Cruise Shipping Miami 2015 is gearing up to offer the most comprehensive and robust roster of panel discussions featuring the industry’s most knowledgeable and experienced executives.
The panels will be grouped under several broad themes based on industry trends during the four-day conference. The 31st edition of Cruise Shipping Miami is scheduled for March 16-19 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
Organized by UBM Connect, thematic topics include The Geography of Cruise Tourism, Safety and Ship Operations, Market Segments and Cruise Product Development.
On Tuesday morning, March 17, the conference will open with the popular State of the Industry session. Participants in that plenary session will be announced in the coming weeks.
This program may be subject to alterations and additions.
Tuesday, March 17 3 to 4:30 p.m. (afternoon concurrent sessions)
The State of the Cruise Industry: North and South America Market trends, the health of source markets from Canada and the U.S. to Latin America, infrastructure developments, opportunities and challenges will be discussed. Cruise line leaders will consider key regions, from Canada/New England, down the U.S. East Coast to the Gulf Coast, Mexico, Central America and the Panama Canal. Alaska, the U.S./Canada Pacific coast, Hawaii and South America, from the Amazon to Antarctica, Brazil and the long Chilean shore are up for discussion, as well.
Speakers: Orlando Ashford, President, Holland America Line Roberto Fusaro Managing Director, South America, MSC Cruises, and Chairman, CLIA–ABREMAR Lisa Lutoff-Perlo President and CEO, Celebrity Cruises Jan Swartz, President, Princess Cruises
The State of the Cruise Industry: Europe The fact that Europe has been able to boost demand for cruises by a hefty 43 percent since the global recession hit when other tourism sectors were flat shows its resilience. In 2013, a record 6.4 million Europeans cruised, and Europe drew 1 million cruisers from overseas. This panel focuses on Europe as a major source market and discusses how the different national markets are shared out. Will improving economies in many of the western European countries produce better yields? Can Europe benefit from the rising tide of Asian passengers looking to cruise overseas? A look at deployment patterns and Europe’s potential as a year-round market will also be analyzed.
Keynote address: Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, MSC Cruises, and Chairman, CLIA Europe
Speakers: Kyriakos “Kerry” Anastassiadis, CEO, Louis Cruises David Dingle, Chairman, Carnival UK, and Vice Chairman, CLIA Europe Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, Chairman, Silversea Cruises Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises Dominic Paul, Senior Vice President, International, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises, and Managing Director, RCL Cruises Ltd. Michael Thamm, CEO, Costa Crociere S.p.A.
Enhancement of Safety Measures at Sea This panel will discuss safety onboard, at sea and in port, including safety aspects of ship design, the next generation of life-saving devices and the latest developments in port security with views from cruise lines, regulators and suppliers. The panel will give an update on the work conducted by the Cruise Ship Safety Forum and discuss what is next on the agenda.
Moderator: Rob Griffiths, Director, Technical and Regulatory, Design & Engineering, CLIA
Speakers: Philippe Donche-Gay, Executive Vice President, Marine and Offshore Division, Bureau Veritas, and Chairman, International Association of Classification Societies Bud Darr, Senior Vice President, Technical and Regulatory Affairs, CLIA Juha Heikinheimo, President, Napa Group Andrew Winbow, Assistant Secretary-General and Director, Maritime Safety Division, International Maritime Organization
Trends and Challenges in Marketing, Sales and Distribution What new types of marketing approaches are being used to tap into the multigenerational and millennial markets? What are the challenges of marketing to an increasingly diverse and international customer base? What will be the key components of an integrated marketing strategy going forward, and what has to happen to make multibrand campaigns successful? Is crowdsourcing a gimmick or effective? Are inclusive pricing models working? How are key distribution channel issues being addressed?
Moderator: Lin Humphrey Ph.D. Candidate and Marketing Lecturer, Texas Tech University
Speakers: David Crooks, Senior Vice President, Product and Operations, World Travel Holdings Ken Jones, Vice President, Group Marketing, Carnival Corporation & plc
Wednesday, March 18 9:30 to 11 a.m. (morning concurrent sessions)
The State of the Cruise Industry: Asia/Australasia – Will China Transform Cruising? The momentum for cruise tourism in Asia and Australasia continues unabated, with announcements from major cruise lines of significant increases in capacity in 2015 and beyond. With a market penetration rate of just 0.1 percent, many Asians have low awareness of cruise tourism, but a high receptivity toward it. In this session, some of the industry’s leading voices will give their views on the scale and nature of Asia’s and Australia’s potential. Will China transform cruising? Can the remarkable level of cruise penetration in the Australian market be achieved in Asia? Latest findings from CLIA’s Asia Cruise Trends Project will also be revealed.
Speakers: Alan B. Buckelew, Chief Operating Officer, Carnival Corporation & plc Dominic Paul, Senior Vice President, International, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises & Azamara Club Cruises, and Managing Director, RCL Ltd. Ann Sherry, CEO, Carnival Australia, and Chairman, CLIA Southeast Asia Gavin Smith, Managing Director, Royal Caribbean Cruises Australia, and Chairman, CLIA Australasia Jan Swartz, President, Princess Cruises
The State of the Cruise Industry: The Future of the Caribbean and How it is Being Reshaped How will infrastructure developments and the emergence of new destinations, combined with the need for fuel efficiency, reshape the Caribbean? How might the opening of Cuba impact deployment? Which areas will emerge in the cruise charts of the future, and which will decline? How is the region adapting to the increase in international source markets and addressing the shortage of multilingual guides? What is being done and what more should happen to create demand in the face of rising international competition?
Speakers: TBA
Energy Efficiency Onboard and Ashore Environmental stewardship is high on the agenda across the industry and energy efficiency is a key component. What are the latest technical advances in energy efficiency onboard and ashore in areas such as fuel economy, waste management, recycling and shoreside reception facilities? What role is class playing in enhancing the energy efficiency of newbuilds and existing tonnage? What is the next generation of energy-saving technology? How are ports and cruise terminals focusing on energy efficiency for cruise ship and passenger handling, and where can improvements be made?
Speakers: TBA
In the Galley and Behind the Bar: The Latest Trends in Hotel Operations/Food and Beverage Robot bartenders are shaking up the cruise world and cavernous main dining rooms are going the way of the shuffleboard. This session will serve what’s next in hotel operations with a particular focus on food and beverage trends.
Panelists will examine what goes into supporting all the dynamic F&B changes at sea, from equipment to human resources, training and scheduling, supply and logistics. How are advance online bookings impacting food service operations and delivery, beverage sales and guest satisfaction? What are the plusses and minuses of applying technology in service areas such as arming waiters and bartenders with tablets? Will more technology lead to lower staffing needs?
Moderator: Dietmar R. Wertanzl President, DRW Hospitality
Speakers: Brian Abel, Vice President, Food and Beverage Operations, Royal Caribbean International Deborah Golden, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Interbrands USA
Wednesday, March 18 3 to 4:30 p.m. (afternoon concurrent sessions)
Upscale Cruise Market: What’s Next? With several of the upscale brands building or planning new ships, what is the next generation of upscale cruise vessels going to look like and feature? With the brands all now looking for much higher load factors, what impact will that have on design? What is guest feedback saying about upscale cruisers’ requirements, both onboard and ashore?
Moderator: Tony Peisley, Director, A.R. Peisley International, and Author of the Seatrade research report “End of the Beginning for Cruising”
Speakers: Hans Birkholz, Chief Executive Officer, Windstar Cruises Sarina Bratton, Chairman, Asia-Pacific, Ponant Richard D. Meadows, President, Seabourn, and President, Cunard North America Edie Rodriguez, President and COO, Crystal Cruises Charles A. Robertson, Chairman and CEO, Pearl Sea Cruises Enzo Visone, Chief Executive Officer, Silversea Cruises
Specialty Cruising: Opportunities and Challenges in the Expedition, Coastal, Inland and River Cruise Sectors Expedition and adventure cruising has spread to every continent. How can cruise lines minimize environmental impact in the remotest corners of the world? What should ports and destinations do to cater to small-ship cruise calls? What’s new on the coastal/inland cruising scene? What are the medium- to long-term prospects for the river cruise sector and where is the next frontier for river and coastal/inland cruising?
Speakers: Dan Blanchard, Chief Executive Officer, Un-Cruise Adventures Helge Grammerstorf, Managing Director, SeaConsult GmbH; Managing Director, IG RiverCruise, and National Director, CLIA Germany Nicola Iannone, Executive Vice President USA-Canada, CroisiEurope
Staying Ahead of Public Health Issues What proactive work is the industry doing to stay ahead of Public Health issues? Norovirus, foodborne illnesses and other public health threats such as Ebola will be discussed and best practices shared. What can the cruise industry learn from academic and scientific research into Public Health issues? What has CLIA’s GI Illness (Norovirus) Task Force learned to date?
Moderator: Donnie Brown, Director, Technical & Regulatory, Environmental and Health, CLIA
Speakers: Captain Jaret Ames, Chief, Vessel Sanitation Program, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Art Diskin, Medical Director, RCL Ltd. Dr. Otto “Chip” D. Simmons, Research Assistant Professor, North Carolina State University
Get Connected: How Leaps in Broadband Connectivity May Transform Cruising Big gains, some transformative, are expected from all the recent advances in shipboard Wi-Fi. What implications does faster, more affordable broadband have for various onboard revenue streams? What new entertainment opportunities could arise? Does better connectivity really translate into higher guest satisfaction and greater crew retention? And how will the ability to easily connect with family and friends on board impact the cruise experience? Will the ability to convey cruise activities and offerings in real-time to those ashore help expand the market? What does research tell about the potential to draw consumers who otherwise would never consider cruising?
Speakers: TBA
Thursday, March 19 9:30 to 11 a.m. (morning concurrent sessions)
Cultivating Millennial & Multigenerational Markets This session will delve into the myriad ways cruise lines are adapting to tap into the booming multigenerational and millennial markets. How much of the business do these markets account for now, and what kind of growth is projected? How are these markets impacting ship design, changing the facilities, accommodations and activities on board, and the shoreside experience/excursions? How are marketing and sales efforts transforming to reach these groups?
Moderator: Scott Koepf, Vice President Sales, Avoya Travel
Speakers: Vicky Garcia, Chief Operating Officer, Cruise Planners Fredrik Johansson, Partner and Art Director, Tillberg Design Nancy Shretter, Founder and Managing Editor, Family Travel Network
Itineraries and Shorex: Thinking Outside the Box Extended stays and overnights are appearing more regularly in itineraries. How can ports, destinations and lines work together to maximize shorex revenue and the product offering, and how can overland tours fit into the mix? Creating shorex programs for the more active passenger and for families will be discussed, as will planning itineraries and shorex for the rising numbers of repeat passengers. Regions that offer port density can catch the planner’s eye, but what is the best way to get the marketing message across?
Moderator: Tony Peisley, Director, A.R. Peisley International, and Author of the Seatrade research report “End of the Beginning for Cruising”
Speakers: Carla Salvado, Marketing and Cruise Director, Port de Barcelona, and President, MedCruise, Rene Trepanier, Executive Director, Cruise the St. Lawrence
Newbuilding & Refurbishment With over 30 new cruise ships firmed, valued at more than $23 billion and a forward orderbook through to 2020, this panel will discuss the current and future outlook for cruise ship newbuilding. What does the future hold for Europe’s established cruise shipyards and suppliers, and what role will Asia play in the market, both for new ships and refurbs? Is the recent Carnival/CSSC/Fincantieri memorandum of understanding the key to unlocking China’s potential for new cruise ship construction? How is technology changing the way people experience new and refurbished ships?
Revitalizations and makeovers are becoming more daring, more complex and quicker. A look at cruise line, shipyard and suppliers’ strategies in the booming refurbishment sector.
Speakers: TBA
Open Decks, Water Parks, Fitness & Spas: What’s New in Active, Family and Wellness Areas? The open decks buzz with activity on today’s cruise ships, with interactive water parks, spectacular slides, ropes courses, surfing and even skydiving and other novelties. At the same time, quiet adult or serenity areas are all the rage. And fitness centers and spas are bigger, better and increasingly sophisticated. This session will examine the latest trends in active, family and wellness areas; how to make them appeal to all ages and how to increase utilization with better programming. The role of technology in these spaces, and trends toward covered or enclosed all-weather pools and multipurpose sports areas will be addressed, too.
Speakers: TBA
Cruise Shipping Miami, scheduled March 16-19, 2015, at the Miami Beach Convention Center, is the global flagship of UBM Connect’s Cruise Events Portfolio, which includes the annual Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific and the biennial Seatrade Med Cruise Convention.
To register to attend Cruise Shipping Miami, visit: https://www.compusystems.com/servlet/ar?evt_uid=431
For information about Cruise Shipping Miami or to exhibit visit: http://www.cruiseshippingevents.com/miami