P&O serious about conference push

By Hannah Edensor

P&O Cruises are making waves for traditional conference spaces with fleet investment and a dedicated division to spearhead corporate bookings in 2016.

Announcing the developments at AIME this morning, P&O Cruises Director of Sales, Ryan Taibel said the conference drive comes alongside a fleet expansion of two new ships this November, Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden, designed with dedicated conference spaces, shorter “sea break” itineraries and packages specifically catering to delegates.

A dedicated 48-page brochure has also been launched to lure corporate agents and PCOs to push the message the cruise line is “serious” about growing its corporate business – a project the cruise line’s senior sales manager, Rebecca Mutanen told Travel Weekly it had been on the cards for the past four years.

“In the past P&O were deemed as too much fun, too much like a holiday and while event planners were willing to book, it was hard for them to pitch and couldn’t convince their clients. Now they can show we are a serious division but can latch on attractions on board as well,” Mutanen said, referring to the launch of the dedicated brochure and the setup of its corporate division.

Mutanen said only one company or conference will be hosted per cruise, thereby allowing delegates maximum customer service and dedicated use of conference spaces on board.

While focusing on securing bids from the Australian market at first, P&O confirmed it will be looking to New Zealand and further afield into international waters moving forward.

“The P&O conference strategy is based on two things, the first being we have two ships with dedicated spaces and 40% of itineraries offering shorter 2-5 nights cruises, unlike any other cruise line in the world,” Taibel said.

Taibel said the expanded fleet would also enable the cruise line to offer cruises from ports around the country including Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Fremantle and Cairns, with Singapore and Auckland sailings also available.

The new P&O Conferences division is targeting 12,000 meeting delegates in 2016, with meetings of 100-200 delegates the prime target.

Aria and Eden offer dedicated conference theatres for 200 guests and a range of new meeting rooms, as well as newly created conference packages including cocktail, beverage and internet options.

Mutanen said “awareness is paramount” to the success of the division, and that it would leverage its price comparison and brand as strategies. According to P&O, a three-night meeting on land including all group extras would cost an estimated minimum of $1059 per delegate compared to $906 for a cruise with more extras.

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