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Seatrade Cruise Med 2018: Registration open and conference programme announced

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Two days of conferences, workshops, networking and exhibition in Lisbon September 19-20, 2018
There are 142 days to go before Seatrade Cruise Med 2018 kicks off in Lisbon, Portugal on September 19 and 20.

This year’s edition, spread over two full days of conference, workshop sessions, exhibition and networking opportunities, is set to attract over 2,000 cruise professionals from across the globe.

Registration is now open and the full conference programme announced.

The opening day, September 19, sees a keynote address from CLIA Europe chairman, Kerry Anastassiadis, followed by a State of the Industry panel discussion where leading cruise line executives will discuss trends in the Med, its adjoining seas and beyond, sustainability, the record orderbook and managing growth.

As the world’s second most popular cruise destination, how is the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas leveraging growth, managing challenges and preparing for future demand?

This is the topic of one of the morning sessions which will start with case studies of operational excellence in the region, followed by a discussion on how stakeholders are tackling the challenges through collaboration.

After a networking lunch and opportunity to walk the exhibition floor, the conference turns to Mitigating Cruising’s Carbon Footprint. Drawing from the expectation of IMO’s 2020 standard, this one hour session will focus on how cruise ship operators are managing air pollution, how far cruising has come and where to next for creating a sustainable environment.

New destinations come under the spotlight next which is among the top priorities for itinerary planning executives. Here we will invite first cruise line executives to elaborate what they normally would consider when choosing a new destination accompanied by a couple of new destinations showcasing their potential.

An evening reception at Pateo da Gale runs from 18.45-21.30 open to all exhibitors, regsitered conference delegates and cruise line executives. The 2018 Seatrade Cruise Awards will be presented during the evening - watch out for call for entries launching soon!

Day 2, on September 20, opens with a session devoted to the new ships entering the upscale market.

A one and a half hour workshop/conference session follws entitled Making Cruising Welcome – how to find the balance between the economic impact from cruise tourism and sustainability in port-cities and destinations.

Next the attention swings towards shipbuilding and repair. Today’s buoyant cruise market is directly boosting the growth of the European shipbuilding, repair and suppliers sectors. However, with cruise ships now starting to be built in China, how are the key players in Europe preparing to maintain market share?

It is essential for businesses to keep innovating, not only to catch the pace of technical advancement, but also to allow the cruise market to amplify the experience offering to guests. The Innovation Arena will dive into three specific areas: ship design, on-board tech and shorex.

To cap off the two days there will be a goodbye drinks and reception on the Show floor between 18:00 -19:00.

Seatrade Cruise Med 2018 partners are: Port of Lisbon, CLIA and MedCruise.