultra-Luxury Cruise Showcase event can attend immersive business sessions, a ship tour, experience entertainment and dine on a Uniworld ship.
Uniworld is one of several luxury cruise operators – including Silversea Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises; Ponant; Explora Journeys; Luxury Gold; Aqua Expeditions; Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Seabourn – to host the ultra-luxury networking event in France in March.
Event organisers hope to educate 100 agents about high-end ocean and river cruising during the three-day sailing starting on March 24.
UK and Europe managing director Chris Townson shared further schedule details during a Travel Weekly webcast on Tuesday (January 17).
Townson said: “There will be a little bit of a ‘sail away party’ leaving Paris and there’ll be a morning of excursions the following day.
“The first afternoon will literally be about getting to know each other and then business sessions.”
However, he stressed the business sessions “would not be done in a normal death by PowerPoint” way and would be immersive with “a flew glasses of champagne thrown in as well”.
Townson said agents can see “leading cabins” and “top suites” on Uniworld’s Joie de Vivre ship which will host the event.
“We’ll have an amazing dinner and then great entertainment in the evening,” he added. “We want to create social environments where people can go and speak to people in the bar and have dinner accordingly.
“We’ll have more business sessions, more dining, more entertainment, and more lunches.”
He added there would opportunities to do more excursions on the final night of the showcase in Paris.
Paul Beale, UK senior sales director at Regent Seven Seas, said he believes excursions were a good opportunity for agents to “build a relationship” with suppliers.
“That’s where you really create the bonds and you’re able to influence people in their selling habits,” he said.
Townson went on to explain he wants agents to go home “with a feel for the level of service” ultra-luxury offers.
“In three days, you’ll walk away with an understanding about which of your customers are a good fit for the product,” he said.