CRUISE PLANNERS AGENT, NANCY BOGERT, WINS RCCL AWARD
Williamsport, PA-based agent takes first prize in RCCL’s Royal Partners at Home contest for World’s Largest Cruise Night
CORAL SPRINGS, FL – (December 14, 2007) – Nancy Bogert, a top-producing Cruise Planners agent based in Williamsport, PA, was recently named the big winner in Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines’ (RCCL) “Royal Partners at Home” contest. The contest, held in conjunction with CLIA's World's Largest Cruise Night (WLCN) Promotion and open to any home-based travel agent who sells cruises, honors the most successful Royal Caribbean Cruise Night held October 17, 2007. Nancy was awarded first place for hosting a successful event held at her local Borders Bookstore, which was inspired by her granddaughter.
“My granddaughter, who was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at the age of two, held a fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for her senior class project,” Nancy explained. “She held events at the mall, Wal-Mart and other areas around town and at a fund raiser in Hershey, Pa. I even donated a cruise aboard the Explorer of the Seas for her raffle that helped make it a nice success. This experience inspired me to approach Borders for WLCN. Combining well-known brands like Royal Caribbean, Cruise Planners, Borders and Seattle’s Best Coffee helped to ensure our success, but making the event a family affair really put us over the top. My granddaughter helped me host the event and sold her raffle tickets as well, so it was a great night for everyone.”
Nancy’s event began with a video presentation from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, as well as a Q&A session on various ships and itineraries. The night’s featured promotion was RCCL’s WOW Sales, offering 50% discounts on shipboard credits for those who booked that day.
“As the presentations continued, the guests poured in,” Nancy continued. “To my surprise, we ended up with well over 200 attendees! Best of all, those who came were ready to book; we sold more than 30 cabins. Those who did not book were happy to be added to our mailing list, so the success of the evening will carry on well into the future.”
In recognition of her efforts, Nancy was awarded a complimentary balcony cabin aboard the preview sailing of RCCL’s newest Freedom class ship, The Independence of the Seas, including round trip coach airfare for two to Southampton, UK.
As one of Cruise Planners’ top producers over the past 11 years, Nancy is no stranger to winning prizes and awards. She explains her winning ways simply: “The things I win are because I work hard for them. This was my first time hosting a WLCN event. I was supposed to be out of town that night, but decided a few weeks before WLCN to give it a shot. We worked long and hard for a month to make the event a success, so I’m real happy to have earned such a wonderful prize.”
An award-winning national cruise agency with a franchised network of more than 700 experienced travel professionals, Cruise Planners helped its member agents make the most of WLCN by providing each of its member agents with $100,000+ worth of marketing collateral materials to help spur sales. Among the many items provided by Cruise Planners for its agents were a 16-page full-color direct mail brochure, e-postcards and invitations, promotional flyers and press releases that were fully customizable. The Cruise Planners marketing team also provided member agents with direct marketing support, ensuring that all materials were of the utmost professional quality.
In addition, Cruise Planners hosted exclusive Webinars (live web presentations), offering consumers a unique opportunity to learn all about the latest ships, itineraries and destinations directly from top cruise line executives. Participating consumers received additional cruise offers and incentives to further encourage bookings.
“The dedicated support we provide our agents is one of the big things that sets Cruise Planners apart from the competition,” said Michelle Fee, CEO of Cruise Planners. “Cruise Planners agents like Nancy are true professionals that are 100% committed to the industry and to providing the very best service, so we take great pride in investing in them and helping their businesses grow. On behalf of everyone at Cruise Planners, I want to offer my heartfelt congratulations to Nancy for another job well-done.”
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