Cruise association CLIA has added an expedition showcase in Svalbard as part of a list of new trade events for next year.
The first CLIA Expedition Showcase will be held in Longyearbyen, Svalbard from 16-20 July 2025 and will include ship visits with AE Expeditions, Ponant, Quark Expeditions and Swan Hellenic, as well as business sessions, shore excursions and hosted lunches and dinners. CLIA hasn’t said how many agent places are available but spaces will be limited.
Other new events for 2025 include an Art of Selling Cruise day in Leeds on 3 July, with a particular emphasis on agents who are new to the industry.
A series of one-day forums have also been added for 2025, with each forum specialising in a different sector. They include an expedition forum in London on 20 March, a luxury forum in Manchester on 18 June, a yacht and small ship sailing event in Birmingham on 4 September and a river cruise event in Glasgow on 23 October. The forums will be supplemented by a series of corresponding webinars.
CLIA will also repeat its Expedition Champion and River Champion hybrid learning programmes in 2025. The programmes, launched this year, will again have space for a total of 70 frontline agents, who can join the six-month modules in the second half of the year.
Meanwhile, the final few places for CLIA’s annual conference, starting in Southampton on 22 May, are available. The three-day event will include ship visits, conference sessions, a trade fair and Sailaway party.
CLIA Managing Director for UK & Ireland Andy Harmer announced the details at CLIA’s annual forum, which was held on Wednesday (18 December) at the De Vere Beaumont Estate in Windsor.
Andy said: “Today’s Forum has been the ideal way to round off another successful year and I’d like to thank every agent and industry colleague who has made it all possible. We’re determined for the momentum to keep apace in 2025 and have ensured there are a wealth of new opportunities available for the trade to develop their expertise across the next 12 months. For everyone looking to bolster their sales, including during the upcoming Wave period, we’d urge them to think CLIA in the new year.”
More details of the 2025 activity will be announced shortly on cruising.org.
