REGISTRATIONS have opened for the 26th annual Australian Cruise Association (ACA) Conference and annual general meeting, which will take place at SkyCity Adelaide.
Early bird registrations close at the end of next month, with the conference’s line-up of speakers to include Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings EVP and Chief Commercial Officer Chad Berkshire and Holland America Line Director Shore Excursions & Future Cruises Jessica Ashe.
The international delegates will be joined by Royal Caribbean International Vice President & Managing Director Gavin Smith; Norwegian Cruise Line VP & Managing Director Ben Angell; Celebrity Cruises Vice President & Managing Director Tim Jones; and Peter Little, Carnival Corporation Senior Vice President, and new Cruise Lines International Association Chair (CW 05 Jun).
The conference will be held from 04-06 Sep, and will be themed ‘Steering Ideas to Success’, with individual and panel sessions to centre on current topics such as ongoing governance and regulatory issues, as well as supply chain problems and opportunities.
There will also be a focus on destination development, and what promises to be a highly informative presentation by Kool Tours founder Mark Koolmatrie.
A regional outlook will be provided by Tourism Fiji Chief Operations Officer Leigh Howard, building on ACA’s commitment to the importance of working closely with neighbouring destinations.
“As we look towards the next phase of the exciting and ever-changing cruise market in our region, we need to be open to ideas that continue to advance cruise as a sustainable and vital pillar of Australia’s visitor economy,” ACA Chief Executive Officer Jill Abel said.
“This year’s conference sessions will be all about inviting robust discussion and the sharing of ideas with our membership and cruise community, that will ultimately steer us toward continuing success,” she added.
Around 150 people are anticipated to attend the conference, which is being supported by the South Australian Tourism Commission and Flinders Port Holdings.
“We are excited to be holding our conference in South Australia this year to reflect the incredible growth of the cruise industry in that region and the commitment of the state government and Flinders Port Holdings in fostering new opportunities,” Abel said – register for the Conference HERE.