Holland America Line
Helping Holland America Line Refine Travel Engagement
The Ask
Travelers seek real connection to the places they visit and the people they meet. As a historic cruise line with a loyal following, Holland America Line knows that the journey is just as impactful as the destination. Travelers want more than snapshots of ports; they seek a renewed understanding of the world, a transformative experience that lasts long after the trip is over. Holland America Line wanted to completely alter their fleet-wide onboard enrichment with a one-of-a-kind offering that would provide guests deeper to their destinations while enhancing the onboard journey.
Holland America Line partnered with Faculty to create Up Close Talks, a multimedia, live-presented documentary series featuring stories that define a place. Each talk combines expert interviews, personal storytelling, rich motion animations, and archival research to ignite the sense of wonder that we all seek from travel. Presented live by an onboard storyteller, the unique format engages guests when they’re most excited to learn and challenges them to interact with their surroundings in more meaningful ways.
The
Approach
The
Result
Since its launch in 2019, Up Close Talks have become Holland America Line’s core enrichment offering. We have produced nearly 40 documentaries and by 2025, will cover every region Holland America Line visits. We’ve told stories about bush pilots in Alaska, bicycle activists in the Netherlands, cliff divers in Mexico, and many, many more. Our shows have been seen by tens of thousands of travelers and have helped distinguish Holland America Line as a facilitator of more purposeful and connected travel experiences. Up Close Talks have won several industry awards, and most recently, is a 2023 Magellan Gold Winner. And just as importantly to us, we’ve heard from viewers that our shows have changed the way they engage with the communities they visit — and the communities they return to at home.
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