London, February 22, 2018 – The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) successfully concluded its second Executive Partner Conference, held in London earlier this month. The two-day conference, aimed at industry stakeholders, brought together participants from 22 countries, including a large number of industry CEOs and senior executives from 17 cruise lines, along with new executive partners.
The dynamic participation of attendees and the dialogue enriched the interactive workshops and allowed for the coverage of topics of great interest to the cruise community. The event was highly praised for its practical sessions on business launches and infrastructure to facilitate both port operations and destination strategy. The session on the importance of demonstrating the industry's efforts toward sustainable development was one of the most followed by participants. The CLIA Europe Annual Dinner was attended by high-level members of international organizations such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), and was hosted by CLIA Europe President Kyriakos Anastassiadis, who spoke about the rapid pace of change in the cruise industry.
The second day opened with the Presidents' Panel, followed by the CRUISE Talks, which addressed a wide range of topics, including Brexit, GDPR, and public health. Sustainable destination management and maritime environmental impacts were actively discussed, and the day concluded with a session on modern cruise ship construction.
Colin Brimson, CEO of IT data solutions supplier d-flo and a new Executive Partner, commented: “My first CLIA Executive Partner Conference provided an ideal platform to meet cruise executives and stay informed about the developments taking place within the cruise industry.” Alessandro Maccari, Senior Passenger Vessel Expert at Rina Services SpA, emphasized: “It is very important to attend these kinds of events. The entire industry actively connects for two days, and we can explain and share our vision for the future.”
