28 February, 2017

Why host a meeting at sea?

Event organisers now have a record number of opportunities to hold a meeting at sea, with P&O Cruises announcing it will offer an unprecedented number of short break cruises from Sydney and Brisbane in 2018.

Buoyed by demand for its two to four-night Sea Break cruises, the cruise line has added even more short itineraries to its upcoming programs, almost doubling the number of Sea Breaks on offer in just three years.

The short cruises are available across P&O’s five-ship fleet, including its latest and largest ship, the 77,000-tonne Pacific Explorer, which will offer two spacious venues for up to 530 conference guests as well as a host of new onboard features when it debuts in Sydney in June this year.

P&O Cruises Corporate Groups Sales Manager Rebecca Mutanen said short Sea Breaks had proved extremely popular with organisers since the cruise line launched its corporate group offering in 2015.

More than half of the cruise line’s annual meeting bookings are now on cruises of up to four nights’ duration, with departures from Sydney and Brisbane dominating.

“In 2015, we offered 45 short break cruises from Sydney and Brisbane, but in 2018 the number will be closer to 90 – our biggest ever Sea Break offering – which we think will be a real winner with event organisers,” Ms Mutanen said.

“More and more organisers are discovering that short cruises offer a wonderful opportunity to give delegates a truly special meeting experience. By taking a meeting away to sea you automatically eliminate land-based distractions and create a great collegiate atmosphere.

“A meeting at sea is exciting, different and very enjoyable, so the feedback we receive from delegates and organisers is incredibly positive.

“Just as importantly, from an organiser’s perspective, a meeting at sea is very easy to organise and incredibly good value – with the cruise fare including meeting space, accommodation, main meals and entertainment.”

Mutanen said P&O had experienced a 54 per cent increase in corporate group bookings in 2016 compared to 2015 and was anticipating more strong growth over the coming 12 months.

“Not only do we have more meeting-friendly short cruises on offer, we also have another exciting ship joining our fleet in June, Pacific Explorer.

“There’s a lot of interest in Pacific Explorer and we think organisers and delegates will love this ship, especially for company incentives. In addition to her great conference facilities, Pacific Explorer has a range of special offerings, like lawn bowls, which are going to be a huge hit for team activities,” Mutanen said.

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P&O cruises sea breaks