By
Rebecca Gibson |
The 19th Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Conference, which runs over four days and includes various one-on-one meeting, workshops and networking opportunities, began on 2 October in Willemstad, Curaçao. The annual conference offers networking opportunities for over a thousand cruise industry professionals, as well as the private and public sector representatives of cruise destinations.
Events include workshops and a CEO/executive roundtable with panellists representing various aspects of the cruise industry including operations, purchasing, marketing and shore excursions. Participants also have the opportunity to attend shore excursion operations which feature separate workshops detailing ways to ensure the Caribbean destinations remain appealing, train tour guides and attract the special needs traveller.
This year’s conference also sees the release of the Business Research and Economic Advisors (BREA) study, which profiles the most current research on cruise passenger data in participating destinations.
Additionally, for the first time this year, the FCCA offered pre-conference events, during which the Care Teams from various FCCA Member Lines attended a workshop to address their recent efforts towards evolving safety practices. A second workshop entitled ‘Business Excellence’ was hosted by Jeff James, vice president and general manager of Disney Institute.