A 'Journey' to Remember
by Jeff Grieder

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Even though OSSN Seminar at Sea attendees enjoyed all these great amenities offered by Azamara Cruises, there was still work to be done. I was very honored to be the facilitator for this sailing. With the help of Melody Fee (OSSN's vice president) and Cris De Souza (the channel strategy executive for Azamara and Celebrity), we designed a wonderful curriculum for the attendees. And, with only two days at sea during this sailing, we had a lot to cover in a short amount of time.

I always start the first day with introductions, allowing everyone the opportunity to get to know one another. We learn how long they have been in the industry, the name of their agency, and even how long they have been a member of OSSN. I also allow a lot of time for networking on the first day as well. Even as the facilitator, I like to learn from the attendees myself.

Then I go straight into the benefits of OSSN membership. Just like the travel industry itself, OSSN is constantly changing and growing to help YOU as a Home Based Seller of Travel. Our OSSN member attendees on board the Azamara Journey were amazed and the new things they learned about their OSSN membership benefits that they will now be able to apply to their businesses in the future. If you are not familiar with your OSSN membership benefits, please visit www.ossn.com or contact your local OSSN Chapter Director for more information.

The last day at sea is when I really put the Seminar at Sea attendees to work. We started with a product presentation that discussed Azamara Cruises and what is in store for this new cruise line in the future. I then had each attendee state one thing they liked about the Azamara Journey and one thing they didn’t like about it. Then, we did a Newspaper Exercise on how to Find, Market and Sell groups on Azamara Cruises. This exercise allowed our attendees to work together as teams and the opportunity to stand up in front of the class and do a presentation for perspective groups on Azamara. It was a lot of fun and the group's ideas were very creative. After that, I had an extra bonus for the attendees by having a private tour of the Penthouse Suite aboard the ship. I have no doubt that the 25-plus travel agents who sailed with us will have no problems selling Azamara Cruises from now on!

For more information on Azamara Cruises, please visit www.azamaracruises.com. For more information on OSSN Seminars at Sea, please visit www.ossn.com/fams.asp.

OSSN chapter directors on this Seminar at Sea cruise included (l to r) Dolores Samms (Miami), Amy Parker (North Alabama), Leona Olson (Minneapolis), Marty Harris (Mobile), and Jeff Grieder (Houston).

Jeff Grieder -- the owner of ASAP Cruise Vacations in Houston, Texas -- serves as OSSN's Midwest Regional Manager. He's also the director of the OSSN Houston Chapter. You may contact him at jeff@asapcruisevacations.com.