As seen on www.carnival-news.com
Mixing business and fun, Carnival Cruise Line staged its first WUATA Party at The Orlando Science Center in Orlando, Florida on May 8, 2019. Nearly 300 travel advisors and their clients, who brought along potential clients, joined Carnival’s Florida sales team and executives, as well as industry leaders, for a gala evening focused around Why Use A Travel Advisor.
The event was hosted by Adolfo Perez, senior vice president, sales and trade marketing for Carnival Cruise Line; Mike Julius, vice president, field sales for Carnival Cruise Line; John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador; and Carnival’s Florida business development manager team.
Ann Chamberlin, senior vice president, membership and strategic partnerships for the American Society of Travel Advisors; and Charles Sylvia, ECC, vice president, membership and trade relations for Cruise Lines International Association; spoke about the importance of travel advisor education and training, and the impact it has on vacation quality.
Perez gave a presentation featuring real-life stories shared by Carnival guests about how their travel agents were vacation-planning rock stars.
Heald, who served as emcee, hosted an informal fireside chat with Diamond-level Carnival repeat guest Richard Hunt and his travel advisor, Denise McCorkell, of Travel Planners International. During their discussion, Hunt shared experiences from his long relationship with McCorkell and cited trust as the most important reason to choose and use a travel advisor.
In addition to the cocktail party mix and mingle, there was a WUATA-themed photo booth where attendees could take selfies with Perez and Heald. Partygoers also participated in WUATA experiences at the event’s WUATA Guru Desk, where the Carnival BDM team provided expert one-to-one support and opportunities to sign up and share on WUATA Word — which now has nearly 4,000 word submissions — and enter the WUATA Contest to name the Most Trusted Travel Advisor.
Fashionable WUATA T-shirts were on sale for $25 with the colorful WUATA logo on the front and the WUATA Word cloud on the back, with proceeds going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The WUATA Party featured an array of giveaways throughout the evening, including a three-category upgrade and up to $100 in onboard credit for everyone who attended. Drawings also were held for a seven-day Carnival cruise for one client plus commission for the client’s travel advisor; one conference registration for the ASTA National Convention and one registration to CruiseWorld; two CLIA memberships; and more, such as logo umbrellas, swag bags, etc.
Due to outstanding response, registration is closed for the remaining WUATA Party dates in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto.
Travel advisors who are interested in learning more about WUATA should visit GoCCL.com for full details.
For additional information about Carnival Cruise Line call 1-800-327-9501 (individual) or 1-800-327-5782 (groups) or visit the line’s travel agent Internet portal, GoCCL.com. Carnival can also be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.