Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has welcomed more than 200 travel agents on board Borealisin Southampton as part of a travel agent conference.

The Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) event is the largest agent cruise conference in the UK and provided an opportunity for travel agents and media guests to experience Fred. Olsen’s hospitality and onboard offerings first-hand.

Saturday’s event began with an engaging presentation from Geoff Ridgeon, Head of Sales at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, followed by a personalised ship tour with interactive elements such as a silent disco, food tastings in speciality restaurant Colours and Tastes and live music. Agents also enjoyed a drinks reception and delicious lunch, all designed to showcase the distinctive personal touch that Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is renowned for.

While on board, agents were encouraged to share their experiences on Instagram using the hashtag #CLIAwithFred, resulting in more than 270 posts – 28% more than the number of attending agents. Additional content was shared on stories and in the trade Facebook group, with a live dashboard displaying the posts throughout the day.

Geoff Ridgeon, Head of Sales at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said:

“We’re incredibly proud of our relationships with our agent partners, and it’s always a pleasure to welcome them on board our smaller-sized ships and show them what we do differently. The event was a real success, and we’re so pleased that so many agents were able to really get a taste of what Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is all about.

“I’d like to extend a big thank you to everyone who joined us for the day, as well as thank everyone involved in making this event a wonderful experience, from our teams ashore and the on board team on Borealis.”

In addition to the ship tours, the CLIA conference featured a variety of sessions and a trade fair, offering further engagement opportunities for agents to learn about Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and the wider cruise industry.

CLIA, the world’s largest cruise industry trade association, plays a pivotal role in supporting the cruise industry through policies and practices that ensure a safe, secure, healthy, and sustainable cruise environment.