Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 408 MARCH 2017 • FOGHORN FOGHORNFOCUS: CONVENTION REVIEW MariTrends 2017 was a hot spot for Associate and Vessel members to talk; Chris Reckert and Dione Lee present sessions; Heather Henderson wins editorial award; networking is a vital component of the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2017. customers. Later in the convention, a dedicated ticketing and reservation con- ference allowed vessel operators and ticketing companies to come together and discuss current and emerging reservation products in a unique question and answer format. And, a variety of sessions addressed the business-side of running a passenger vessel operation, including legal concerns, insurance and liability issues, human resources/employment situations, and public relations. One topic that arose more than once was how to attract, engage, and retain the Millennial generation to the commercial maritime industry as a viable career choice. Engaging General Sessions • Kenneth Svendsen, Entertainment Cruises The lineup of general sessions at this meeting was impressive with view- points providing arresting and valuable insight into several critical areas. Kenneth Svendsen, CEO of Entertainment Cruises in Chicago, opened the convention with an address that got attendees talking. His presentation, “Harnessing the Speed of Change: The Path to Becoming a Purpose-Driven Guest Experience Industry,” centered on the notion that success comes when operators embrace the importance of a “guest-centric” culture to cater to customers and differentiate themselves from others in the hospitality arena. In his upbeat and fast-paced speech, Svendsen cautioned the audience that the speed of change is quick and that the risk of vessel operators who want to stay relevant and innovative must “stay relentlessly focused on what guests want to ex- perience.” Doing so requires staying close to the guest and understanding how they want to interact and transact with businesses. Drawing from a career that has spanned three decades over several countries on three continents, he stressed that technology is vital to staying close to guests as well as encouraging a business model that includes having all employees embrace “guestcentricity” opportunities and become ambassadors for the organization. • Marco Del Rosario, Google Quite possibly the youngest general session speaker to ever grace the stage of a PVAAnnual Convention at MariTrends 2017, Marco Del Rosario, Global Account Manager at Google, quickly demonstrated his deep, technical knowledge of the rapidly changing technologies that vessel operators are facing. In his presentation, “Digital Shift: Where Are Your Users Spending Their Time?” he deftly explained the analytics Google offers and what it all means to vessel operators’ websites. According to Del Rosario, the time spent on digital platforms has grown dramatically—there’s been a 56 percent increase on Google usage over four years. Even more impressive is that there has been an incredible 250 percent increase in time spent using mobile devices. That equates to literally trillions of searches on Google, with a breathtaking 50 percent of them done on a mobile device, such as a Smartphone. He explained that while a large percentage of searches are made on mobile devices, the actual transaction is often completed later, on a desktop or laptop. He also said that although nearly every Internet search will net numerous pages, most users will only view those on the first page, saying being on that first page as “crucial.” So how do you know if your website is effective? Del Rosario suggests