Vacation.com Expands Hosted Cruise Program & Webinar Series

Hosted Cruise Program Expansion

Vacation.com has announced its preliminary 2009 Vacation Vignettes line-up, with over 85 scheduled departures to destinations worldwide from several preferred cruise suppliers. Departures include exclusive shore events, concierge hosts and other amenities.

“After a successful 2008 program, Vacation.com has expanded the Vacation Vignettes to include global itineraries to provide members with even more exclusive choices for their clients,” said Steve Tracas, president and CEO of Vacation.com. “Providing a competitive edge when selling cruises, these value-added vacation packages are available only to Vacation.com members”

All Vacation Vignette sailings are accompanied by a Vacation.com Concierge Host who is available throughout the entire trip to assist vacationers. Whether helping to choose the perfect shore excursions for each port or recommending the best local shops, the Vacation.com Concierge Host will provide as much or as little assistance as each guest may require, Vacation.com says.

Vacation Vignette sailings feature a unique, exclusive shore event such as a private tour of the Mayan ruins and go above and beyond the ordinary cruise experience. Features include: services of a Vacation.com Concierge Host, exclusive shore excursions that are not available to other passengers, “Bon Voyage” cocktail reception and an onboard gift delivered to clients on behalf of the booking agency. A full list of dates and itineraries is available online.

New Webinar Sessions

Vacation.com will continue to bring high-ranking executives from preferred suppliers directly to members’ desktops with four new webinar sessions. The series, A View From The Top, will include one new session each month through October.

Offering an inside-industry perspective, A View From The Top webinar series aims to educate members and provide insightful information from key executives on how to deal with market forces that are present in today’s travel industry. Each session will also delve into how participants can effectively and efficiently utilize the Vacation.com marketing tools to boost their agency’s profits.

“Our first three executive series were very well received by attendees and we  are pleased to continue the series throughout the fall,” said Steve Tracas, president and CEO of Vacation.com. “With the use of webinars we are able to connect our members directly with industry leaders from our preferred supplier partners in a convenient and accessible venue.”

Scheduled executive series include:  July 28 – Terri Burke, vice president, Industry Relations, Norwegian Cruise Line; August 26 – Dan Hanrahan, president, and Dondra Ritzenthaler, senior vice president, Sales, Celebrity Cruises;  September – Paul Allen, vice president, Sales, Holland America Line; October – Steve Gorga, president and CEO, Travel Impressions.

Vacation.com members will have the opportunity to submit questions to the participants in advance. In addition, the Training and Member Development team has archived the first three recorded webinars – on AgentNet, the Vacation.com desktop portal – which can be viewed at the member’s convenience. To view the archived webinar sessions, or to register for upcoming sessions.

Visit www.agentnet.com.