Glitz, glamour and good times were in order at CLIA’s annual Hall of Fame Cruise Industry Awards. The 2018 honorees were inducted during an elaborate gala April 19 at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.
This year’s honorees were Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative; Gary E. Smith, ECCS, of TravelPerks/Dream Vacations; Sandy Cleary of CruCon Cruise Outlet; and Vicki Freed of Royal Caribbean International.
“CLIA’s Hall of Fame Awards make it possible for us to highlight individuals who are contributing to the cruise industry in a big way,” said Cindy D’Aoust, president and CEO of CLIA. “We are consistently impressed by the pool of nominees.”
At Thursday night’s event, agents entered along a “red carpet” lined with larger-than-life banners and blown-up ship photos. Inside, a multi-course gourmet meal awaited, topped off with a lemon mouse cake many deemed to pretty to eat. The opening production was a dazzling “Saturday Night Fever” stage show, courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. “This is my second year at Cruise360, and it’s even better than last year,” Pamela Castle Davis of PTM Travel posted during the ceremony.
The official Hall of Fame program began with Cruise Planners taking home the Travel Agency Innovator Award. It’s given to a CLIA Travel Agency member for noteworthy innovation in promoting cruise travel and growing the agency’s cruise sales. Cruise Planners is a franchise network with some 1,800 home-based member owners.
Smith was named the Elite Cruise Counselor of the Year, which goes to an individual agent member who has demonstrated a commitment to professional development by attaining Elite Cruise Counsellor or Elite Cruise Counsellor Scholar status. Smith, a 15-year travel industry veteran, is a top producer for Dream Vacations and is involved in developing and growing the industry.
The evening’s top honor – the Lifetime Achievement Award – was shared Cleary and Freed. This honor is bestowed on individuals who have made positive contributions to cruising throughout the course of their careers.
Cleary, founder and CEO of CruCon Cruise Outlet, was one of the honorees. Cleary launched her company in her mother’s basement 25 years ago. CruCon Cruise Outlet is now an industry powerhouse, with more than $135 million in annual cruise sales. Along the way, Cleary has earned countless awards for her industry prowess as well as charitable endeavors.
Freed, Royal Caribbean International’s senior vice president-sales, trade support and service, is an industry fixture. Her career includes nearly 30 years at Carnival Cruise Line, with 15 years as its senior vice president of sales and marketing. She joined Royal Caribbean 10 years ago. She’s a pioneer, as well, and was the first and only female chairman of CLIA.
Freed says she was “lost for words” on hearing about the honor. “I’m so touched and grateful. I feel so lucky doing what I’m doing,” she said. “It’s always been such an honor to serve agents and clients.”
At Royal Caribbean, Freed has written her “Vicki’s Tips” blog for nearly four years. She spoke about it during the “Hot Seat” panel during one of Cruise360’s general sessions.
“I do 250 Vicki’s Tips per year, none repeated. I get so many of the tips from my travel partners. But my favorite is the one I started with, it’s a quote from Maya Angelou: ‘People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. People will never forget how you made them feel. Ladies and gentlemen, you do that so beautifully,’ she told the audience.
The same can be said for Freed.
The 2018 Cruise Industry Hall of Fame Cruise Industry Award winners were determined by a panel comprised of CLIA Strategic Trade Advisory and Review Board (STARBoard) and Trade Relations Committee members.
