Cruise3sixty another great success

The cruise industry certainly had its moment in the spotlight in late February, with 500 industry members attending the second Cruise3sixty Australasia conference as well as our 14th annual Cruise Industry Awards gala dinner. Cruise3sixty featured a number of very senior cruise industry executives who took time away from their busy schedules to engage with the Australasian market. I believe Australian and New Zealand-based travel agents can rightfully feel very proud of the role they have played in capturing the attention of these industry stalwarts. In the week following Cruise3sixty, one of our keynote speakers, Andy Stuart, was promoted to President of Norwegian Cruise Lines. Those who had the chance to hear Andy’s presentation would appreciate what a charismatic individual he is. I am happy to share part of a personal email I received from Andy following the event where he stated that the conference was “extremely well produced” and he hoped to be invited back. Someone else described our event as “showbiz quality” which is a huge compliment to all of us as it demonstrates the energy of the industry when we work collectively. Just one day after Cruise3sixty, many of us returned to The Star for the 14th Annual Cruise Industry Awards dinner which gave us an opportunity to recognise the cruise industry’s high achievers from 2014. We enjoyed some dazzling entertainment from gold sponsors World’s Leading Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International, which was complemented by a sensational performance from two of the 2014 “The Voice” finalists, Kat Jade and Sabrina Batshon. Whilst we had 19 different award categories to present I would like to acknowledge three that stood out for me. Bicton Travel has now won the Gold Agency of the Year Award for four of the last five years. This is an outstanding achievement for a suburban Perth-based agency and demonstrates to me that reaching this level of success is possible if you are genuinely hungry. Our Hall of Fame inductee this year was travelbulletin editor at large, Ian Mcmahon. Ian is not a cruise boffin, but a journalist who has always delivered balanced reporting on the cruise industry with the utmost integrity – clearly at a level that is well respected and appreciated by the CLIA Board who bestowed this honour upon him. I’d also like to recognise our good mate Shannon Currie who was given a posthumous award for his service to the New Zealand cruise industry. CLIA Chairman Gavin Smith did a remarkable job delivering this acknowledgement, demonstrating emotion and deep respect for Shannon whom so many of us knew. His passing is a true tragedy. Returning as our co-hosts for the evening were Hamish Mclachlan and Melanie Vellejo, who brought the evening together beautifully, with Hamish also emceeing the Cruise3sixty conference. Many would know that four weeks out from Cruise3sixty, our original MC Glenn Wheeler was involved in a horrific motor cycle accident. When we approached Hamish about taking on the MC role over two days, he was there to help without hesitation. Whilst Hamish does not share Glenn‘s intimate knowledge of the cruise industry, the time he spent in preparation to understand the nuances of our industry then deliver such a polished performance at Cruise3sixty and the awards, showed the hallmarks of a true professional and helped ensure the success of both events.