More than 500 travel agents, industry partners, trade media and representatives from the Department of Transport spent the day on board Iona last Saturday as part of the CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) flagship annual conference.
Returning to an in-person event after the pandemic, the conference took place over three days and welcomed travel agents to Southampton to experience three ship visits, a trade fair, conference sessions with a host of industry experts and guest speakers, and a glamorous gala dinner.
The ship visit to Iona was the biggest ship of the three and included a self-guided tour, lunch and conference sessions in The Headliner’s Theatre, where agents enjoyed performances from the cast of ‘Festival’ and interviews with Jonathan Wilkes who talked about the future of entertainment on board, and P&O Cruises president, Paul Ludlow.
Supported by 70 employee volunteers, the visit gave our travel agent partners the opportunity to see and learn about P&O Cruises and the newest member of our fleet. In addition to giving them the confidence to sell P&O Cruises and Iona, agents also had the opportunity to win a number of cruises, further supporting their training and brand experience.
The trade fair included stands for several Carnival brands, including P&O Cruises, Cunard, Princess, Carnival, Holland America and Seabourn. This gave travel agents the opportunity to talk directly to the brands sales teams to learn more about their cruise holidays and how to sell to our mutual guests.
Here’s what some of them had to say…
“I can’t wait to recommend Iona to my customers.”
“I wouldn’t have considered selling P&O Cruises until now.”
“I’m going to book a holiday on Iona for myself – I can’t wait to come back.”
1 Comment
A great day! Well done to everyone involved!