CLIA Honors Smith, Schreiner With Lifetime Achievement Awards
by James Shillinglaw /CLIA’s Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award Winners Bill Smith (left) and Rudi Schreiner (right) with CLIA President & CEO Cindy D’Aoust.
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), at this year’s annual cruise360 conference in Vancouver, recognized two cruise industry veterans—Rudi Schreiner and Bill Smith —plus one top travel agency and one individual travel agent as 2016 Cruise Industry Hall Of Fame award winners.
Rudi Schreiner, president and co-owner of AmaWaterways, was recognized with a lifetime achievement award for his key role in developing the river cruise market. He has helped turn river cruising from a niche travel experience into one of the most popular forms of cruising in the world.
Schreiner studied architecture and was inspired to enter the travel industry by his own adventures in his early 20s, when he constructed a raft for research on the Amazon River and spent seven months sailing through the region. Schreiner held top executive posts with Uniworld and Viking River Cruises before launching AmaWaterways with Kristin Karst, now his wife and executive vice president of the company, and legendary tour operator Jimmy Murphy in 2002.
Bill Smith, currently vice president-cruise sales at Virtuoso, was honored with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the cruise industry over a 44-year career in the travel industry. Smith, who started at Braniff Airlines and then moved to Eastern before taking a post at Sitmar Cruises, is best known for his key executive roles in luxury cruising as president of Silversea Cruises and senior vice president-marketing and sales at Crystal Cruises. He also held executive posts at Princess Cruises and Noble House Hotels & Resorts. He has served in his current role at Virtuoso for the past six years, but will retire on July 1.
Cruises & Tours Unlimited, parent of OutsideAgents.com, based on Jacksonville, FL, was honored as travel agency innovator for its unique approach to promoting the benefits of cruise travel. The agency, which is co-owned by Chad Burt and Steve Muraca, was recognized for its commitment to improving travel agent education, sales skills, and cruise travel knowledge by providing new and innovative programs. The agency provides extensive training and back-office support, including on-demand training available 24/7, marketing tools, and great customer service.
Christine Brown, an agent with Expedia CruiseShipCenters in Summerlin, NV, was named the Rising Star Award winner for significantly impacting the travel agent landscape through contributions to her agency, as well as her commitment to professional development, with a maximum of three years cruise industry experience. Brown completed the ACC requirements in three months, has been appointed to the Norwegian Cruise Line advisory board, and has been invited to the Disneyland AEP. In her community she has increased awareness for cruise vacations by hosting group events for church groups, high school reunions, family reunions, and multigenerational cruising. Less than two years after joining the agency, she was promoted to cruise sales manager.