Written By: Mary Pat Sullivan, Content Director – Travel Weekly Events
Travel Weekly’s CruiseWorld general session stage will be filled with leaders from throughout the travel industry. Each day, CEOs, presidents, sales and marketing leaders, and successful travel agency peers will share news on their brands, strategies for success, motivational moments, and more.
“The power of the travel advisor community is clear in the level of engagement from our industry leadership at CruiseWorld. These executives recognize that their company’s success is dependent on the customer relationships of our attendees,” said Alicia Evanko-Lewis, Senior Vice President of Events, the Travel Group, Northstar Travel Group. “We are so grateful that we can provide our attendees with this kind of access to the decision makers and allow them to be inspired by and respected by them.”
Each day of the general session will begin with a leading cruise line CEO sharing their current perspective on the business and sitting down for a Q&A session with Travel Weekly’s Editor-in-Chief Arnie Weissmann. Taking the stage will be Arnold Donald, Carnival Corporation CEO, on Wednesday, November 7; Richard Fain, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International, Ltd., on Thursday, November 8; and Frank Del Rio, President and CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Ltd. on Friday November 9.
Technology will be center stage each day of the general session programming as industry leader Trisept Solutions offers a daily TW Tech Talk on the latest technology innovations for travel. Trisept President John Ische makes his CruiseWorld general session debut this year on November 7.
A powerhouse panel of sales and marketing executives will share insights on their brands, on themselves, and on the power and importance of the travel agency channel during the Mastermind Sales & Marketing Secrets of Success session. Speakers will include: John Chernesky, Vice President of North America Sales, Princess Cruises and Cunard Line; Vicki Freed, Senior Vice President, Sales and Trade Support & Service, Royal Caribbean International; Eva Jenner, Vice President, Sales, Holland America Line and Seabourn; Camille Olivere, Senior Vice President, Norwegian Cruise Line; Adolfo Perez, Senior Vice President, Sales and Trade Marketing, Carnival Cruise Line; Dondra Ritzenthaler, Senior Vice President, Sales and Trade Support and Service, UK & APAC, Celebrity Cruises; and Doug Seagle, Vice President of Sales, North America, Seabourn.
On Friday, November 9, Arnie Weissmann will welcome the Presidents’ Panel. Joining this year’s discussion will be Michael Bayley, President & CEO, Royal Caribbean International; Roberto Fusaro, President, MSC Cruises North America; Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO, Celebrity Cruises; Daniel Skjeldam, CEO, Hurtigruten; and Andy Stuart, President and CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line.
A series of TW Talks, brief motivational interludes from travel agency organization leadership, will sprinkle throughout the three days on stage. Included in these moments will be James Bovino, General Manager, Independent by Liberty Travel; Michelle Fee, Co-Founder and CEO of Cruise Planners, American Express Travel; Debbie Fiorino, Senior Vice President, Dream Vacations/CruiseOne & Cruises Inc.; Jackie Friedman, President of Nexion; Meredith Hill, Founder and President, Gifted Travel Network; Rob Karp, Owner of MilesAhead; Jenn Lee Vice President of Sales & Marketing Travel Planners International; and an important look at the legal liability of selling travel from Mark Pestronk, Attorney, Offices of Mark Pestronk, P.C. and legal columnist for Travel Weekly.
Intertwined with education, industry trends and motivational presentations, each day offers sponsored meal functions with dynamic, entertaining and high energy moments from sponsors including Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, MSC Cruises (USA) Inc., Hurtigruten, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Destinations including our host the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Mexican state of Quintana Roo are confirmed to address attendees.
Plus, for the first time, closing this year’s event will be an inspiration session entitled #BeTheCurator: The Price is Right, CruiseWorld Edition. This session is sponsored by Travel Planners International and is designed to celebrate the travel entrepreneur. Benefiting Tourism Cares, seven lucky #BeTheCurator donors will “come on down” to bid and win prizes in this The Price Is Right-style gameshow (cue the music). Follow along and enter for a chance to win TPI’s #BeTheCurator campaign as we all raise funds for Tourism Cares.
New to CruiseWorld this year is a pre-day immersion course with the Travel Corporation and their brands, taking place on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Ship inspections will take place on Nov. 10 and 11 and will feature the Carnival Horizon, Celebrity Infinity, Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam and Koningsdam, MSC Seaside, Norwegian Getaway, Regal Princess, and Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.
The signature one-day Exhibitor Showcase will be held on Thursday, November 8 with companies representing diverse segments of the travel industry: airlines, attractions, car rental, cruise, destinations, hotels and resorts, professional services, tour operators and packaged vacations, and more. Suppliers interested in joining the Exhibitor Showcase should contact Emmy Morales at [email protected].
Visit CruiseWorldShow.com to register or for more information on the program and ship inspections.