Page 34 - IAADFS Summit 2023 Special Edition

INSIDER

Inaugural F&B@Sea event at Seatrade delivers good effort to connect

industry with vendors

The organizers of the Seatrade Cruse
Global event deserve a round of applause
for taking a gamble on a new event within
the industry’s largest cruise gathering with
the advent of the world’s first dedicated
cruise F&B experience.
Launched for two-days in the middle
of the 2023 Seatrade Cruise Global event,
F&B@Sea was billed as an immersive,
epicurean journey of the senses designed
exclusively for cruise food, beverage,
guest experience and hotel operations
professionals.
Through a series of panel discussions
and presentations, the two-day curated
program also conferred on practical
solutions to questions on cruise F&B Luis Ortega, Director of Beverage Development & Operations at Norwegian
sustainability, supply chain, labor shortages Cruise Line Holdings discusses the latest beverage trends with Ken Taylor,
and more. It also held very entertaining and Sr. Vice President of MarkeTeam, and Zachary Sulkes, Director of Beverage
informative mixology demonstrations and Operations at Carnival Cruise Lines.
immersive demonstrations, etc.
Quite a few familiar travel retail were enthusiastically positive about the moderated by Deputy Editor of Food &
faces—especially among the beverage number of cruise beverage buyers that they Wine, Melanie Hansche.
brands – were on hand as exhibitors, were able to meet. Nearly every cruise Discussing Taste Beverage Trends,
sponsors or attendees. Among these were brand reportedly sent representatives. All Luis Ortega, Director, Beverage
Campari—with a compelling Aperol photo the brands were quick to point out that the Development & Operations at Norwegian
op display and sponsorship of the centrally buyers were there for scouting brands for Cruise Line Holdings and Zachary Sulkes,
located bar; Sazerac, Bacardi and Patron, ship pourings, and retail was not involved. Sr. Director, Beverage Operations at
Heineken, Moet Hennessy, Remy Martin, Among the F&B@Sea sessions, Carnival Cruise Lines, delved into some of
Tea Forte and Monarq, among others. senior executives in charge of the Food & the innovative beverage and cocktail trends
WEBB Banks also held tastings for some Beverage operations at Carnival Cruise taking off in the coming years.
of its major brands. There were also quite Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian, Each company takes a completely
a few smaller beverage brands and food and MSC discussed such topics as labor, different approach to pre-selling onboard
companies. regulations and changes in the supply beverge packages, for example. Ortega
Most importantly, all of the exhibitors chain and sustainable sourcing in a panel reports that as many as 85% of the
Norwegian passengers purchase pre-cruise
beverage packages; whereas the percentage
Seatrade Cruise Global cruise trade show and of beverage packages sold was only in the
low teens at Carnival, reports Sulkes.
conference will return to Miami Beach April 8-11, 2024 The two looked at the economics of
preparing a quality cocktail (it takes much
Seatrade will return to Miami as “We thank Broward County / Fort more time than pouring a beer) and talked
part of its long-term commitment to the Lauderdale for hosting us in those years about how to keep the beverage offer fresh
City of Miami Beach and is indicative of and look forward to being back in Miami and innovative. Norwegian’s award-
the event’s dedication to the entire cruise and at the Miami Beach Convention Center winning programs include partnering with
community. again in 2024.” iconic winemakers and celebrity chefs,
“Seatrade Cruise Global started The return to Miami Beach comes or creating a restaurant that only sells
in Miami 36 years ago and it has been after the Miami Beach Convention Center natural wines. At Carnival, Sulkes reports
held there annually for almost all of that invested $640 million to reimagine a growing trend for low-alcohol or no-
time, apart from during Miami Beach and renovate the 1.4 million-square- alcohol beverages, as well as craft beers—a
Convention Centre renovations and in foot convention center, which features specialty of Carnival’s onboard brewing
2023 when our show dates overlapped with 500,000-square-foot exhibition hall, five capacity and its Alchemy Bars.
the Formula 1 Grand Prix,” says Andrew ballrooms, an 800-spot convenient roof Seatrade has announced that this
Williams, Executive Vice President of deck parking and 10 acres of greenspace. initial F&B@Sea was so successful that it
Informa Markets, the owner of Seatrade. will be expanded next year when the main
event returns to Miami on April 8-11, 2024.

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