Catherine Heeg, a tourism, travel and hospitality industry expert with over three decades of experience, will demystify social media as well as present best practices for success during the 10th annual Cruise3sixty conference and trade show. The only official North American travel agent cruise conference from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the event will take place from April 2-6, 2014 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Heeg’s two one-hour workshops are included in the 10 new courses that are part of a completely redesigned CLIA educational curriculum, which has been completely retooled, based on travel agent feedback, to be more contemporary in content and format, including shorter and more online course availability.
“CLIA has set a high priority on helping its travel agent members leverage social media to market services and grow their business,” says Margaret Murphy, CLIA’s senior VP, marketing and trade relations. “An expert of Heeg’s caliber can significantly advance social media awareness and capabilities with conference attendees in what has become an essential communications, marketing, and customer service channel.”
Integrating the new with traditional
Heeg, based in Calgary, is founder of Customised Management Solutions and is a recognised social media trail blazer who successfully integrates new media with traditional marketing practices. A frequent speaker at travel, tourism and hospitality industry conferences, she trains sales and marketing teams in social media marketing, sales and communications.
“I am committed to helping agents quickly learn the best ways to leverage the power of social media by providing proven tactics to reach target audiences, differentiate themselves and achieve authentic visibility that translates into winning results,” says Heeg. She adds, “Vital changes abound in the world of social media and these new sessions bring up-to-the minute strategies that can be implemented immediately. Attendees walk away with the how-to’s and tools to easily make a difference in their social presence and, more importantly, how to effectively conduct business in the 21st century.”
Heeg’s social media workshops at cruise3sixty will include ‘Facebook 2014 –What You Need to Know Now’, which will focus on savvy social media practices to grow fan bases, and Heeg’s ‘Get Your Geek On! – Emerging and Evolving Social Media You Need to Know About’ workshop, which explores the varied and most popular social platforms in use today, as well as the essential tools for video applications, microsites and blogging, while clarifying recent and projected advances in Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google+. The 10 new CLIA educational seminars coincide with the 10th anniversary of cruise3sixty. The educational programme, together with an expected record 25-plus ships available for inspection, will enable agents to earn more CLIA certification credits than at any previous cruise3sixty conference.
Expert insights
Four of the cruise industry’s most influential leaders will offer their expert insight to an audience of CLIA member agents during a panel on the first day of Cruise3sixty 2014. The four top executives who will be part of the panel include Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation; Richard D Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises; Kevin Sheehan, CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line; and Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises. The panel is part of CLIA’s vision to continuously innovate and bring the best tools to member agents based on their needs.
“It is an honour to have four of the cruise industry’s top leaders lend their incredible knowledge to our most important event of the year. For our member agents in attendance, hearing from these successful leaders and their vision for the future is sure to be a great way to kick off the conference,” says Duffy.
In addition to the executive panel, he will deliver the keynote address offering an overview of the current state of the cruise industry and CLIA’s continued commitment to the travel agent community.
