Diageo, Heineken and Sazerac to sponsor F&B@Sea, more vendors revealed

Held at Port Everglades’ Terminal 2, F&B@Sea will feature a marketplace of curated vendors, live demonstrations by top chefs and mixologists and interactive content sessions involving industry leaders March 28-29.

Research shows the global food and beverage market is expected to be worth $8.9 trillion by 2026, with six leading cruise lines accounting for over $2b in food and beverage annually.

More information about F&B@Sea is available at seatradecruisefnb.com, while the latest event details and registration for Seatrade Cruise Global (March 27-30) can be found at seatradecruiseglobal.com.

Creating new partnerships

Diageo has an ambitious strategy across travel retail for the entire beverage alcohol sector. It is expanding its team serving the onboard segment, covering ships and aviation. Aiming to enhance the traveller experience, a Diageo spokesperson said the company is excited to demonstrate the quality of its brands - 'above all, the way in which we want to partner in the cruise world to bring to life our brands through unique experiences, brilliant engagement and world class training and support, with tools like the Diageo Bar Academy.'

They went on to add that F&B@Sea offers ‘a chance to be alongside our customers and potential partners in person for proper discussions around new partnerships and activations on board – be they at the bar or in a boutique.’

Shaping, accelerating, maximising potential

‘Having the opportunity to meet our cruise line partners and other suppliers in this dedicated forum will be a valuable opportunity for us all to shape, accelerate and maximize the potential in this new era of enjoyment at sea,’ a Heineken spokesperson said.

Noting that the inaugural event is ‘a very welcome initiative from Seatrade that perfectly spotlights the growing importance of hospitality in the guest experience,’ the Dutch brewing company added, ‘With the industry on course for huge growth, we are passionate to explore new opportunities to welcome guests with inspirational innovations and an expanding range of high quality draft choices.’

Fully immersed

Sazerac, whose more than 300 brands of American whisky, bourbon, tequila, vodka and liqueurs are market leading, aims to discover at the interactive event how it can help to ensure cruise passengers have a ‘more memorable experience.’

‘Our goal is to ensure all attendees get fully immersed, informed and educated about our entire Sazerac portfolio while being able to sample some of our delicious bourbons and whiskies,’ commented a spokesperson for the company.

Explaining the importance of choosing a beverage that matches up with a multitude of at sea settings, they asserted, ‘It is important to have the attendees see every aspect of our portfolio and how it can fit into each consumption occasion during every cruise ship’s passenger journey.’

More vendors revealed

As well as experiencing what Diageo, Heineken, Sazerac and other drinks brands have on offer, attendees can expect to meet with new entrants and existing suppliers of everything edible, from meat and seafood to produce, dairy, grain, sugar, desserts, vegan purveyors and more.

Vendors signed up to the event, which will see the latest F&B technologies and guest experience innovations in action, include Roland Foods, Golden Malted Waffles, Sacramento Cookie Factory, Phillips Seafood, Shuck's Maine Lobster, Tea Forte, Sustainable Agave Company, XXI Martinis, BeLeaf and A l'Olivier.

More vendors are set to confirm in the coming weeks.

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