Celebrity Cruises hails ‘bigger and better’ programme for new-to-cruise agents
Celebrity for Beginners is “back and bigger than ever”, according to Celebrity Cruises’ senior sales director for the UK, Ireland and EMEA.
Claire Stirrup said the programme, which goes live on March 14, has been designed “entirely with agents in mind”, and will give new-to-cruise and new-to-brand agents “everything they need to know” to sell Celebrity Cruises sailings.
The programme, which is being run in partnership with Travel Weekly, gives agents access to virtual masterclasses, a ship visit programme, newsletters and a seminar at sea.
Leon Hand, training manager for the EMEA region, will also run in-person masterclasses in London and Manchester to give agents the opportunity to learn face-to-face, in addition to hosting online sessions, the first of which is scheduled for March 25.
All agents who sign up to the programme will also receive monthly newsletters containing the latest information from the brand, as well as sales tips.
Additionally, the line is giving away 10 places on a seminar at sea on board Celebrity Apex this year. The dates of the trip are yet to be announced, but each winning agent will be able to bring a guest. To enter, agents must attend either four virtual masterclasses or one face-to-face masterclass and complete the beginners training modules on Celebrity Central.
Stirrup said the training will be delivered in “short, sharp sessions” to accommodate agents’ busy schedules and to keep the programme “as simple and straightforward as we can”.
“We want to make our trade partners’ lives as easy as possible and give them all the information they need at their fingertips,” she said.
Stirrup emphasised that the programme is also open to agents who have sold Celebrity Cruises before but want to brush up on their skills.
She added: “This is for absolutely anyone who wants to improve their knowledge. The cruise industry is growing and there are so many new ships it’s hard to keep up with who’s doing what, so we built this for everyone.”
Agents can sign up and find out more at travelweekly.co.uk/celebrityforbeginners