Ken Muskat, executive vice president and chief operating officer of MSC Cruises USA, will speak at the opening of the Marine Hotel Association’s (MHA) Conference at Sea aboard the MSC Divina in December.
With four ships based in South Florida this winter, MSC is on a fast growth trajectory in North America and also represents the fastest growing cruise brand in the world, with 12 new ships set to be delivered between 2020 and 2027.
Of the 12 ships, four will be for the company’s new luxury brand, while five will run on clean-burning LNG, including four 200,000-ton, 5,400-guest World class vessels.
For MHA members, the Conference at Sea offers a unique opportunity to be part of a small niche group that will get a first-hand look at the onboard cruise product aboard MSC Cruises’ Divina, and will visit the company’s new private island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, on a roundtrip sailing from Miami.
The cruise will include one-on-one time with a number of cruise line decision makers, relevant panel discussions ranging from food and beverage to supply chain and sustainability, as well as behind-the-scenes tours and speed networking sessions.
While Muskat will open the conference at sea, MSC’s Giorgio Zagami, head of corporate procurement and logistics, is also scheduled to deliver remarks, helping overseeing procurement and purchasing across the company’s quickly-expanding fleet.
The small number of participants at this conference, as well as the relative parity of supplier vs. cruise line attendees, means there will be real possibility for in-depth discussions on issues of interest at no additional cost to participants.
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.
