FORT LAUDERDALE — What makes travel a great career choice? “It is really simple,” said Dondra Ritzenthaler, senior vice president of sales and trade support services for Celebrity Cruises. “No. 1 is the fun we have.”
But, she added, it’s about more than just having fun.
“If you really do it well, if you listen to what you learn at conferences like this, listen to your host, you will then also make money,” she said at the CruiseWorld conference here. “There is nowhere else in the world that I would rather be, and I am glad you are here on the ride with us.”
So went "Meet the Masterminds," a panel of seven sales and marketing executives of seven major travel brands: Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Royal Caribbean International, MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises/Cunard Line, Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line.
As was the case at last year's CruiseWorld, the session was a mix of practical sales and business tips, with a good measure of jokes and fun that showcased the personal side of marketing and sales execs.
Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean International's senior vice president of sales, trade support and service, said there are other rewards in selling travel.
“The money is important, but it is also about the psychic income, when you know you have made a difference for the client,” she said. “We’re all memory doctors.”
Andy Stuart, executive vice president of global sales and passenger services for Norwegian Cruise Line, seconded the fun factor.
“Think about a cocktail party," he said. "Some come up to you and say, ‘What do you do?’ If you say you’re a personal injury lawyer, they turn around and walk away."
But, he said, tell someone you’re in travel and they’ll stay and talk to you.
Brian O’Connor, vice president of North America sales for Princess Cruises and Cunard Line, said that travel is a perennial favorite for consumers.
“During the economic downturn, most of the data was that people would be smarter about spending," he said, "but the one thing they would not stop spending on was travel.”
Ken Muskat, executive vice president of sales, public relations and guest services for MSC Cruises USA, spoke about opportunity: “With all these new ships and experiences and incredible hardware, the industry is still significantly under-penetrated; there’s always going to be growth opportunities, there’s always going to be more people that you need to convince to take a cruise."
When moderator Mary Pat Sullivan asked panelists when they did their best thinking, many cited their morning exercise routine. Stuart said he runs and uses no headphones or music.
“It’s the most therapeutic thing I do,” he said.
Muskat also works out. “I put the headphones on, I’ve got the music on, it’s the only time I’m not looking at email or answering the phone.”
Joni Rein, vice president of worldwide sales for Carnival Cruise Lines, swims.
Ritzenthaler said that she walks the dog and loves that quiet time of day that she has to herself before the rest of her family gets up.
O’Connor said his two best times for thinking are either floating in a pool or on a plane with noise-canceling headphones.
Freed was more social. “The best thinking I do is in conversation I have with people — travel professionals, with my husband, with my kids,” she said. She gets ideas wherever she goes.
Sullivan also asked panelists about their favorite marketing initiatives.
Muskat said initiatives that grab viewers' emotions and deliver results are the best, citing WestJet’s Christmas giveaway last year.
The YouTube video of Santa Claus asking WestJet passengers what they wanted for Christmas and then delivering it upon touchdown at their destination airport has more than 36 million views on YouTube. It also generated a 100% increase in web traffic, a 77% increase in booking and revenue increases of more than 80%, he said.
Chris Austin, vice president of global leisure and luxury sales for Starwood, praised ASTA’s initiative to drive membership in cooperation with travel agency consortia. He also praised ASTA CEO Zane Kerby for the success of the campaign, and Signature and Travel Leaders Associates for mandating membership.
“ASTA is so important for the industry and the health of you,” he said to the crowd of agents, who applauded his words. “The work that ASTA does on the advocacy front none of us could do on our own.
“Monumental things happen when you go back to the basics and build on grass roots."
View a video recap of Day 2 of CruiseWorld.