Clearly there were noticeably more stands this year and in fact we understand that the Seatrade event was around 10% bigger than 2013. Some 140 new exhibitors were present and overall a massive 900 companies from 127 countries exhibited. The exhibition encompassed 4 halls at the Miami Beach Convention Center with trade delegations from Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, Spain and Turkey. All in all 400 destinations were featured and the following business types were present:
- Shipbuilders
- Ship design
- Ship refurbishment
- Information technology providers
- Ship equipment suppliers
- Ship services
- Entertainment companies
- Hotel operations
- Food & Beverage Pavilion (new - featuring culinary trends, products and equipment)
The 3 new extra "State of the Global Cruise Industry" panels proved to be popular. These were spearheaded by Cruise Line senior executives and all the latest trends and developments were covered from all principle cruising regions.
Miami is still very much central to cruising and this Seatrade event is the place to be seen and to meet key maritime people within the Cruise Industry. The estimated economic impact of the Port of Miami on the local community is a massive $27 Billion US, which says it all!
Origins of Miami Seatrade
30 years ago a meeting took place with around 150 cruise executives at a Hotel located in New York.
