CME AWAY® by Sea Courses

What CME AWAY® by Sea Courses does

CME AWAY® by Sea Courses, legally Sea Courses Inc., is a privately-held Canadian medical education company founded in 1995 by Dr. Martin Gerretsen and Harvey Strydhorst, and owned since 2015 by Ron Dawick following a merger with Uniglobe Adventure House Travel. The company organizes continuing medical education (CME) conferences for physicians and allied healthcare professionals, primarily in Canada and the United States, combining accredited CME credit programs with experiential travel. Programs are delivered in four formats — ocean cruises, river cruises, all-inclusive resorts, and guided land tours — across destinations spanning all seven continents. CME accreditation is secured through the American Medical Association for U.S. physicians and through the College of Family Physicians of Canada for Canadian physicians, with content curated by Medical Director Dr. Sol Stern and Co-Director Dr. John Axler.

The company monetizes through three primary revenue streams: (1) CME conference tuition, requiring a $150 CAD non-refundable deposit per attendee; (2) commission-based travel arrangements including flights, hotels, cruise bookings, tours, car rentals, and rail bookings handled by dedicated travel advisors; and (3) travel insurance products offered through a Manulife partnership, including cancel-for-any-reason coverage. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with group rates negotiated under contract with cruise lines and resorts. Distribution is event-driven and sales-led: toll-free phone lines, website inquiry forms, and email inquiries are fielded by an in-house travel advisor team, supported by email newsletters, paid Google search, social media (Facebook, Instagram), and partnerships with medical education platforms such as Pri-Med and SimpliMD/OMAS. Operating geography is anchored in Canada through offices in Burlington, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia, with conferences marketed globally.

Operationally, the company employs 11–50 staff and relies on a partnership ecosystem spanning Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Azamara, Silversea, Uniworld, Emerald, Riverside, and Scenic for ocean and river cruises; Sandals and Club Med for resorts; and Colette, Lion World, and Ya'lla Tours for land programs. Technology footprint is minimal: no proprietary platform, no public API, and mobile apps on iOS and Android serve primarily as conference-information channels rather than transactional platforms. A recent CLE (Continuing Legal Education) conference vertical signals a modest expansion into the legal professional development market using the existing travel-CME playbook.

Name

CME AWAY® by Sea Courses

Legal name

Sea Courses Inc.

Website

https://seacourses.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CME AWAY® by Sea Courses (Sea Courses Inc.) organizes accredited continuing medical education conferences for physicians and healthcare professionals, combining CME credit programs with cruises, river cruises, all-inclusive resorts, and guided land tours across global destinations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Continuing Medical Education (CME) Travel Conferences

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare & Clinical Professional Development (CME/CE) (EDAGANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Educational Cruises & Shipboard Learning Programs (THAKAGAM), Ocean Cruise Specialists (Mainstream/Contemporary) (THAKAKAG), Resort + Cruise Packages (All-Inclusive) (THAEAHAD)

Keywords

• Continuing medical education
• Medical conference travel
• CME cruise programs
• Physician education tours
• Healthcare conference services

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. CME Conference Tuition: Revenue generated from conference registration fees and tuition deposits for CME educational programs delivered on cruise ships, at resorts, and on land tours. A $150 CAD non-refundable tuition deposit is required to reserve a seat in conferences.
2. Travel Arrangements: Commission-based revenue from arranging travel services including flights, hotels, cruise bookings, tours, car rentals, and rail bookings for conference attendees and their companions.
3. Travel Insurance: Revenue from offering travel insurance products through Manulife, providing cancellation and medical travel insurance including cancel for any reason options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CME AWAY® by Sea Courses organizes accredited Continuing Medical Education conferences for physicians and allied healthcare workers, delivered aboard cruise ships (ocean and river), at all-inclusive resorts, and on guided land tours worldwide. Each multi-day conference combines clinical CME content from top medical educators with travel arrangements — flights, hotels, transfers, and group-rate bookings — booked by in-house travel advisors, with optional travel insurance through Manulife and a "Companion cruises or stays free" program for family members.

Product overview

CME AWAY® by Sea Courses operates as a unified medical education travel platform offering CME conferences combined with travel experiences. The core product is the CME AWAY® conference program, which is available across multiple delivery formats: Ocean Cruises, River Cruises, Land Tours, and Resorts. Supporting services include a Personalized Travel Division for complete trip planning, Travel Insurance through Manulife, and mobile applications for iOS and Android devices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CME AWAY® Conferences Multi-day accredited Continuing Medical Education conferences for physicians and allied healthcare professionals, presented by top medical educators and delivered in combination with travel experiences. Programs are submitted for CME credit approval applicable to family physicians in both Canada and the USA, with some credits available for specialists.
• CME AWAY® Ocean Cruises CME conferences held aboard ocean cruise ships sailing to destinations worldwide, with educational sessions scheduled while at sea and group-rate bookings on partner lines including Azamara, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Silversea.
• CME AWAY® River Cruises CME conferences on river cruise vessels traveling European and international waterways, with partner lines offering floating boutique-hotel experiences alongside medical education content.
• CME AWAY® Land Tours Custom-designed land-based CME conferences visiting world destinations via guided tours, combining accredited medical education with cultural and safari experiences.
• CME AWAY® Resort Conferences CME conferences held at all-inclusive resort properties, offering accredited medical education content alongside vacation amenities and family-friendly accommodations.
• Personalized Travel Division Full-service travel management providing airline tickets, hotel reservations, tour bookings, cruise arrangements, and complete trip itinerary planning delivered by in-house travel advisors for CME AWAY® participants and other leisure travellers.
• Travel Insurance Travel insurance products offered through Manulife protecting CME AWAY® bookings against unforeseen circumstances, including cancellation insurance, medical travel insurance, and cancel-for-any-reason options, purchased through a direct booking widget.

Quantifiable outcome

• Surveys validate that destination CME programs offer extended opportunities for formal and informal faculty interaction compared to local classroom CME events

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AzamaracoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCruise line partner providing ship venues for CME conferences. Azamara offers small ship experiences allowing access to smaller ports and unique destinations for educational travel programs.
• Celebrity CruisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor cruise line partner offering modern cruise ships with meeting facilities for CME conference sessions. Celebrity provides 'Choose 2 Perks' promotions for Sea Courses groups.
• Royal CaribbeancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLarge cruise line partner providing diverse ship options and itineraries. Sea Courses works with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Azamara as part of the RCCL family.
• SilverseacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLuxury cruise line partner offering all-inclusive ultra-luxury voyages ideal for high-end CME conference experiences at exclusive destinations.
• UniworldcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBoutique river cruise partner specializing in European and world river destinations with floating boutique hotel experiences for CME programs.
• EmeraldminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRiver cruise partner offering contemporary river cruise experiences at accessible price points for CME conference programs.
• RiversideminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLuxury river cruise operator partner providing intimate river vessel experiences for CME programs including ships like the Riverside Ravel.
• ScenicminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorScenic offers ultra-luxury river cruises and land tours including scenic yachts and exclusive experiences for discerning CME travelers.
• SandalscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCaribbean all-inclusive resort partner offering adults-only luxury resort venues for land-based CME conferences with complimentary amenities.
• Club MedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFamily and adults-only resort partner offering all-inclusive vacation packages at destinations including Charlevoix, Mexico, and Miches for CME programs.
• ColetteminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLand tour operator partner offering guided tours to global destinations for CME conference programs combining education with cultural experiences.
• Lion WorldminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAfrica-focused tour operator partner specializing in safari and African destination tours for CME programs.
• Ya'lla ToursminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMiddle East tour operator partner offering tours to destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Middle Eastern countries.
• American Medical Association (AMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccreditation partner for CME credits, with programs submitted for approval of CME credits applicable to physicians in both Canada and USA.
• ManulifecoreOthersInsurance provider partner offering travel insurance products through CME AWAY, including cancellation insurance, medical travel insurance, and cancel for any reason options.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pri-Med: Pri-Med is a large-scale CME conference and education platform serving primary care physicians across North America. It is also an active marketing partner of CME AWAY, indicating that it touches the same attendee base through a broader portfolio of in-person and online programs.
• AMA Ed Hub: AMA Ed Hub is a major online CME/CE delivery platform owned by the American Medical Association and serves as CME AWAY's accreditation partner. It represents a much larger-scale incumbent in the credit-awarding layer of the same value chain.

Direct peers

• Med-IQ: Med-IQ is an ACCME-accredited CME/CE provider delivering accredited continuing education for physicians and other healthcare professionals across in-person and digital formats, competing for the same content-licensing relationships and audience attention.
• CME Outfitters: CME Outfitters is an accredited provider of live and online CME/CE across multiple therapeutic areas. While it spans formats more broadly, it competes for the same physician audience and content-development relationships that CME AWAY depends on.
• Global Education Group: Global Education Group is an ACCME-accredited joint provider developing CME/CE activities in partnership with medical societies and education companies. It serves a similar physician/healthcare-professional audience via live and enduring activities.
• Continuing Education, Inc. CE Inc. organizes CME/CEU conferences on cruise ships and at international destinations for physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals. Its product mix and target audience overlap very closely with CME AWAY's cruise and resort conferences.
• Symposia Medicus: Symposia Medicus offers accredited CME conferences held at resort and cruise destinations, directly mirroring CME AWAY's experiential destination-CME model. Both providers package CME credit hours with all-inclusive travel, and compete for the same physicians seeking to combine CME with family vacation.
• Medical Education Resources (MER): MER is an ACCME-accredited provider delivering live CME conferences at resort and destination locations, including CME at sea programs. It competes for the same physician attendee base seeking accredited experiential learning.
• Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning (ACHL): ACHL is an ACCME-accredited CME provider producing both live (including destination) and online activities for clinicians. Comparable as another accredited CME organization serving physicians via similar educational formats.
• World Class CME: World Class CME (now part of Clinical Care Options) operates destination-based CME conferences including cruise itineraries and resort programs across multiple medical specialties. Direct overlap with CME AWAY's destination conference delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cme-away-by-sea-courses

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CME AWAY® by Sea Courses