Celebrity to give away record £125k to agents during wave
Tom ParryCelebrity Cruises is set to give away a record £125,000 to agents during its latest Celebrity Moments wave booking incentive – a campaign the line’s UK and Ireland sales chief has described as its “most inclusive”.
When making bookings from Tuesday (6 December) until 1 March 2023, agents can earn up to £1,500 via the brand’s Celebrity Rewards scheme.
Celebrity’s 100 top-performing partners during the campaign period will each earn £500, while agents will have the chance to win additional cash prizes when they secure multiple bookings.
The line’s first ‘Sell More, Win More’ prize draw will see 50 agents who make 10 or more bookings win £500 each, while 25 agents who bag 20 or more bookings will win £1,000 each in the second draw.
Following feedback from its travel agent advisory panels, Celebrity will also reward new starters into the industry for their sales efforts, as well as those new to the brand.
New agents will receive a £25 bonus per booking for the first five bookings they claim through Celebrity Central.
Meanwhile, all agents will be able to earn on every booking they make – from £5 for Inside or Oceanview staterooms, to £20 for bookings in The Retreat or Galapagos sailings.
Speaking to TTG, Claire Stirrup, Celebrity’s UK and Ireland sales director, said the £125,000 prize pot was the biggest cash giveaway the line had offered for a wave campaign.
“It’s about giving back to our agent partners. It’s what they deserve, especially after the last few years,” she said.
“It’s really important to include new starters and celebrate their first bookings. We were all new starters once and they’re vital to the growth of our industry. We want this campaign to be our most inclusive and reward different partners from across the industry. We don’t want to discourage new starters just because they might not be a top seller quite yet.”
To support sales during wave, Celebrity has launched a new digital selling guide, featuring “ready-to-use” social media toolkits, ship tour videos, deck plans and information on 2023 European, Caribbean and Alaskan itineraries.
The line has also revamped its Celebrity Central trade platform, while training manager Leon Hand will deliver face-to-face and virtual training throughout the wave period to new recruits and agents looking to learn more about Celebrity’s 2024/2025 sailings.
Stirrup said Celebrity had created its trade support plans for wave after recently completing its “largest ever” agent survey following research through its digital agent database and group feedback sessions in London, Dublin, Manchester and Glasgow.
Leigh Thomson, Celebrity’s head of marketing communications and sales support EMEA, told TTG the sessions had been designed to “check our content was right and make sure we’re meeting the needs of our agents”.
Discussing current trading and the outlook for wave, Stirrup said recent demand following the line’s announcement that Celebrity Apex will homeport in the UK during summer 2024 had been “phenomenal”.
“A lot of our customers haven’t been on an Edge-series ship yet and it’s thanks to what the trade have done in the UK that we’ve been able to get Apex over here,” said Stirrup, adding plans were in place to host more than 600 agents onboard Apex during its Mediterranean season next summer.
Stirrup said the line was “acutely aware of the pressures being faced by guests” due to the cost of living crisis – but stressed “guests will look at the value of a cruise holiday”.
Celebrity is offering customers booking between 6 December and 1 March 2023 savings of 75% for a second guest, as well as an onboard spend of $400 per stateroom.
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Tom Parry
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