Landry & Kling and Seasite.Com Appoint Mark Phillips, Former StarCite Exec, as Chief Operating Officer

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Longtime cruise meeting and incentive specialist Landry & Kling Inc. – who last fall launched Seasite.com – has appointed Mark Phillips to the new position of Chief Operating Officer. Phillips, founding team member at StarCite, Inc. and, most recently, Managing Director/Vice President, International Markets for StarCite, will leverage his broad meetings industry contacts and expertise to deepen Landry & Kling’s penetration of the global MICE market and accelerate the use of Seasite.com, the first online cruise portal for meeting and event planners.

“Mark has a reputation as an innovative leader. That, along with being extremely focused and strategic, are among his many attributes that will help take us to greater heights”

Phillips’ appointment to this pivotal new role is “a defining moment for our company,” said Jo Kling, CEO Seasite.com. “Mark’s track record with StarCite paves the way for Seasite’s strategic relationships with travel professionals around the world who want to add cruise venues to their portfolio to reap the benefits and ROI of the underutilized cruise sector.”

“His global sales and operations know-how will be a tremendous benefit to our company,“ added Joyce Landry, CEO Landry & Kling “and, since leaving StarCite, Mark has been consulting with Financial Times 1000 companies on initiatives to improve operational efficiencies and global reach. This exposure has multiplied the assets he brings to Landry and Kling.”

As COO, Mark will assume day-to-day oversight of both Landry & Kling and Seasite.com, including business development, marketing, strategic partnerships and all operations. This reorganization will allow owners Kling and Landry to focus on strategic growth initiatives, key relationships and diversifying cruise products as the company anticipates exponential growth. Current products range from simple cruise sourcing/brokering via Seasite.com, to Landry & Kling’s custom planning for incentive cruises and ship charters, and cruise logistics for global events using floating hotels.

Landry & Kling tapped Phillips to enhance the electronic product capabilities of Seasite.com as well as expand their international footprint, as he did with StarCite, developing offices in the UK, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and China. Phillips’ extended experience with Strategic Meetings Management Programs and Strategic Sourcing initiatives will enable Landry & Kling and cruise line partners to bring a new voice into meeting industry conversations which typically have not included cruises in the past.

Additional expertise gleaned from 8 years in the hotel industry will enable Phillips to find unique solutions and opportunities for Landry & Kling/Seasite clients as well as partner suppliers, based on his first hand experiences at Hilton International Hotels and Cunard Hotels as Rooms Division Manager, Group Technology Representative, Front Office Trainer and Manager.

Phillips has been an active member and speaker for key industry organizations including MPI, ACTE, NBTA, HSMAI and HEDNA. He is a former board member of the Hospitality Industry Software Council and contributes frequently to media outlets as a topical expert on global meetings, small meetings, expense tracking, audit and compliance issues.

“Landry & Kling owes its success to a corporate culture that is driven by passion, professionalism, creativity and the willingness to revolutionize and reinvent,” states Joyce Landry. “Mark has a reputation as an innovative leader. That, along with being extremely focused and strategic, are among his many attributes that will help take us to greater heights,”

About Landry & Kling and Seasite.com

Landry & Kling Inc., cruise event specialists and pioneers of the meetings-at-sea concept, provides turnkey solutions for ship buy-outs, incentive cruises, all kinds of meetings-at-sea and dockside ship charters for global events. Services include site selection and ship sourcing, contract negotiations and custom cruise planning. Landry & Kling recently launched Seasite.com, the first online cruise platform for meeting and event planners.

For oceans of information, visit www.landrykling.com or www.seasite.com or call 800-448-9002

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6220389&lang=en