The Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention exhibit hall offers the latest in technologies, products and services with over 960 exhibitors grouped by product sector. Approximately 7,000 people were in attendance over the three day event. The Entertainment Technology Pavilion (ETP), in its third consecutive year, showcased various forms of cruise ship entertainment integration companies and systems. This is Barbizon’s fourth consecutive year exhibiting reaffirming good relationships with many of these Cruise Lines. One corner of the MBCC consisted of companies that covered a vast area of “Entertainment” including Flat screen TV for cabins, Bingo solutions, Fog and Water curtains/screens, Laser FX, Robe and our friends at Ocean Optics with their Seachanger. High-end was also present at the HMS/IEC booth with three DL2 systems projected on an impressive water curtain and Coemar’s Panorama LED fixtures at our booth. The center of focus was in the audiovisual integration companies of multimedia systems on cruise liners. Harbor Marine Systems (HMS) takeover of HMS by IEC Professional Media. Also recently Tele Dimensions Incorporated (TDI) and German owned FUNA joined forces and MAVCO. Two Cruise Lines have been going through corporate structure changes with a more concentrated focus on shore side Ship Managers concentrating their efforts on dry-dock upgrades and repairs.

Most of these 215,000 ton Mega liners have more Entertainment areas on each vessel than the average hotel on the Vegas strip. Overall this multi Billion Dollar and Euro industry serviced 11 million people and is projected to have a 57% increase to 17 million people through 2010 with an impressive 80% of these to sail again. These facts alone make it hard to ignore the fact that this industry is a major influence to the Entertainment/Architectural and Hotel Industry period.