The Marine Hotel Association’s (MHA) Conference and Trade Show took place in Naples, Florida, this week, producing a successful and intimate event for cruise lines and the vendor community for hotel, culinary and food and beverage.

Big and Small: Supply chain and purchasing executives from the big three: Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, were among the major players at MHA, meeting with vendors and visiting each booth on the trade show floor.

In addition to the three biggest cruise lines, other brands attending included luxury, expedition and niche lines and vessel management companies including Lindblad Expeditions, The World, Viking, Explora Journeys and others.

Virtual Meets MHA: With a number of cruise lines embracing the virtual work environment, the companies used the opportunity to have coworkers meet in person for the first time. For the vendors, this meant increased cruise line attendance.

Supply Chain: Two panel discussions, with supply chain executives and another one with chefs from around the industry, focused directly on working with the vendor community.The audience was able to hear directly from the relevant decision-making personnel at cruise lines about their challenges, getting the supplies they need, and current forecasting environment for purchasing.

On Tuesday morning, the MHA’s culinary council, made up of industry-wide chefs, took the stage, talking quality, training, food and beverage procurement and more.

Charity Auction: The MHA’s charity auction, with proceeds heading to its scholarship fund for cruise line crew, was held in a live-auction style format this year. Items included a number of cruises and a Formula 1 paddock experience.