News Release
FOR RELEASE - March 8, 2013
Contact: Aaron Ellis, aellis@aapa-ports.org
(703) 684-5700

American Association of Port Authorities
Phone: (202) 792-4033
www.aapa-ports.org

AAPA Cruise Seminar To Explore, Assess Industry-Specific Issues

April 24-26 event in San Francisco to cover new developments and opportunities in cruise management, planning & compliance

The American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) 2013 Cruise Seminar in San Francisco, April 24-26, will kick off with a candid look inside the cruise industry from the perspective of four key cruise line executives, and end with a tour of the Port of San Francisco to see the impact of the America’s Cup on port operations.  In between these bookend sessions,  seminar participants will be treated to a host of presentations ranging from new international regulations on ship air emissions to itinerary planning, cruise facility design, financing and joint-use terminal opportunities.

Hosted by the Port of San Francisco as part of its 150^th anniversary, the two-and-a-half-day program—much of which will be held in the port’s historic Ferry Building facing San Francisco Bay—will feature discussions with cruise line industry leaders and port executives from throughout the Western Hemisphere, including the U.S., Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.

“The cruise industry continues to show remarkable resiliency in the face of tough economic times.  Programs like ours help make that trend possible by giving industry leaders opportunities to share their valuable experiences and best practices,” said Susan Monteverde, AAPA’s government relations vice president and liaison to the association’s Cruise Committee.

Among the varied session titles in this year’s Cruise Seminar agenda are: “The State of the Cruise Industry,” “Regional Cruising and Tourism,” “Shore Power” and “Cruise Facility Design, Processing, Safety and Security.”

Seminar presenters include (in alpha order):

• Luis Ajamil, President and CEO, Bermello, Ajamil & Partners, Inc., Miami, FL
• Lori Baer, Marine South Region Market Lead, AECOM, Coral Gables, FL
• Nick Billows, Deputy Port Director, Sales and Marketing, Cruiseport Boston
• Dean Brown, Executive Vice President, Corporate Services, Princess Cruises, Santa Clarita, CA
• Steve Cernak, P.E., PPM, Chief Executive/Port Director, Port Everglades (FL)
• Brandy Christian, Vice President, Strategy and Business. Development, Port of San Diego
• Bud Darr, Vice President of Technical and Regulatory Affairs, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Arlington, VA
• Marianela Dengo. Manager, Customer Relations Unit, Panama Canal Authority (Panama)
• Andrew Dixon, Senior Vice President, Planning and Development, Saint John Port Authority (Canada)
• Tom Dow, Vice President, Public Affairs, Carnival Corp., Washington, DC
• Armando Duarte-Peláez, Board Chairman, AAPA, and Past Board Member, Sociedad Portuaria de Santa Marta S.A. (Colombia)
• Anders G. Frick, President, FMT Aircraft Gate Support Systems , Toronto, ON, Canada
• Nancy Houley, Cruise Market Director, Quebec Port Authority (Canada)
• Paul Hurlston, Port Director, Port Authority of the Cayman Islands
• Giora Israel, Senior Vice President, Global Port and Destination Development, Carnival Corp., Miami, FL
• Stein Kruse, President and Chief Executive Officer, Holland America Line Inc., Seattle, WA
• Gary LaGrange, Chairman, AAPA Cruise Committee, and President and CEO, Port of New Orleans
• Kevin T. Lynskey, Asst. Port Director, Business Initiatives, PortMiami
• Betty MacMillan, Manager, Business Development, Saint John Port Authority (Canada)
• George Malec, Vice President, Business Dev. & Ops, Halifax Port Authority (Canada)
• Heather McManus, Manager, Public Relations, ExpediaCruiseShip.com (owned by Expedia), Vancouver, BC, Canada 
• Michael T. McNamara, Assoc. Vice President, Energy Management, Royal Caribbean International, Miami, FL
• Gregg Michel, President, Crystal Cruises, Los Angeles, CA
• Monique Moyer, Executive Director, Port of San Francisco
• Kurt J. Nagle, President and CEO, AAPA, Alexandria, VA
• Carmen Ortega, Cruise Manager, Port Metro Vancouver (Canada)
• Jim Rowe, Project Manager, San Francisco and New York City EDC, Cruise Terminal Projects B&M, Bermello, Ajamil & Partners, Inc., Miami, FL
• Claudia Ruiz Massieu Salinas (invited), Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Hidalgo, D.F., México
• John Tercek, Vice President of New Business, Development, Royal Caribbean International. Miami, FL
• Mike Watts, Vice President, Marine Development, Cochran, Inc., Seattle, WA
• Greg Wirtz, President, NorthWest & Canada Cruise Association, Vancouver, BC, Canada

 

For more information about AAPA’s 2013 Cruise Seminar program and agenda, click here.

WHO:	American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA)
WHAT:	Cruise Seminar, hosted by the Port of San Francisco
WHEN:	Business programs run 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24; from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 25; and from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Friday, April 26.
WHERE:	Port of San Francisco Ferry Building, Commission Room, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA
MEDIA:	Credentialed journalists interested in covering the 2013 Cruise Seminar business agenda for media purposes are asked to contact Aaron Ellis, aellis@aapa-ports.org, to obtain a media pass.