The Marine Hotel Association’s (MHA) 40th anniversary conference and trade show concluded on March 29 with a farewell party at the Naples Grande Beach Resort.

The not-for-profit group’s event was held over three days in Naples, Florida, bringing together vendors with cruise line food and beverage, procurement and supply chain executives.

The format included a trade show on Friday and Saturday, kicked off by a Thursday night opening reception highlighted by a drone show celebrating the association’s 40th anniversary, with over 100 drones putting on a dazzling display set to music.

Friday started off with a breakfast featuring cruise line chef stations, followed by trade show hours and a Friday evening dinner that also celebrated the Association’s 40th anniversary with a Yacht Rock theme.

At the same time, approximately $20,000 was raised for the MHA scholarship program with a live charity auction. Items auctioned off included a number of cruises, resort stays, and jewelry, all donated by MHA member companies.

Saturday continued the programming with a breakfast featuring an insightful panel discussion with both cruise line executives and key suppliers, discussing the latest trends, challenges, artificial intelligence, forecasting food purchasing, and more. With breakfast concluded, exhibitors, delegates, and cruise lines headed upstairs to the trade show, which was sold out with a waitlist.

The event wrapped up with a Saturday evening dinner, and the Association also announced that it plans to host a Symposium at Sea later this year and will be back in Naples next March for its 41st conference and trade show.