Organizer’s for the 2012 Cruise Shipping Miami convention and exhibition announced record-setting attendance and participation with a 6 percent rise in exhibitors and 4 percent more attendees from 120 countries at its 28th edition. The global exhibition and conference attracted almost 11,000 attendees between Monday and Thursday, March 12-15.
“I’ve spoken with a number of exhibitors who were very pleased with the trade show traffic they experienced this year,” said Daniel Read, director of UBM’s Cruise Shipping Group. “Indeed, 51 percent of this year’s exhibitors have already confirmed for the 2013 show.”
The annual conference and trade show started by remembering the victims of January’s Costa Concordia accident at the opening State of the Industry session. However, a recurring theme of the cruise industry’s resilience emerged during the opening plenary session and continued through panel discussions on such topics as the next hot global source markets, new destinations, opportunities in Europe and Asia, and the annual U.S. Coast Guard forum.
Among the significant news made during CSM 2012 were:
Carnival Cruise Lines announced the 1996-built Carnival Destiny will receive a $155 million refurbishment at Italy’s Fincantieri shipyards, emerging from dry dock in April 2013 with a new name — Carnival Sunshine.
MSC announced it intends to launch another ship in 2013, bringing its fleet to 13 ships. MSC Preziosa will be the fourth ship in the Fantasia-class, along with MSC Divinia, which launches in May.
Norwegian Cruise Line unveiled new details about Norwegian Breakaway, which will enter service in April 2013. The ship offers 17 dining venues and 12 different bars and lounges, including an outdoor area known as “The Waterfront.”
Princess Cruises also offered more details on dining options on the upcoming 3,600-passenger Royal Princess, an entirely new class of vessel for the line that debuts in 2013.
New to the four-day conference in 2012 were two panels on emerging medical services and technologies at sea, an update on the burgeoning China cruise market and a panel on port and cruise ship safety and surveillance. An expanded U.S. Coast Guard forum covered a wide range of issues, from regulation compliance to examinations and safety and security.
The 29th annual Cruise Shipping Miami Convention is scheduled for March 11-14, 2013, at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
Cruise Shipping Miami Convention, www.cruiseshippingmiami.com