The Tribune

The Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) has moved to ensure Bahamian entrepreneurs and businesses are ready to exploit potential multi-million dollar cruise line investments.

Freeport’s quasi-governmental authority helped arrange a May 8th seminar staged by Melanie Colpitts, lead coach and trainer of Aquila’s Center for Cruise Excellence. For the past decade, Aquila has offered training programmes to help cruise destinations and tour operators maximise the economic benefits from the cruise ship industry.

She provided attendees with statistics and research that gave business owners a better understanding of their target market, focusing not only on cruise passengers but also providing knowledge on how to attract and keep overnight guests.

Ms Colpitts said business owners should focus on “creating entertaining and educational experiences, exceeding expectations, seeking partnerships and alliances, creating authentic, experiential and thematic experiences, and providing competitive pricing with good value”.

Ian Rolle, the GBPA’s president, told attendees: “Today is more than just training;, it’s about cultivating and positioning new ideas needed to take the next step. It’s about creating a strategy that will make us number one in this region, through quality offerings and authentic guest experiences.”

Attendees said the seminar was beneficial. Alex Thompson, of Signature Choices, said: “One nugget, in particular, that was a valuable take away was the importance of identifying your niche market and offering expanded services to those specific customers to leave a lasting impression which would encourage them to not only share their experience with others but ultimately refer my product/services to others.”

Deangelo Carey, of Productive Bar, added: “The most powerful take home I got was that the guest wants authenticity and to be able to own a unique experience. Them being able to take that home and be that person to speak on that experience, and captivate others, creates value within themselves.”

Veronique Martin, proprietor of Nicky’s Golden Comb at Renu, said: “Knowledge is truly powerful, and networking is by far the most powerful. The opportunity to sit with a small group of professionals that represent such a huge part of our economic sector and future economic potential, for me, was the catalyst to diversifying what I do and can do. The contacts that I thought were gone were all waiting for me.”