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Newfoundland and Labrador puts the 'new' into cruise symposium

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Gros Morne National Park, overlooking Bonne Bay
A town hall format to debate how to grow the Canada/New England market and a matching system for one-to-one meetings are among new twists to the 16th Annual Canada/New England Cruise Symposium. Plus, the June 11-13 event will be held in Newfoundland and Labrador, which many cruise line executives will be visiting for the first time. The Port of Corner Brook is the host.

'Having the people here is a wonderful opportunity,' said Nora Fever, business development manager for Corner Brook Port Corp., who is eager for attendees to experience 'all the things that make us unique, from Gros Morne National Park to even our dialects and way of speaking.'

Christine Duffy, president and CEO of Cruise Lines International association, is scheduled to deliver the opening address and lead a session on the state of the industry in Canada/New England. Leaders of the symposium's presenting partners—NYCruise, Cruiseport Boston, CruiseMaine, Cruise Atlantic Canada and Cruise the Saint Lawrence—will give updates. 

Further sessions will explore panel topics including itinerary planning, shore excursions and multi-channel marketing, while the town hall, incorporating audience polling, will delve into growing the Canada/New England market—extending the cruise season, effective marketing to build demand and identifying and overcoming barriers to more summer deployment. A Cruise 101 session is aimed at those who are new to the cruise industry.

For the first time at the symposium, the traditional speed round session will pre-match attendees so cruise lines, destinations and media are paired with the six or seven representatives they most wish to meet, and for a longer time.

Fever said about 130 attendees are expected, including representatives of lines like Princess, Silversea, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Holland America, All Leisure Group, One Ocean Expeditions and Adventure Canada, along with key tourism officials from the province, and port and destination representatives from across the wider Canada/New England region.

Cruise executives and media are participating in organized pre- and post-symposium tours or exploring independently. As well as visiting Corner Brook and nearby Gros Morne National Park, some will travel to St. John's, the capital and largest city of Newfoundland and Labrador, or to St. Anthony, L'Anse aux Meadows and Labrador's Red Bay. Others are branching out to France (Saint Pierre and Miquelon) or to other ports in Atlantic Canada.

May 10 is the last day to make a reservation in the symposium's room blocks at two Corner Brook hotels.

Symposium information/registration is here.