Seatrade Cruise Connection

June 2005

Trade Show Veterans Sought New Products, Met Vendors

Two main reasons for attending the Seatrade Exhibition are to identify new products and vendors, and to strengthen existing business relationships. Carnival Corp. and Holland America Line provided examples of each at the 2005 trade show.

David Mizer, vice president, strategic sourcing for Carnival Global Source, noted that one of the corporation's two annual procurement meetings was scheduled during the week of the convention because, he said, "it's logical -- Seatrade is the industry's primary show."

Each Carnival Corp. brand sent its director of purchasing to Miami for meetings at Carnival headquarters. Then, the procurement execs headed to the Miami Beach Convention Center to prowl the aisles of the trade show.

"Individual companies might be looking for different items, whether it's technical, hotel or food and beverage," said Mizer. "Afterward, we discuss what we saw at the exhibition in our monthly telephone meeting."

Holland America Line created a scavenger hunt for the line's shipboard environmental officers. The goal, said Capt. Chris Volkle, manager of auditing and training, was to familiarize the officers with the line's vendors.

"It's a way for the officers to become more familiar with our vendors, like Rochem, Zenon, Unitor, even our shipboard photo lab vendor, Image," said Volkle. "I gave them a list of information or objects they had to find in the exhibition, so I know they visited all our vendors."

The 12 environmental officers are all three-stripe senior staff who are former chief officers, chief engineers, even ex-captains. Volkle explained they are responsible for environmental compliance on each Holland America ship, and they report directly to the captain.

While they walked the floor, the environmental officers saw new products and services. "They love to suggest things to us," said Volkle, "and we're always on the lookout for new products and technologies."

Carnival Corp.'s Mizer said he has attended Seatrade for at least a dozen years.

"It's good the show is in Miami where most of the brands are located," he said. "It continues to be the only show whose primary focus is on technical, shipbuilding and ports of call. I happen to like it."