MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Landry & Kling Inc., specialists in ship charters, incentive cruises and meetings at sea, today announced a new partnership with George Gehl, founder of Contacts Unlimited, Inc., and a 20-year veteran of the cruise meetings industry. Under the terms of this partnership, Gehl, and his newly re-branded company, Corporate Cruise Consultants Inc., will promote and sell cruise events under the Landry & Kling corporate banner and will leverage Landry & Kling’s operational excellence for all programs sold by his company.
“I look forward to working closely with Landry & Kling’s seasoned operations team,” said Gehl. “It’s great for my team to have access to their value-added services for our clients, and I eagerly anticipate having more time to devote to sales – my favorite part of the industry.”
Both parties have extensive experience in the cruise meetings industry. As president and founder of Contacts Unlimited, a resource for corporate and third-party meeting planners, Gehl has specialized in ship sourcing for meeting planning organizations, associations, corporate and affinity groups. Landry & Kling Inc. is also well known— founders Joyce Landry and Jo Kling were inducted into the Cruise Line Industry Association Hall of Fame in 2009 in recognition of their work pioneering the corporate cruise sector. They also founded Seasite.com, the first and only online portal designed for meeting professionals.
“This partnership combines the strengths of each organization -- Landry & Kling’s sales and operations expertise in the planning and delivery of incentive cruises, corporate charters, and special event housing solutions (such as the Jacksonville Super Bowl); plus George Gehl’s depth of experience with pure meetings and affinity cruises -- resulting in a more diverse business mix,” said Mark Phillips, chief operating officer, Landry & Kling.
“I am excited to see two of the leading forces in the industry join together,” said Ron Gulaskey, director, corporate sales and charters, Celebrity Cruises. “George Gehl is an incredible asset to any company that is planning a trip. By adding Landry & Kling to that equation, with their tools for reservations and marketing support, together they can meet the full range of corporate needs.”
“This is a partnership that just makes sense,” said Cindi Occhuizzo, senior sales manager, global groups, Disney Cruise Line. “Combine the experience that Gehl brings to Landry & Kling with the robust technology support that they provide to clients and you have pure magic.”
About Landry & Kling
Landry & Kling Inc., cruise event specialists and pioneers of the meetings-at-sea concept, provide turnkey solutions, cruise sourcing and custom cruise logistics for ship buy outs, incentive cruises, special interest/theme cruises, corporate meetings, and dockside ship charters for global events. For oceans of information, visit www.landrykling.com or call 800-448-9002 to speak with a Cruise Advisor.