The agenda is set for the Marine Hotel Association’s (MHA) Conference at Sea event aboard the MSC Divina in December with staterooms filling up fast and decision makers representing 14 cruise lines already committed, with more expected.

The event will be aboard MSC’s Divina on a three-night itinerary in December (Dec. 17-20); port calls will include the brand new Ocean Cay Marine Reserve as well as Nassau, as the cruise sails from Miami roundtrip.

Bringing together MHA’s vendor community, the event will host key decision makers from across the industry, as well as vessel management companies that oversee operations for a number of niche and luxury lines.

Attendees can look forward to a supply chain workshop, following the cruise ship supply chain and procurement process from consolidation to consumption, while there will also be hosted tours of the provision and galley areas aboard the ship.

Social aspects of the event include cocktail hours and hosted dinners between cruise line decision makers and MHA members.

Other key programming highlights include a workshop on quality and innovation in hotel sourcing, as well as round-robin meetings between vendors and cruise lines.

Suppliers will come together to lead a requested sustainable and renewable sourcing workshop, while cruise line attendees will present on what is new for them when it comes to priorities and parameters in supply chain and purchasing.

Calendared every other year, this will be the association’s third onboard event, with previous events held with Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line

The MHA is a true not-for-profit organization, with membership dues at $500. Its not-for-profit status also means that revenue is put back into the organization and into the famed MHA scholarship fund, which has doled out over 8,000 scholarships over 35 years.