Why Meetings & Incentives at Sea with Royal Caribbean
PRESS RELEASE AND PHOTOGRAPHS
Please click on the picture or link below to read and see more from the first Site Texas 2011 event with Site Global President, Mary MacGregor and Royal Caribbean’s Clem Galindo, along with several other distinguished guests and Texas Site board members. Hilton Galveston, Texas, February 19-20:
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February 19-20, 2011: Galveston, Texas
“To Be or Not To Be”… That is the question. We all know it as the opening line of a soliloquy from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet written over four hundred years ago, and to this day meeting planners think about that as we lead up to an event and experience adverse and unexpected circumstances waiting to wreak havoc on the plans. I’ve found that planners who have the innate ability to ‘look around corners’, anticipating and responding to external factors, distinguish themselves from the ordinary. Site Texas and its membership is brimming with such talent as demonstrated in Galveston a few weeks ago by guests and board members coming together to make a potentially disastrous morning’s circumstance another ballyhooed and successful event.
It was Saturday afternoon when many of us arrived by air and by land from Houston and other faraway places to the Bay of Galveston. Things were copasetic until we all crossed that two mile Galveston Causeway Bridge over the bay and into town—a dense, pea-soup-like fog covered the area through the afternoon and night. Weather reports couldn’t predict the clearing, and Royal Caribbean (RCCL) was unsure of the potential delay for the arriving Voyager of the Seas vessel on Sunday morning, February 20, 2011—our initial Site Texas Chapter event was scheduled aboard with a site inspection and lunch n’ learn that morning. Oh, how unique and appealing the idea—many attended because of the creative venue, site, and luncheon aboard.
In reality, we deal with inclement weather all the time. Atlanta and North Texas shut down their cities this winter for several days each because of ice and inclement weather —corporations closed, kids missed school days that are being rescheduled, school districts are petitioning state factions for waivers to some of the missing days because there are too many to make up. Airlines and transportation companies post flight delays all the time—when was the last time your flight was delayed due to inclement weather, or your FedEx didn’t arrive at 10:30 because of an ‘act of God’? Exactly. We thought for certain the fog would lift like is has each time before. To be or not to be… That was the question Saturday night and into early Sunday morning, prior to our event.
We received word throughout the early morning that the water channel was closed due to fog and inadequate (zero) visibility—this flight, er Vessel would be delayed. Unfortunately for us, we had a very small window of time to pull this very unique event off give the fact it docks at approximately 0600 am, disembarks several thousands of guests in orderly fashion around breakfast, before being turned over to U.S. Customs—think (no) stowaways and such. Then, with a small window, and before the next group of vacationing guests board, Site Texas attendees would go aboard for a site inspection and luncheon in the main dining room. In the end, the Voyager of the Seas ended up docking early afternoon and experiencing a few hour delay for its guests—kind of like airplanes do all the time, I guess. Word is, ship sails and this rarely happens, but it did. I’d still take my chances with a ship being on-time, most all the time.
That’s when the extra ordinary occurred: Greg Slaight, Site Texas VP of Education and Events, and Jonathan Richards, Site Texas President, were ‘looking around corners’ since Saturday afternoon and good thing, because those contingency plans were enacted when we got the final word Sunday morning. The show must go on and it did in a meeting space at the host hotel—Hilton Galveston. We had RCCL’s Clem Galindo bring his presentation to us, and Site Global President, Mary MacGregor in house and ready to go. Thanks to the understanding of our guests and members the event went on. To be or not to be ended up being that morning in Galveston and by early afternoon it was sunny there, too!
Site Texas wishes you success in 2011 and hopes to see you at an upcoming event soon!
Michael Butler
Site Texas Chapter
V.P. Communications
817.600.5980
