AAPA to hold 102nd Annual Convention at Port Canaveral, Florida
For the first time in its 60-year history, the Canaveral Port Authority will serve as host of the American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) annual convention, which takes place Oct. 13-17. And, for the first time in AAPA’s 102-year history, the business meetings for its international conference will be split between two locations: Port Canaveral, Fla.—one of the world’s busiest cruise ports with growing cargo; and Orlando, Fla.—one of the busiest American cities for conferences and conventions, the Association said in its media release.
The seaport facilities at Port Canaveral are Orlando’s “gateway to the world” for both cruise passenger visits (more than 4 million per year and growing) and for important cargoes ranging from petroleum, salt and other bulk commodities, to refrigerated freight like juice concentrates and other perishables, to building materials, boats and heavy equipment.
As part of the convention’s informative business program, a host of presenters from both the private and public sectors will discuss topics ranging from global and economic trade recovery to perspectives on the future of public port authorities. Keynoting the program will be U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari, as well as Canadian Ambassador to the United States Gary Doer and Disney Cruise Line President Karl Holz.
Also lined-up for the program’s Wednesday luncheon is a special guest speaker who will be announced just as the convention is getting under way.
In addition to the topics and keynote speakers mentioned above, convention attendees also will hear from international environmental leaders who will discuss two environmental certification programs endorsed by AAPA for its member ports; a crisis communications specialist who will lead an interactive session on effective strategic communications planning; and the winners of AAPA’s awards competitions for communications, environmental improvement, information technology and facilities engineering, who will discuss their 2013 award-winning projects.
Port Canaveral, with its new CEO John E. Walsh, provided $2 billion in economic impact for the central Florida region last year. The port authority will host AAPA’s convention and exhibition activities at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes Hotel in Orlando. In addition to programs in Orlando and Port Canaveral, the agenda includes a reception at the Kennedy Space Center, hosted by the Port of Houston Authority, next year’s AAPA Annual Convention host.
The convention will conclude with a members-only annual meeting and election of new officers and directors for the association’s upcoming activity year, including the installation of Tay Yoshitani, CEO of the Port of Seattle, as AAPA’s 2013-2014 chairman of the board.
About the Canaveral Port Authority
With nearly 4 million revenue cruise passengers annually traveling through its terminals, Port Canaveral is the second busiest cruise port in the world, with home-ported and portof call ships from the world’s top cruise lines. Port Canaveral also is a growing cargo port centrally located to service all of Florida and the Southeastern United States, annually handling million of tons of bulk, break bulk and project cargo. Along with its parks, marinas, beach, restaurants and other entertainment options, Port Canaveral boasts a new 7-story attraction and generates more than 13,000 jobs for the region with an estimated economic impact of more than $2 billion.