CLIA UK & Ireland has announced that its 2019 conference will take place on 15th-17th May in Southampton next year.
The three-day flagship event, the largest travel agent event in the UK, will include a trade fair, a full day of conference sessions, and gala dinner including entertainment. Plus, delegates will have the chance to visit two of the three ships in port for the event: Celebrity Edge, which launches in Miami in December this year; Cunard’s Queen Mary 2; and the MSC Preziosa.
On Wednesday 15th May, agents will get the chance to visit Celebrity Edge, on her second visit to the UK after her launch in December 2018, or alternatively that afternoon, all delegates will attend the cruise trade fair.
Andy Harmer, Director, CLIA UK & Ireland, said: “We are thrilled to be able to offer agents the opportunity to visit these fabulous ships at our 2019 conference. Ship visits play a huge role in the event and we are delighted to give agents the chance to explore these amazing examples of modern cruising.”
On Thursday 16th May, delegates will attend a full day of conference sessions, featuring high profile speakers from across the cruise industry, as well as keynotes from outside the sector. In the evening there will be a gala dinner with entertainment. Both the conference and evening events will be held at new venues.
The final day, Friday 17th May, will be held onboard Queen Mary 2, and will include a special closing conference session, which last year heard from record-breaking explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Further details of the venues, theme and speakers will be announced in the build-up to the event.
The event will be open to CLIA member travel agents, with registration open from 12th September 2018, where early bookers will get the chance to choose the ship they visit on the Wednesday 15th May.
In May this year, the conference, which was themed #GenerationCruise, attracted a record 650 delegates. Previous speakers at the conference have included CLIA global chair Arnold Donald, Royal Caribbean’s Adam Goldstein, and Andy Stuart from NCL.
