The 2022 Cruise Planners Conference offers Travel Professionals new tools and technologies to further help in their success.
Attended By: Andy Ogg, CTIE – TravelProfessionalNEWS.com and FindaHostTravelAgency.com
On November 9th, 2022, we were able to virtually attend the Media Preview day for the upcoming Cruise Planners National Conference. In attendance from Cruise Planners, Michelle Fee, Founder and CEO of Cruise Planners, Theresa Scalzitti, Chief Sales Office of Cruise Planners, Scott Koepf, Vice President of Strategic Development of Cruise Planners and Bruce Shultz, Chief Information Officer of Cruise Planners.
The theme of the 2022 Conference is “The Wizard of Oz,” featuring the wicked witch, named COVID. The industry has been through so much. COVID would not leave and as soon as we thought it was gone, it would come back around. Many Travel Professionals couldn’t fight any longer and others battled ahead. It’s a time for the Travel Industry to rebound and despite airline issues, a global recession and high gas prices, Cruise Planners forges on and is excited for the future.
“Our Advisors have a lot of heart, just like the Tin Man. They had to cancel bookings rebook them time and time again just to do it all over again. The Cruise Planners advisor is full of heart.” shared Michelle Fee, Founder and CEO of Cruise Planners.
Scott Koepf, Vice President of Strategic Development of Cruise Planners shared travel insights on the 2022 year for Cruise Planners, which reached 98% of their highest sales year in all history, which was 2019. “We are very excited for the success and growth we have seen.”
Bruce Shultz, Chief Information Officer of Cruise Planners shared some exciting information about the custom landing pages for all Cruise Planners hosted websites such as increased customization, further engagement opportunities, Destination Hub, Amenity Tracker and LIVEPlanner, which was touched on more in depth later.
Scott Koepf, Vice President of Strategic Development of Cruise Planners shared, “Our Destination Hub will allow Travel Advisors to share recommendations for top destinations, such as what to do, where to go and what is the best place to eat. This resource will be very valuable for all of our Advisors and will assist them in making the best possible trip for their clients.”
Bruce Shultz, Chief Information Officer of Cruise Planners shared, “The Amenity Tracker will not only keep things organized for the Advisor, but also for the client. Many of our Advisors offer incentives on their own and this new tool will keep everything put together and easy to follow for all parties.”
Cruise Planners has been busy in the past year. With their new Signature consortia partnership, there are a wealth of new offerings, incentives and tools for Advisors working with Cruise Planners.
Trip Summary 2.0, will be released for all Cruise Planners Advisors. This tool, originally released in 2016 has been fully updated and upgraded for the new generation of Travel Advisors. The tool allows for Travel Advisors to easily create cruise, land, hotel, transfers and so much more, simply with a few clicks. “The tool has been widely used by Advisors and these new additions will only increase their success with their clients,” shared Theresa Scalzitti, Chief Sales Officer of Cruise Planners.
One of the largest takeaways from the exciting news being shared was the introduction of LIVEPlanner. The LIVEPlanner will allow for Travel Advisors to curate a custom vacation package, live and on their franchise website. There is no special software needed and the amount of information to be shared, is very impressive. “It’s the first interactive tool of it’s kind, definitely in the Travel Industry, but possibly worldwide,” shared Michelle Fee, Founder and CEO of Cruise Planners.
The LIVEPlanner is like a presentation tool but with much more power such as log tracking and the ability to send through deck plans, videos, dining options and much more. Clients can view this information in live time, allowing them to review, ask questions and engage with the Advisor in a live format.
All in all, Cruise Planners is most certainly on a move in a very exciting direction with all of the increased technology, tools and options for Travel Advisors. With these new offerings, on top of the extensive list that Cruise Planners already holds, any Travel Professional should take the time and review Cruise Planners as a possible option for their hosting choice. For more information and to read real reviews on Cruise Planners, visit: https://findahosttravelagency.com/host-agencies/cruise-planners
