Seatrade Cruise Global 2017 - The cruise conference

Seatrade Cruise Global 2017 is fast approaching and the entire industry is eagerly awaiting this year's conference and trade show. Taking place at the Fort Lauderdale Broward County Convention Center in Florida, 13-16 March, the exhibition is the leading annual business-to-business event for the cruise industry.

Bringing together buyers and suppliers for a four-day conference and three-day tradeshow, Seatrade Cruise Global is the epicenter of the cruise industry.

"Last year's Seatrade Cruise Global had more cruise line executives in attendance than any other year in our history, and we encourage everyone with an interest in the cruise business to register to attend in 2017," says Robyn Duda, portfolio director for the conference. "There is no other event across the globe that brings together every aspect of the industry with so many decision-makers under one roof, offering true value and convenience for attendees."

Key talks

Seatrade Cruise Global brings together buyers and suppliers across the cruise industry over four days, drawing more than 10,000 registered attendees, over 700 exhibiting companies from 93 countries and more than 300 credentialed international media. Comprehensive panels of discussion will feature experts, market leaders and thought-makers, with the State of the Global Cruise Industry keynote featuring chief executives of the world's largest cruise companies.

This year's keynote will commence in a new format with four innovative CruiseTalks on key topics, delivered by the most influential executives in the industry. The keynote will cover technology and innovation, shipbuilding, destination planning, and environmental and safety practices, to be followed by a panel discussion.

New for Seatrade Cruise Global 2017 is the inaugural Safety and Security Symposium. Attendees will get an insider's view of issues including polar cruising safety; new and developing access control, identification and monitoring technologies; and safety and security ashore - an integrated system protecting passengers and crew. The symposium is complementary for registered attendees.

Trending topics

"This year's programme will be more innovative than ever, featuring technical workshops and sessions with industry experts that will spark conversation and encourage audience participation," says Duda. Over 20 expert panels will take place throughout the conference.

'Creating the perfect shorex combination' on Monday 13 March will showcase how cruise lines, tour operators, shore-excursion providers and destinations must work together to satisfy guests' needs and maximise experiences.

Featuring six different panels throughout Tuesday, a new 'Design and interiors over land and sea' panel will bring together hotel and marine interior designers' concepts to explore what is trending on land and at sea. The hot topic of designing cruise ships specifically for the Asian market will be a focus to fully engage attendees. The 'Energy consumption and alternative fuels' panel will see experts from the industry cover cruise air emissions, as well as energy efficiency and prospects for future fuel alternatives.

On Wednesday, a session titled 'The future of life-saving appliances (LSAs)' will showcase LSA technology, continued advances and training. Another highlight for Wednesday's programming is the 'Who's building; who's refurbishing, where, why and what?' panel. Seatrade Cruise Global is where many of the cruise industry's biggest deals are done, and this session will highlight the extensive list of newbuilds as well as examining how lines refurbish existing vessels to maximise the guest experience and ship performance.

The final day of Seatrade Cruise Global 2017 will feature two of the main trending topics in the cruise world; 'Polar cruising safety' and 'The wellness trend' will cap off the show's most comprehensive programme to date.