Bosses from Carnival Cruise Line and rival Royal Caribbean have been confirmed as among keynote speakers for this year’s Clia conference in Southampton.
Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy and Royal Caribbean Cruises’ senior vice president international Gavin Smith will address agents at the event on May 24-26.
Other keynote speakers at the 11th annual event are Ama Waterways president and co-owner Rudi Schreiner and Clia president and chief executive Cindy D’Aoust.
The event will feature a full conference day, a ‘Great British Cruise Fair’ and gala dinner.
Agents will also be able to visit Cunard’s revamped flagship Queen Mary 2 and Royal Caribbean International’s Navigator of the Seas.
A record of 460 agents have signed up to attend, with a handful of places remaining for Clia members.
Clia UK and Ireland director, Andy Harmer, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Christine, Rudi, Gavin and Cindy as keynote speakers to this year’s conference, bringing with them a new perspective on the cruise industry and insights into their areas of specialism.
“The 2017 Clia conference will be a celebration of cruise industry collaboration under the theme ‘Together’.
“There are a number of additional speakers and sessions that will be announced closer to the time, and we very much look forward to a fantastic conference day as part of this year’s event.”