Sydney to be venue for Cruise Down Under 2016

It will be the 20th anniversary of the CDU conference and annual general meeting.

 

CEO Jill Abel said the date has yet to be finalised, but it is expected to be held early September.

 

Last week at CDU 2015, held in the Hilton Darwin for 105 delegates, the following took up the four committee positions that had been vacated: Richard Schoonraad (Tourism Northern Territory), Thor Elliott (Fremantle Ports), Tyler Wood (Bob Wood Cruise Group) and Martin Bidgood (Intercruises).

 

They join John McKenna (Port Authority of NSW), Anne McVilly (Port Arthur Historic Site) and Julie O’Brien (Tourism and Events Queensland).

 

The independent chairman of CDU is Stephen Bradford, a former ceo of the Port of Melbourne Corporation.

 

There was an impressive lineup of speakers at CDU 2015 including Rich Pruitt, vp safety and environmental stewardship for Royal Caribbean Cruises, who spoke about the company’s high-technology for handling waste products.

 

Royal Caribbean’s land operations manager, Sheldon Thompson, told delegates about how the company provisions its ships and Ange Evangelatos of Cruise Reps explained the intricacies of being a port agent, quipping that the job sometimes drives people to drink.