I always have said that if you attend a conference and came away with a single new idea that you act upon, it was a huge success. Fresh ideas that are actionable are like new cars that beg to be driven. Travel Trade’s CRUISE-A-THON in Vancouver this past May gave me more than just a fresh idea; it gave me a revelation. It isn’t often that I hear a speaker in our industry share their thoughts and have it be somewhat of a new concept.
It isn’t like I haven’t heard the same presentations at other times and at other conferences. I suspect that it was the delivery of the information and the environment in which it was delivered. I mean, after almost 40 years in our industry, I have pretty much heard it all, and then some.
The new owners of Travel Trade crammed numerous keynote and featured speakers into a small amount of allocated time and while I am sure that it was frustrating to many of the speakers, it also challenged them to condense their message in as few precise words as they could. Some did wonderfully and some didn’t do as well. There were speakers that used superior delivery skills to make up for the lack of time.
Dondra Ritzenthaler of Celebrity Cruise Lines did an incredible job as the last speaker on the first day. Her positive attitude had everyone on his or her feet dancing and her message was as clear as a bell. She was unbelievable! One of my favorite presenters, Lisa Bauer, left the agents fascinated with cruise ship hotel management after her presentation about her new job. Go Lisa!
And, I have to say that my wife, Joannie Ogg, did an incredible job by cutting her presentation to only five minutes and postponing it for a day. I think everyone not only enjoyed her “Attitudes” presentation, but also appreciated the new tempo for the conference that she introduced. Everyone did a fantastic job. Scott Koepf, the last speaker of the conference’s general sessions, managed to get everyone engaged and laughing. I am not sure anyone could have done a better job in that slot.
But, it was Larry Dessler of the Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance who completely dazzled me. I have heard Larry a good number of times before and have always appreciated his message. “Increase your earnings potential by becoming a Certified Niche Cruise Specialist.” I am not sure what it was about his presentation, but it got me thinking about the realities of today’s cruise specialist.
NCFs and surcharges in a typical cruise sale are diluting the overall commission yield to a point where it is becoming less and less motivating to sell mass-market cruises.
Direct sales by the mass market cruise lines are on the increase and are likely to intensify as time goes by.
Seasoned cruisers are more than likely to pursue unique niche cruise experiences, as the mass-market cruise lines homogenize their staple cruise products.
A cruise professional needs to be as fluent in niche cruise products as they are in mass-market cruise inventories to serve an ever-increasingly sophisticated cruiser who has done the staple itineraries and is now looking for something unique and stimulating.
Finally, professional cruise agents need to move into an arena that is immune to the likelihood that vertical integration will occur. In short, cruise professionals need to be expert in their ability to consult their clients on the total spectrum of cruise products that they can experience. Larry, I got the message loud and clear!
So, the second that I got back to San Diego, I signed up for the NCMA Certified Cruise Specialist program at www.nichecruisetraining.com and took all of the courses and final testing to earn my designation. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and also appreciated the no-nonsense approach to teaching folks about the opportunities in selling niche cruise lines. But, that was just the start.
I decided to accumulate all of the niche cruise product out there in a format that could be used by all travel and cruise agents everywhere. I couldn’t believe the diversity of what I was finding. For me, it was like being reborn. Having experienced hundreds of cruises over a 20-year period, I was like a little kid in a candy store. So many unique cruise experiences were available, it was intoxicating. I found dozens that I wanted to do immediately. The more I looked, the more I found. Niche cruising is obviously a huge opportunity for cruise agents who have clients who have pretty much done the mainstream and are now looking for a little more interesting and stimulating cruise encounter.

Here is what you should do to cash in on this
huge new opportunity.
1. Visit www.nichecruisetraining.com and sign up for the NCMA Certified Niche Cruise Specialist program. Don’t wait another minute!
2. Visit www.HomeBasedTravelAgentNetwork.com and click through to the cruise line information. Here you can start your search for that perfect niche cruise for your clients.
3. Visit www.HomeBasedTravelAgent.com and subscribe to Home Based Travel Agent NEWS
(it is FREE). I am starting a monthly feature
regarding niche cruising that will enable you to earn more money.