Held at Port Everglades’ Terminal 2, F&B@Sea will feature a marketplace of curated vendors, live demos by top chefs and mixologists, and interactive content sessions involving industry leaders when it launches on March 28-29.
More information about F&B@Sea is available at seatradecruisefnb.com, while the latest event details and registration for Seatrade Cruise Global (27-30 March) can be found at seatradecruiseglobal.com.
Creating new partnerships
Diageo professed to have an ambitious strategy across travel retail for the entire beverage alcohol sector. It is expanding its team serving the on board segment, covering ships and aviation. Believing it can enhance the traveller experience, a spokesperson for the company said it 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,’ stated a spokesperson for Heineken.
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.