Last November, industry veteran Rob Huffman left Viking Cruises to join sister companies Scenic and Emerald Waterways as vice president of trade sales-U.S. Vacation Agent caught up with him to discuss the river cruise lines’ relationship with agents, the debut of Scenic’s first exploration vessel in August and a new partnership with National Geographic.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW POSITION. WHAT APPEALED TO YOU ABOUT IT?

It was an opportunity to work for a company that has a terrific, 30-year-plus track record in the industry. The thing that appealed to me most was the opportunity to take this organization to the next level, get the word out to agents and share what our brands are all about.

IT SEEMS YOU’RE VERY FOCUSED ON GROWING SCENIC’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TRADE. HOW WILL YOU DO THAT?

I cannot overemphasize the importance of our travel agent partners. Having been raised in a travel agency myself and working in one for five years, I truly see the value that the trade has to offer. My parents had a travel agency in Memphis from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. I can actually remember in fourth grade having that “what do you want to be when you grow up?” conversation. I specifically said I wanted to be an agent.

The message for the travel agent community is “don’t forget about the Scenic Group.” I believe we’re the bestkept secret in river cruising today, so my No. 1 priority is to work with our team of business development managers in communicating the fantastic features and benefits both of our brands have to offer.

DESCRIBE HOW SCENIC AND EMERALD DIFFER AND HOW AGENTS SHOULD POSITION EACH BRAND TO THEIR CLIENTS.

I’ve heard Scenic compared to a Four Seasons experience and Emerald compared to a W Hotel experience.

Scenic is all about five-star luxury and a truly allinclusive experience. I find that the word “all-inclusive” gets thrown about in our industry a bit too frequently. Many times, clients show up for what they expect to be an all-inclusive vacation and find surcharges for an excursion or a different type of meal. At Scenic we are truly allinclusive—for over 90 percent of our guests, we don’t even see a credit card. Guests can enjoy as many excursions as they’d like. We have butler service. The only things they pay for are spa and salon appointments.

The Emerald experience is mostly inclusive but with the opportunity for guests to do a little more customizing of their river cruise experience. We do include beer, wine and soft drinks at lunch and dinner. We include a shore excursion in every port, and some are very active with hiking and biking. One of the unique features added to the Emerald fleet is that the swimming pool areas turn into theaters—we drain the water out, raise the floor up, and it becomes a theater under the stars. Emerald is more moderately priced. It’s a deluxe experience on a five-star ship.

SCENIC SOON WILL GET ITS FIRST EXPLORATION VESSEL, THE SCENIC ECLIPSE. WILL THAT BRING IN A NEW KIND OF CLIENT FOR SCENIC?

The Scenic Eclipse is, quite frankly, where luxury meets discovery. It debuts in August with a very heavy focus on the polar regions. It will accommodate 228 guests at maximum capacity, but only 200 in the polar regions, based on the restrictions in those areas. The ship is being built at the highest specifications for Arctic travel, so it will be amazing. It will have 10 dining options, and the smallest stateroom is roughly 350 square feet while the largest is over 2,500.

Our past Scenic guests have a true interest in the Eclipse because it’s an adventure type of experience. It will have two seven-seat helicopters and a seven-seat submarine as well.

It’s also going to be truly all-inclusive. The French restaurant will pour four different kinds of champagne. The salon services are a minimal cost as are the helicopter and submarine experiences. We just announced that we’re building a Scenic Eclipse II to launch in 2020.

WHAT ASSISTANCE DO YOU OFFER AGENTS TO HELP SELL THESE BRANDS?

Our focus in 2018 is travel agent training opportunities. We’re looking to engage with them when it comes to co-op marketing, consumer events and any type of travel show they may attend. We want to be a part of their river cruise portfolio and certainly part of the adventure portfolio with Scenic Eclipse. We are ready and willing to work with agents, however we can, in building their river cruise business.

There are seven sales people on my team, and we’re looking at opportunities to expand as we continue to grow in the U.S. market. Our BDMs cover all three Scenic cruise products.

We also want the trade to know that groups are very important to us, as are charters. We would very much welcome an opportunity to discuss future group and charter business. We’re willing to sharpen our pencils to focus our business in 2018 and 2019.

TELL ME ABOUT THE NEW PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SCENIC’S RIVER CRUISE BRAND AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.

We will offer a number of dedicated sailings in 2018 and 2019 that combine the all-inclusive luxury river experience of Scenic with National Geographic’s 130-year legacy of science, conservation and exploration. Each cruise will be accompanied by a National Geographic expert who will give talks throughout the week and accompany guests on shore excursions. A National Geographic photographer will also be aboard Europe sailings to help guest hone their photography skills.