Save the Date The Mediterranean's Largest Cruise Event to Be Held in Barcelona in 2014

- Tenth biennial Mediterranean focused cruise event

NEW YORK, June 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Seatrade Med Cruise Convention, the major biennial cruise event focused on the world's second largest cruise destination – the Mediterranean, will gather in Barcelona, Spain from September 16-18, 2014 at Fira de Barcelona Gran Via Conference Centre.

"We feel extremely proud and excited to host Seatrade Med 2014 for the first time in Barcelona. We are expecting great participation, showing the strength and the resilience of the cruise industry in the Mediterranean and reinforcing the commitment of the ship owners and the cruise industry to our port and our city, Barcelona," said Sixte Cambra, president of the Port of Barcelona.

Owned and organized by UBM Live in partnership with Seatrade Communications Ltd, Seatrade Med is Europe's most prestigious cruise event, welcoming over 4,000 attendees and 300 exhibiting suppliers and service providers to the Mediterranean cruise market. "We are extremely proud to host our 10th edition event in Barcelona," said UBM Live portfolio director Daniel Read. "It is one of the most beloved cruise destinations in the world and the perfect location to bring the Mediterranean cruise industry together."

Part of UBM Live's growing Cruise Shipping Portfolio, Seatrade Med features a comprehensive conference featuring high-profile speakers, an exhibition, a travel agent training component, and valuable networking events. "We are delighted that the 2014 edition of Seatrade Med will be held in Barcelona," said Seatrade chairman Chris Hayman. "We certainly believe that the cruise market in the Mediterranean will continue to grow and that Barcelona will continue to expand as a key hub in the western Med."

These are exciting times for the port of Barcelona, who were named as the leader in Europe in terms of transported passengers for 2011, and the fifth in terms of world rankings. More than 2.5 million people passed through the Barcelona harbor in 2011, which represents a near 13% increase compared to 2010. This further cements the economic importance of cruise to the Mediterranean and will continue the success of the previous event, which took place in Marseille in 2012.

This key event in the cruise industry is traditionally hosted by a MedCruise member port, and the Association participates in every edition with a very strong presence, being its pavilion the main attraction of the exhibition. MedCruise president Stavros Hatzakos stated: "The hosting of this event in Barcelona is a wonderful opportunity for the region to continue attracting cruise lines, and to give international promotion to the area and its cruise destinations. We want to congratulate Barcelona for winning the bid as well as thanking the other members who participated. We look forward to a successful event that will help us to grow even more and we are already starting the preparation of MedCruise´s participation as principal sponsor."

The Mediterranean Cruise Market:
In 2011 a total of 171 cruise ships were active in the Mediterranean, with 2,958 cruises sailing the waters offering a total capacity of 33.79 million passenger nights. In that same year, Barcelona was the leading cruise port in terms of number of passengers disembarking at the port and topped the list for passenger revenue. The number of cruise passengers visiting the coast of the Mediterranean increased by almost 10% in 2011, while the number of ships increased by more than 7%, compared with 2010.

Spain also featured in one of the top three countries in terms of growth in direct expenditure with an increase of 9.4% during 2011. This was an increase of nearly 14% on the previous year and the majority of this was from passenger and crew spending at Spanish ports. In addition, other categories, including shipbuilding and cruise line purchases, also experienced growth of 6% compared to 2010 figures. Spain primarily serves as a source and destination market with some cruise lines headquartered there.

For more information about Seatrade Med, please visit http://www.cruiseshippingevents.com/med.

Media Contact:
Jennifer Rosen
UBM Live
+1-609-759-7604
Jennifer.rosen@ubm.com

Social Media
Additional news, information and announcements about Seatrade Med and other Cruise Shipping events available on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

The Cruise Shipping Portfolio
The Cruise Shipping Portfolio organized by UBM Live includes Cruise Shipping Miami, Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific and Seatrade Med. Since 1985 Cruise Shipping Miami has been the world's premier annual event for the global cruise industry, featuring a three-day exhibition and four-day conference that draw more than 11,000 attendees and over 1,000 exhibiting companies from more than 130 countries.

About UBM Live
UBM Live connects people and creates opportunities for companies across five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products, promote their brands and expand their markets. Through premier brands such as Routes, CPhI, IFSEC, TFM&A, Cruise Shipping Miami, the Concrete Show and many others, UBM Live exhibitions, conferences, awards programs, publications, websites and training and certification programs are an integral part of the marketing plans of companies across more than 20 industry sectors.

About Seatrade
Connecting the global cruise community – www.seatrade-global.com    

Established 40 years ago, Seatrade is a leader in cruise and maritime publications, conferences and exhibitions, training, awards and other special projects. Regular events include international trade exhibitions and conferences across all maritime sectors, management training courses for shipping professionals, training seminars for travel agents and award schemes, including the Seatrade Insider Cruise Awards. Seatrade publications include magazines, supplements and yearbooks, whilst Seatrade Insider provides daily cruise news online at www.seatrade-insider.com