14 SEPTEMBER 2018 • FOGHORN FOGHORNFOCUS: TECHNOLOGY © 2017 Caterpillar. All Rights Reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, BUILT FOR IT, their respective logos, ”Caterpillar Yellow,” the ”Power Edge” trade dress as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission. See our complete offer for ferries and cruise ships at marine.cat.com See the video at storiesfromsea.com PLEASE DO NOT REMAIN SEATED Do not switch of all electronics. Please move around freely. And above all, do not miss the spectacular beauty off the sea. With Cat® high performance engines, the total time of your journey could be the same as flying. Only with better views. And without the leg cramps. cat_ad_ferries.indd 1 08/01/18 22:30 To make this possible, the signals are now being deployed inside the ferries allowing for uninhibited, con- sistent service for passengers as well as secure access for crew to commu- nicate with one another to ensure the safe and secure passage needed for every crossing. Specifically, a distrib- uted antenna system (DAS), which is a network of spatially separated antenna nodes connected to a common source via a transport medium that provides wireless service within a structure, was deployed at both Staten Island Ferry terminals. In addition, onboard equipment ensures that service from all four of the major cell phone service carriers— AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon— works without dropping calls, even while the vessel is underway. Sales and Marketing Tech Tools Getting passengers to the vessel sometimes means bringing the vessel to the passenger. Fortunately, technol- ogy allows that to happen wherever the person is, even in the comfort of their living room, miles away from any waterway. Today’s technologically advanced cameras are capable of producing quite a few highs: high-quality, high- resolution, high definition. This means images and videos of vessels are better than they’ve ever been, so the vessels are depicted extremely well to viewers. Several PVA vessel-operating members use these resources to bring their vessels into the homes and offices of travel agents, travel writers, and prospective passengers. Blount Small Ship Adventures, Warren, RI, uses webinars and video clips to showcase their overnight small cruise ships. “It’s a good investment,” said Kayla Setters, BSSA’s Marketing Manager. “We receive positive feedback.” BSSA has found that offering two webinars a month to travel agents on their email list usually results in getting an average of 70 travel agents to register. When the participants register for the webinar, it triggers a reminder that the registrant receives by email. Still only about half of the people who register participate in the live session. Later, however, anyone else who registered can still view the webinar at their convenience and download information for further review. The interactive component of the webinars happening in real-time is critical to the campaign’s success. “The webinars allow participants to engage in the session as it happens by typing questions or comments in