Two ship captains and the founder of Aqua Expeditions will speak at the Expedition Cruise Network conference this autumn.
The first speakers confirmed for the event include Captain Dan Blanchard, chief executive of small-ship cruise company UnCruise Adventures, and Sophie Galvagnon (pictured, left), a French-Swedish captain who has sailed in the Arctic regions on board vessels including research icebreakers and cruise ships and is chief executive of expedition line Selar.
Blanchard (pictured, centre) started sailing in America’s Pacific Northwest on his family’s restored tug and joined American Safari Cruises in 1996 before rebranding the company as UnCruise Adventures.
The third confirmed speaker is Francesco Galli Zugaro (pictured, right), who founded Aqua Expeditions in 2007 on the Peruvian Amazon and has since overseen growth to the Mekong and in ocean cruise in the East Indonesian Archipelago and Galapagos Islands.
Akvile Marozaite, co-founder and chief executive of the Expedition Cruise Network, said the 2025 conference is set to exceed the 162 delegates and 22 exhibitors who attended last year’s event, adding: “We are pleased to unveil our first inspirational leaders from across the industry as speakers.”
The event will include conference sessions, business meetings and awards and will take place in London on September 30 and October 1.