UBM Connect reveals list of speakers and planned sessions for the event this March
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises, and chairman of CLIA Europe is to give the keynote address at the Cruise Shipping Miami 2015 conference this March.
Organised by UBM Connect, the four-day event will take place from 16-19 March at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, US.
The event will feature several discussions with key figures from the cruise industry and will follow four thematic topics, which include The Geography of Cruise Tourism, Safety and Ship Operations, Market Segments and Cruise Product Development.
Opening with a State of the Cruise Industry: North and South America session on 17 March, the event will examine market trends and the health of source markets in Canada, the US and Latin America. Other state of the industry addresses will focus on the European, Asia and Australasia, and Caribbean markets.
Improving the onboard experience will also be a key focus at the event, with one session exploring how operators can leverage new communications and connectivity options to transform the onboard experience. Other panels will look at how cruise lines can tap into the growing multi-generational and millennial markets; the latest food, beverage and hotel operation trends; and the latest developments in active, family and wellness areas onboard ships.
Cruise associations will also highlight how ports, destinations and lines can work together to maximise shorex revenue, while other sessions will explore the upcoming trends in the upscale cruise market, and the opportunities in the expedition, coastal, inland and river cruise sectors.
Later in the week, key industry figures will discuss the current and future outlook for cruise ship newbuilds and refits, including predictions for the future of Europe’s established cruise shipyards and suppliers, and the role will Asia play in the market. Similar sessions will focus on how operators and ports can improve onboard and onshore energy efficiency.
In addition, representatives from Bureau Veritas, CLIA, the International Maritime Organization will discuss safety at sea, focusing on the next generation of life-saving devices for use onboard ships and the latest developments in port security. Meanwhile, a panel of representatives from CLIA, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, North Carolina State University and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd will outline how the industry is proactively tackling public health issues.
Each panel will include senior executives from cruise lines such as Windstar, Pearl Sea Cruises, Seabourn and Crystal Cruises.
Key speakers will include Alan Buckelew, COO of Carnival Corporation & plc; Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia and chairman of CLIA Southeast Asia; Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises; Holland America Line president Orlando Ashford; Celebrity Cruises’ president and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, and Michael Thamm, CEO of Costa Cruises.
Other cruise lines will be represented by David Dingle, chairman of Carnival UK and vice chairman of CLIA Europe; Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, chairman of Silversea Cruises; and Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises; and Dominic Paul, senior vice president of international at Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises, and managing director at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.