FLORIDA-CARIBBEAN CRUISE ASSOCIATION IN FOCUS AT RECENT CRUISE SHIPPING MIAMI
CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW 

MARCH 25, 2010, Miami - The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) was in the spotlight for more than 10,000 attendees at the 26th annual Cruise Shipping Miami (CSM), the world's largest annual cruise industry conference and exhibition, held here March 15 to 18. FCCA was a dominant presence throughout the event, working to strengthen ties between Caribbean/Latin American destinations and the cruise lines and facilitate meaningful interaction between Caribbean officials and top cruise-line executives.

FCCA celebrated its week of CSM efforts with a flourish, hosting the FCCA’s 16th Annual FCCA Gala Dinner and Entertainment Extravaganza on March 17. The conference’s premier social event, FCCA gala guests dine with a cruise executive representing one of FCCA’s member lines. In all, CSM drew 10,800 attendees, said organizer UBM International Media, a seven percent increase over 2009.

“The FCCA’s presence at CSM provides significant benefits for our Caribbean and Latin American government, tourism and destination partners and for FCCA’s member lines,” said Michele M. Paige, President of FCCA. “As the premier gathering of cruise industry stakeholders, FCCA utilizes this truly international event to engage in productive discussions between cruise line decision-makers and officials from the Caribbean & Latin America, the number one cruise destination.

FCCA was a strong presence at the CSM tradeshow, with a booth located at the center of the Caribbean village featuring Caribbean port authorities, tourism ministries, tourist boards and associations, and cruise-line destination partners. This advantageous location created easy avenues for one-on-one discussions between Caribbean representatives and personnel from the cruise lines’ operations, purchasing, marketing and shore excursion departments. As a result, the booth was abuzz with top-level decision makers throughout the week.

Attendees celebrated the week’s events and the ongoing, successful cruise partnership at Wednesday’s Gala, which benefits the FCCA Foundation. Sponsored by the Port of Miami, one hundred percent of the event’s proceeds go to the non-profit, charitable organization, created in 1993 to fund humanitarian programs in the Caribbean and Latin America. Guests purchased tickets to sit a table hosted by one of 50 cruise-line executives of their choice; companies that purchased an executive’s entire table were recognized as sponsors and presented with a special plaque.

The annual Gala is “an exceptional opportunity for our destination partners to further develop strong cooperative relationships with key cruise executives in a social setting,” said Micky Arison, Chairman & CEO, Carnival Corporation and FCCA Chairman.