Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ biggest-ever annual New Season Launch event series kick off next week, with limited spaces still available for advisors and their clients.
The luxury cruise line has 24 sessions scheduled in Australia and New Zealand, including first time events in Newcastle, NSW next Tuesday (10 September) to launch the 2024 series and in Chadstone, Victoria (on 24 September).
Also for the first time, Regent will host three sessions in one day in Sydney, catering for a wider audience throughout the day.
Lisa Pile, Vice President Sales & General Manager, Asia Pacific said the New Season Launch is one of Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ largest investments annually, and operates “specifically to assist our valued trade partners”.The key driver for the event series will be messaging focused on Regent’s recently released New Voyage 2026/27 program.
“The long-range booking window helps travel advisors build base for their business, while enabling clients to lock in their holidays for the years ahead,” Pile explained to LATTE.
“It may seem crazy having to lock in your suite for ’26/’27 but you have to do it early because we’re selling interglobally.”
“People forget that these beautiful floating hotels are being sold inter-globally, so the reason we do these events is to ensure we are getting the message across, highlight some of the
beautiful itineraries we believe will sell well from the ANZ market, and it’s also a chance for guests to ask us questions face-to-face. We find guests are very interactive, hence why we’re doing multiple events in key cities,” Pile said.
At last year’s events, around 60% of those attending were new-to-brand. Plus, some participants don’t have a travel advisor. That’s a further impetus for advisors to attend.
“A lot of clients that attend don’t use an advisor and will ask us if we can make a recommendation,” Pile said. “I’ve got some wonderful examples where we’ve introduced clients to advisors who were in attendance.”
“We welcome all advisors. It doesn’t matter if you have guests attending or not. If you’d like to come and learn about Regent, the product and the ”26/’27 new voyage season, we will welcome you with open arms.”
As an added incentive to attend the events, Regent provides clients with an exclusive ‘Event Offer’ – a graded discount determined by the cruise duration, along with a shipboard credit.
Consumers attending the events have a 10 business day window to confirm a booking to take advantage of the Event Offer.
Plus guests can combine the Event Offer with Regent’s other special promotions in the market, such as Captivating Cultures (which is offering between a 10-40% discount and a double category upgrade).
“It makes it very lucrative for someone to attend,” Pile said.
Return with Regent Credit Program
Additionally, for clients who remain undecided on a cruise, Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers the ‘Return with Regent Credit Program’.
“If someone hasn’t made up their mind and doesn’t want to book a cruise on the day they can purchase the Return with Regent Credit Program”.
It is similar to buying a gift voucher that has a three-year validity. The Return with Regent Credit Program is also eligible for the ‘Event Offer’ discount and shipboard credit, which can then be added to the cruise once they have made a decision.
All hands on deck
Regent’s investment in the New Season Voyage Collection events extends to having its Sales and Reservations teams in attendance, meaning live availability on preferred luxury departures can be checked then and there.
Pile urged those registered, either clients or advisors, to “please turn up” given the significant investment the cruise line has injected into the events. Such is the demand, Regent has waitlists for other potential guests. “So please support us,” she added.
Not only does Regent have ‘no shows’ but, as Pile explained,“we have ‘go shows’ – people turning up who thought they had registered but hadn’t.”
“The events aim to light the imagination in people who are so busy these days they don’t have the time to imagine for themselves.”
“Our teams recount the stories about destinations, and share their firsthand experiences about where they’ve been recently, letting attendees know what to expect.
“There’s so much information that we impart – if advisors can support us, we will in turn support them,” she concluded.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ 2024 New Season Events program schedule is below. To RSVP to the Australian events, click here.
Newcastle, 10 September – 11am, Merewether Surfhouse
Brisbane, 17 September – 5:30pm, The Calile Hotel
Gold Coast, 18 September – 10:30am, Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Gold Coast
Gold Coast, 18 September – 2:00pm, Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Gold Coast
Hamilton, 18 September – 10:00am, The Verandah Cafe & Function Centre
Hamilton, 18 September – 6:00pm, The Verandah Cafe & Function Centre
Melbourne, 24 September – 10:30am, Hotel Chadstone
Melbourne, 24 September – 6:00pm, Park Hyatt Melbourne
Geelong, 25 September – 11:00am, Novotel Geelong
Wellington, 25 September – 6:00pm, QT Wellington
Sydney, 26 September – 10:00am, Four Seasons Hotel Sydney
Sydney, 26 September – 2:00pm, Four Seasons Hotel Sydney
Sydney, 26 September – 6:00pm, Four Seasons Hotel Sydney
Adelaide, 2 October – 10:30am, Marriott Adelaide
Adelaide, 2 October – 6:00pm, Marriott Adelaide
Sunshine Coast, 8 October – 10:30am, The Lakehouse
Christchurch, 15 October – 10:00am, The George
Christchurch, 15 October – 6:00pm, The George
Tauranga, 17 October – 10:00am, Trinity Wharf Tauranga
Tauranga, 17 October – 5:30pm, Trinity Wharf Tauranga
