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When a German automaker launched a new model in May last year, it revved up enthusiasm among its worldwide dealers by inviting them to go cruising.

The company chartered the Radisson Seven Seas Voyager for five three-night voyages to Ibiza, where guests tested the cars on the Mediterranean island's rugged roads. Ensconced in the vessel's 350 suites, the dealers — most accompanied by significant others — could mingle and learn about the vehicle's attributes directly from its designers and the CEO, who personally explained the cutting-edge details with multimedia presentations in the 632-seat on-board theatre.

These short cruises provided exclusive opportunities for the undisclosed firm to show off its technology, secure in the knowledge that no competitors could eavesdrop, said Maggie Mantia, vice-president of charter sales for Radisson.

From health-care organizations to insurance firms, cruise ships are increasingly being chartered by businesses looking to launch new products, present new information and motivate employees and management. According to Ron Warner, head of operations for American Express Canada's corporate meetings unit, “An Internet technology company recently chartered Radisson Seven Seas' Paul Gauguin for a seven-day Tahiti cruise because they wanted complete privacy in a relaxed atmosphere.”

In fact, this is the fastest-growing segment of the cruise industry, said Sean Mahoney, Silversea Cruise's vice-president of worldwide charter and incentive sales. “The newer vessels are being constructed with the holy trinity of essentials: state-of-the-art meeting facilities; flexible space that doubles for exhibits and trade shows; and dedicated sports venues conducive to teambuilding,” he said, adding that companies are booking cruises further in advance these days. “We've seen our lead times grow in the last couple of years from 10 or 12 months to 15 and 18 months prior to the voyage.”

Throw in logistical perks such as on-board meal services, entertainment and budgeting without currency fluctuations, and cruises are luring more corporate-event planners. As well, new itineraries to Montreal and Atlantic Canada appeal to Canadian firms with time constraints.

With dozens of itineraries and ships to choose from, picking the right vessel for a company's needs requires research. For example, the Queen Mary 2, with its 20,000 square feet of meeting facilities, features a working planetarium that doubles as a 500-seat auditorium, as well as a Canyon Ranch spa and fitness centre. Companies who bring employees on its transatlantic crossing can be sure of a captive audience, something that's especially important in the ultra-detailed fields of technology and insurance.

The newest Carnival vessel, the Liberty — launched in November with a high-tech conference room and numerous themed meeting rooms — has attracted bookings from firms that focus on sharing ideas, such as those in health care and real estate, said Lori Cassidy, Carnival Cruise Line's director of corporate and incentive sales.

Royal Caribbean International's new Freedom of the Seas, launching in May, 2006, will offer plenty of team-building possibilities: a rock-climbing wall, ice-skating arena (that can be converted into a trade-show space) and a wave pool. Holland America Line's seven-day Alaska itineraries offer team-building events such as dogsled races and fishing for wild salmon. On its seven-day Caribbean itineraries, companies can run “beach Olympics” on the white sand of its private island, Half Moon Cay, or golf the fairways of islands along the way.

Many firms also charter cruise ship to impress or thank their customers. As president of Incentive Travel, a San Diego-based company with just two clients — CBS television and IBM, who, combined, account for $25-million of incentive travel business annually — Penny Wing organized a Mediterranean cruise from Rome to Barcelona on Silversea's Silver Wind for CBS's top advertisers. The events included an on-board “dolce vita” evening featuring three of Rome's Opera House tenors, a bicycle tour of Sardinia, wine-tasting lunches in Provencal restaurants and a night in Mallorca where a theatrical group dressed as pirates “captured” the ship and whisked passengers to a candle-lit cave in a marble quarry for dancing and dinner. This cruise won Wing the 2004 Crystal Award for the world's best incentive program at the international conference of the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives, held at the Toronto Sheraton Centre in November.

According to Silversea's Mahoney, another corporate cruise made waves last year when a Japanese bank organized an Asian voyage for its prized private depositors. Gift giveaways totalled more than $1-million — which may explain why the turn-down service featured not mints, but Rolex watches.

Special to The Globe and Mail