SINT MAARTEN/FLORIDA - Cruise tourism stakeholders are one step closer to a glimpse of the industry’s inner workings, as workshop topics and panels have been finalized for the FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show, the largest and only official cruise conference and trade show in the Caribbean, taking place in San Juan, Puerto Rico this November 5-9.

Led by some of the 150 cruise industry decision-makers expected for the event who represent 95 percent of global ocean cruising capacity, along with high-level government representatives, the workshops will focus on key elements to foster long-standing mutual success between cruise lines and destination stakeholders. Plus, for the first time in the event’s 25-year history, chairmen of cruise lines and corporations will take the helm, with presidents and CEOs steering a separate workshop, to present both unique perspectives and an all-encompassing view of the industry.

“We could not be prouder to announce the workshops this year because they show the industry’s commitment to doing business with our partners in the Caribbean and Latin America,” said Michele Paige, president, FCCA. “From the ultimate decision-makers to high-level executives that determine where ships call, what sells on board and how to invest in destinations and products, the cruise industry will truly be on hand – and focused on maximizing synergies and potential opportunities with the audience.”

The participating chairmen of FCCA Member Lines—Micky Arison, chairman, Carnival Corporation & plc; Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; and Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman, MSC Cruises—will take the wheel following the opening ceremony on the morning of Tuesday, November 6. During their “Chair Talk,” they will shine the spotlight on trends and developments driving the industry’s record success and future growth, along with how it all relates to specific topics, and can grow business, for the stakeholders in attendance.

Presidents and CEOs will then take the stage later that afternoon. Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International; Arnold Donald, president and CEO, Carnival Corporation & plc; Christine Duffy, president, Carnival Cruise Line; Jason Montague, president and CEO, Regent Seven Seas Cruises; and Andrew Stuart, president and CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line, will join the moderator and FCCA president, Michele Paige. They will deliver the “Presidential Address,” discussing some of the differentiations and innovations driving the unique cruise brands that are going all in to stand out and appeal to their target markets both on board and on land – and how and why working together with destinations and stakeholders leads to benefits for all.

High-level executives representing numerous sectors throughout the industry will get the floor on Wednesday, November 7. Carlos Torres de Navarra, vice president, global port and destination development, Carnival Corporation & plc, will moderate "Creating Great Destinations: From Demand to Experiences, Ports to Tours" with a panel including Russell Benford, vice president, government relations, Americas, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; Russell Daya, executive director, marine and port operations, port developments and itinerary planning, Disney Cruise Line; Albino Di Lorenzo, vice president, cruise operations, MSC Cruises USA; Chrstine Manjencic, vice president, destination service operations, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.; and Matthew Sams, vice president, Caribbean relations and private islands, Holland America Group. They will share what draws passengers to destinations and creates unforgettable memories once there, revealing how to increase both demand and guest satisfaction from an overarching destination level to individual port, tour and transportation options.

The final workshop will take place on Thursday, November 8 and gather top representatives from both the cruise line and destination sides, including Adam Goldstein, vice chairman, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., and chairman, FCCA; Richard Sasso, chairman, MSC Cruises USA; Giora Israel, senior vice president, global port development, Carnival Corporation & plc; Hon. Allen Chastanet, prime minister, Saint Lucia, and chairman, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS); and Beverly Nicholson-Doty, commissioner of tourism, United States Virgin Islands. In “Investing in Your Future,” they will review ways in which both parties are preparing for their long-term futures, and how those plans often involve partnership with each other, from port and destination developments, new attractions and even agreements preserving natural elements, to business continuity, emergency plans and best practices.

Overall, the event will help attendees learn about the cruise industry and how to maximize its benefits during an agenda balancing business sessions with networking, promoting and exhibiting opportunities, including the workshops along with available preset one-on-one meetings between Delegates and cruise executives, evening functions and even tours to help develop relationships and show some of Puerto Rico’s enchantment and local flavor, and a Trade Show featuring exclusive executive viewings and special events to drive participation from attendees and executives.

“I look forward to interacting with cruise tourism's key stakeholders at the FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show,” said Goldstein. “This is a valuable opportunity for regional destinations and operators to learn how they are being affected by and can take advantage of the industry’s latest developments.”

For more information and registration, please visit www.F-CCA.com/Conference.

About the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA)

Created in 1972, the FCCA is a not-for-profit trade organization that provides a forum for discussion on tourism development, ports, safety, security, and other cruise industry issues and builds bilateral relationships with destinations’ private and public sectors. By fostering an understanding of the cruise industry and its operating practices, the FCCA works with governments, ports and private sector representatives to maximize cruise passenger, crew and cruise line spending, as well as enhance the destination experience and increase the amount of cruise passengers returning as stay-over visitors. For more information, visit F-CCA.com and @FCCAupdates on Facebook and Twitter.

Audience member asks her question to get input from a cruise executive panel at a 2017 workshop.

SINT MAARTEN/NEW YORK - Social Community Enhancer and Cervical Cancer Advocate Keoma Hamer joined Washington D.C. base media company TanTV Studios LLC to cover the recently concluded 73^rd United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

Hamer’s exceptional interpersonal skills, strong communication background and wide range of knowledge as it pertains to global social issues was the added edge to a successful TanTV coverage of the UNGA73.

Hamer and TanTV team covered various high-level meetings but focused primarily on platforms such as The Social Good Summit, SDG Media Zone and the entire Global Goals Week, Goal Keepers which was hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation with Bill Gates as keynote speaker and other high-level side events.

The General Assembly is one of the six main organs of the United Nations, the only one in which all Member States have equal representation: one nation, one vote. All 193 Member States of the United Nations are represented in this unique forum to discuss and work together on a wide array of international issues covered by the UN Charter, such as development, peace and security, international law, etc. This past September, all Members met in the General Assembly Hall in New York for the annual General Assembly session.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

The 17 Goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs, while including new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities. The goals are interconnected – often the key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another.

TanTV focused largely on the coverage of the SDG Media Zone, a platform constructed for journalists where individuals, government bodies and other stakeholders held intimate dialogue about how they are working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDG Media Zone is heavily focused on the promotion, adaptation and inclusion of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

TanTV Studios aims to be the number one platform for covering social good and social impact focused stories globally.  The SDGs serves as a strong framework to achieve this vision. With a strong platform focused on global solutions, TanTV covers a niche like no other. The hashtag #TANTV4SDGS represents our commitment to Goal 17 of the SDGs to be a major media partner with the UN and other stakeholders covering stories that shed light to the Global Goals and platforms that exemplifies them all.

As world leaders gathered for the UN General Assembly, goalkeepers hosted the second annual Goalkeepers event in New York City on September 25 & 26. Speakers from around the world joined for this two-day event, sharing their stories, ideas, and challenges. The Goalkeepers Report took a detailed look at progress being made around the globe. This year, both the event and the report focused on youth population growth that will affect future world progress.

In the midst of this rapidly changing world, the Social Good Summit focused on where we’re headed. Held annually during the United Nations General Assembly week, the Summit unites a lively community of global citizens and progressive thought leaders around a common theme: #2030NOW. A dynamic exploration of the world we want to live in by 2030, the Social Good Summit will focus on how we can unlock technology’s potential to make the world a better place.

TanTV Studios is a niche audience content creation platform, technology and production service company inspired by storytelling relevant to culture. Just like their slogan, TanTV covers stories that inspires change around the world.

Journalist, writer and media entrepreneur, Adedayo Fashanu, serves as TanTV’s Founder and Creative Director. Fashanu is a media contributor whose work  has been published on Forbes, Huffpost and multiple other platforms. She covered Global Development and various initiatives as a White House Correspondent under the Obama Presidency. Fashanu has focused her journalism on telling stories of change and impact—touching on human rights, Women’s rights, global affairs and health, youth and development, climate change and so on. The need for a platform to be a voice of change is why she created TanTV.

“We are a platform with dynamic brands under our umbrella. Our focus is to cover stories and uplifting narratives using various media formats such as TV shows, magazines, pod-casts, events, program series and other fun avenues we can curate a message of impact through. We cover all fields but only from a social impact narrative and perspective”, said Fashanu.

TanTV’s media presence at the United Nations is highly prolific and one to be celebrated as a relatively new media brand. The media company gained the trust of The United Nations Foundation (UNF) to ensure their platform acquired media privileges to The United Nations premises to cover the 73^rd UN General Assembly.

As a Social & Community Enhancer and Cervical Cancer Advocate, Hamer focuses on assisting to develop and redevelop existing communities. Breaking through barriers, enhancing life experiences and creating personal advancement opportunities for people within communities as well as ensuring their lateral development.

Hamer was one of the Caribbean youth leaders selected by UNESCO / UNICEF to participate in the preparation process for the Small Island Development State (SIDS) 2014 global meeting by presenting youth voices at the regional and inter-regional preparatory meetings held in 2013. Through a series of regional conference in Jamaica, Fiji and the Seychelles, young people were able to discuss the challenges for SIDS from a youth perspective and provide proposals for the post 2015 development agenda (now known as the SDGs) and next strategy for sustainable development in SIDS.

In 2015, Hamer was invited to speak at the First UN Women Entrepreneurship Day Conference held at the United Nation’s Headquarter in New York. Her presentation focused on women’s health and its impact on economies.

Before leaving for the 73^rd UNGA, Hamer completed an OCHA- United Nations Disaster and Coordination Assessment (UNDAC) mission which focused on Support to Hurricane Preparedness 2018. The mission was executed based on request by the Government of St. Maarten. Prior to UNDAC, she worked as a communication consultant with The United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) for their Building Back Better Projects on St. Maarten.

 Hamer, under Amo’ek Media will continue to work in partnership with TanTV to cover social and community related topics while ensuring the continuous adaptation and upkeep of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through their various platforms and engagements.

As global advocates of peace, Hamer of Amo’ek Media and Fashanu of TanTV Studios serve as the faces of what this new generation of change makers and global citizens look like. A symbol of diversity, inclusivity, young women working together and being one of the many rare voices at the table. This is just the beginning of the duo, as they hope to combat stereotypes through their work of being voices for the SDGs and of global change.

Keoma Hamer of Amo'ek Media and Adedayo Fashanu of TanTv Networks at Social Good Summit Red Carpet. 

SINT MAARTEN (COLE BAY) - Recently the well-known bar and restaurant Topper’s switched to using only reusable and biodegradable products instead of environmentally damaging single-use plastics.

Nature Foundation’s Project Officer Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern presented the Reduce and Reuse St Maarten project to Staff members of Topper’s, explaining them about the harmful effects of single-use plastics on our environment, ourselves and on marine life and what can be done to reduce single-use plastic usage. 

“At least 9 million tons of plastic enters the world’s oceans each year, 96% of all marine biodiversity is vulnerable to this plastic pollution. Half of all sea turtles mistake plastic for food and 90% of all sea birds ingest plastic.

“If current trends continue, a lot of marine life will die and there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. Single use plastic bags, plastic straws, plastic cups, balloons, cutlery and Styrofoam food containers are some of the most environmentally damaging products on our island; these items do not biodegrade and stay in the ecosystem and oceans forever.

“They release a variety of chemicals during degradation, which have a negative impact on organisms, us and our ecosystems. New research even shows that plastic breakdown accelerates greenhouse gas production in the environment,” explained Nature Foundation’s Project Officer Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern. 

Nature Foundation applauds Topper’s Bar and Restaurant, and several other businesses which already switched to reusable and biodegradable alternatives instead of single-use plastics, such as Dinghy Dock Bar, Buccaneers Beach Bar, Lagoonies and Coconut Reef Tours, for the initiative to go green.

These responsible businesses will contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable St Maarten for future generations. 

Recently several businesses were requested by the Nature Foundation to switch to reusable and biodegradable alternatives instead of using single-use plastics.

“We did not receive any response yet, however we hope that the invited businesses are thinking about the opportunity and will switch eventually to a more environmental friendly product.

“In the coming months more and more businesses, tour operators and organizations on St Maarten will be requested to make the switch as well and go green,” continued Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern. 

Anyone interested in receiving more information about the impact of single-use plastics and using reusable and biodegradable alternatives instead, can contact the Nature Foundation.

Thanks to the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and the Heineken Regatta for their generous donations towards the Reduce and Reuse St Maarten project.