For the first time the leading industry event CSM offers conference sessions on medical tourism and medical facilities on board. Other main topics will be emerging countries as source markets, environmental regulations, IT & communication infrastructure at sea and the use of social media as a marketing tool
The world’s largest annual cruise industry conference and exhibition is about to open its gates from 12 to 15 March[ds_preview] 2012. With typically 11,000 attendees and more than 900 exhibiting companies, Cruise Shipping Miami (CSM) is deemed to be one of the biggest events in shipping business. It takes place for the 28th time in 2012.
As in the former years, the event consists of a three-day exhibition and a four-day conference. Panels of cruise industry executives and experts will be featured, addressing pertinent topics and all aspects of the cruise business: such as deployment, shipbuilding and destination development as well as trends in cruise business segments, shipboard technology, food and beverage, shore excursions and on-board amenities. Two new aspects in 2012’s CSM will be medical facilities on-board and medical tourism. The exhibiting companies are divided up into sectors like destinations, food and beverage, ship service and hotel operations, ship equipment, information technology, entertainment, design and refurbishment. The different aspects will be arranged over the seven show floor sectors of the Miami Beach Convention Centre. Some fitting themes also will be grouped together geographically.
One of every year’s conference highlights is the opening session »State of the Industry«. It will take place on 13 March, which is the first official day opened for everyone. During this must-see event, the Chief Executive Officers of the major cruise lines assess the current state of the cruise industry and look ahead to the trends and forces that influence the business in the future. This session will shape the beginning of the whole exhibition.
Conference programme on Monday
The first day, Monday, 12 March, is just opened for conference visitors and includes round table discussions about current topics, e.g. the »World Cruise Tourism Workshop Summit« with a good opportunity for audience participation. For the session »Global Source Market Trends« following experts could be won: Ricardo Amaral (Abremar and Royal Caribbean), Sarina Bratton (Orion Expedition Cruises), William Gibbons (Passenger Shipping Association), Helge Grammerstorf (SeaConsult HAM) and Tim Marking (European Cruise Council). The participants at the session »New Destination Development« will be: Luis de Carvalho (Consult DC), Philip A. Crannell Jr. (Ports & Maritime Group), Anthony Lau (Hong Kong Tourism Board) and Nigel Lingard (All Discovery Cruising).
… on Tuesday
Tuesday starts with the opening »State of the Industry« in the morning. In the afternoon, two concurrent sessions are about to start: the »US Coast Guard Forum« and the panel »Opportunities in a Changing Europe«.
The latter faces Europe’s expansion as a source market and how the global cruise industry is capitalizing on these gains. Attendees of the discussion will be: David Dingle (Carnival UK), Stavros Hatzakos (MedCruise Association and Piraeus Port Authority) and Richard Vogel (TUI Cruises).
…on Wednesday
On Wednesday morning, three different subjects will be held at the same time. On the one hand, there is the session »Luxury Cruising« which faces the growing trend in the luxury cruise sector. Participants will be Mark S. Conroy (Regent Seven Seas Cruises), Torstein Hagen (Viking Ocean Cruises), Larry Pimentel (Azamara Club Cruises), Jeannie Cartier Sauleau (Sixth Star Travel) and Peter Shanks (Cunard Line).
At the panel »Shipbuilding & Refurbishment – The Industry Outlook« will participate: Corrado Antonini (Fincantieri Cantieri Navali), Gustave Brun-Lie (R.S. Platou), Kevin Douglas (Royal Caribbean Cruises), Mike Kaczmarek (Carnival Corporation), Su-Jou Kim (STX Europe and STX Finland) and Rüdiger Pallentin (Lloyd Werft). It deals with newbuilding activities, cruise line refurbishment strategies and the future implications of recent orders in Asia. In the third session, »Cruise Ship Medicine and the Use of 21st Century IT Technologies«, Mohammed Saeme (Magic Discovery Group) will refer amongst others aspects to the increasing use of telemedicine and new biometric technologies. In the afternoon, there will three further topics to be discussed: »Deployment Drivers« will look at the implications of local politics, legislation, changing consumer demand and high-standard terminal infrastructure development in global deployment strategies.
»IT & Communications – The Mobile Revolution« investigates the development of smart phones, apps and communication infrastructure at sea, their value as a revenue generator and how they have transformed the cruise experience, both as a convenient tool for the guest and as a resource for the operator. And the third session »The Niche of Health and Wellness Tourism in Luxury Cruising« will address the success story of wellness and medical tourism and the potential involvement of upscale luxury cruise operators.
… on Thursday
Thursday will start with »Emerging Markets«. Due to the newfound awareness of cruise products in many regions, this panel will examine the opportunities in source markets including Asia, South America, Australasia and the Middle East. Concurrently, the panel »Environmental – Developing a Sustainable Cruise Industry«, accompanied by Michael Crye (Cruise Lines International Association) and Tor Svensen (Det Norske Veritas), faces the impact of environmental legislation on the industry on land and sea. The panel will discuss available approaches to meeting environmental regulations, their effect on the industry as a whole and the sustainability of the industry’s efforts in decades to come. Thursday afternoon, the session »Marketing and Sales« will face the challenge of identifying optimum strategies and tactics for capturing the attention of international consumers including brand differentiation and social media. Concurrently, »Human Resources and Crewing – Maintaining Crew Quality in an Expanding Industry« will address the challenges and solutions in crew training, recruitment and retention as well as the search for new sources of high-quality crew.
