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With raving reviews and congratulations still rolling in several weeks after the conference, the 16th annual Caribbean Shipping and Executives Conference, (CSEC), hosted by the Curaçao Ports Authority, (CPA), was such a huge success that many of the delegates from the port and shipping industry, were awe-struck and even perhaps a little envious.
TEXT BY FARAH DIBAH AYOUBI
The Caribbean Shipping and Executives Conference, (CSEC), is an annual event held by the Caribbean Shipping Association, (CSA), that is currently based in Jamaica. Every year key shipping industry executives from all over the Caribbean, and the Northern and Western hemispheres gather at a different destination in the Caribbean to discuss matters pertaining to their industry. Aside from the many insightful lectures and discussions presented, it is the networking opportunities during the evenings’ social events that are most valued by the participants. CPA won the bid for hosting this 16th annual event for the third time around; previously hosting in 2006 and 2010.
In true CPA fashion, a top-notch organizing team was installed and headed up by its Port and Land Development Officer, MiIaika Capella-Ras, a CPA events veteran. Capella- Ras rolled out her vision of how to best showcase what Curaçao can offer its participants during the 5-day CSEC event, by bringing together a dream team of professionals, of both in-house employees and external suppliers, that could make this happen exactly the way she had envisioned it.
Elements of CSEC
This 16th CSEC consisted of 5 days of sessions. One day was reserved for CSA’s Board of Directors to discuss internal and strategic matters. The other days were filled to the brim with insightful sessions delivered by international and local speakers from all spheres of the sector. With topics ranging from the current state of the Caribbean cruise industry, to port security and safety issues; all topics pertaining to the advancement of the shipping sector were covered. CPA also utilized this golden opportunity to introduce their future plans for Curaçao’s ports, and in particular, the Waaigat Development Project, to many of their valued clients in the shipping and cruise industry. They invited all delegates on an exclusive harbor tour to showcase Curaçao’s unique harbor and all of its facilities. To heighten the delegates’ opportunities to make the most of their time to network during the conference, a special conference app was created to keep everyone actively involved in all the proceedings and to enable them to communicate directly to other delegates. The CPA team created three exquisite social events. The first evening offered a casual relaxing Welcome Reception that was a postcard perfect event around the Renaissance Hotel infinity beach pool.
On the second night, Kompania di Tou Kòrsou, (KTK Tugs), hosted a historical Cultural Evening that transported guests on a historical journey with a walking tour from the Riffort Fountain to The Gouverneur restaurant alongside the picturesque harbor, and following a trail of cultural expressions throughout Curaçao’s history. A dinner reception was held featuring an assortment of local cuisine and culinary specialties.
The final evening was set to wow the delegates with an All Black Party held on board the Doña Luisa freighter and the West Wharf. The freighter was transformed into a luxurious gala venue complete with laser lights and sculptures, and guests were pimped up with boas and hats upon arrival and danced the night away while Cirque Magic acrobats hung from cranes above the dancing crowd and fireworks embedded the moment in their minds forever.
Behind the Scenes
What makes Curaçao so unique, that conferences held here always seem to touch the hearts of people of all nationalities? Unsurprisingly, it is not our warm weather, nor the dynamic and diversified tourism product that we offer. It’s our people. Seeing this conference emerge from scratch and being privy to a behind-thescenes look during the days and weeks leading up to it, makes for a great analysis of the factors contributing to its success. From the moment the organization team was created by Milaika Capella-Ras, its primary focus was to try to make things easy, hasslefree, efficient, productive and most importantly enjoyable for the attendees. It seems our people thrive on pleasing others and creating unique pleasurable experiences for our island’s visitors. Unwilling to settle for being ‘small’, we pride ourselves on striving for greatness through creativity and resourcefulness, with no room for constraints. This conference was one for the history books and once again distinguished us on map of the Caribbean. As one of the delegates, Robert West of Boston, MA, shared with us on the final day: “A great conference is one that you don’t notice. Everything is so seamless that you don’t incur any hassle. From the minute we arrived and were met at the airport, everything was taken care of and this is still happening. We didn’t have to find ourselves a cab and the ensuing days things just kept getting better. I’ve been to many conferences in bigger countries with more resources, but this one certainly exceeds anything I’m used [to].”
Benefits of hosting your own international conference in Curaçao:
We asked local event organizing company, QUBE Pure Enjoyment, to sum up the main benefits of organizing a business conference in Curaçao. Managing Director, Sigurd de Wind shared the following points for local companies thinking about hosting a conference here:
• Your company gets a lot of goodwill and free publicity. It sets you apart in your sector, building up the image of your company as a front-runner and community-minded company. • You grow your international contacts within your sector. Foreign companies are very likely to respect your company and regard you as the leading company in your sector. The relationships you build will enable you to fall back on international expertise, knowledge and opportunities and sometimes even exchange employees who in turn learn and grow from the experience.
• Increased business opportunities for you and others: international companies come to your conference hoping to increase their business; a win-win opportunity is around every corner at these conferences and as a host, you can immediately zoom in with your team to be proactive and take advantage of these opportunities.
• A large number of your employees can attend the sessions; as opposed to just a few when the conference is abroad. You can even bring your suppliers to the event and team up for the best solutions and support.
