Edie Rodriguez keynote speaker at Australian Cruise Association 2016Edie Rodriguez keynote speaker at Australian Cruise Association 2016

Last month Rodriguez announced Crystal will open a dedicated regional office in Sydney to handle sales, marketing and reservations for Australia and New Zealand.

Also on the podium will be Bruce Anderson, founding principal of Seattle-based Starcrest Consulting who worked with the Port Authority of New South Wales in establishing the White Bay Cruise Terminal.

Anderson is an expert on critical cruise industry environmental issues, including major emissions reduction programmes.

The former head of Tourism Australia, Andrew McEvoy, who is now a non-executive director of SeaLink, will be master of ceremonies.

Early bird registration for the 20th anniversary conference is now open here.