Each year at its annual convention, the Passenger Vessel Association does an excellent job of providing attendees with a plethora of information through its seminars and general sessions.
For example, at this year's convention that wraps up today in Houston, Rear Adm. Joseph A. Servidio, the Coast Guard’s assistant commandant for prevention policy, delivered a speech yesterday about the USCG’s missions going forward. On Sunday, Jim Zitek, co-founder and CEO of Harbor Capital Group, had quite a bit to say about our economy and future markets.
I'll have more on these speeches in the future.
Meanwhile, here are a few snippets of information that got my attention while sitting in on this year’s seminars and general sessions at the PVA Annual Convention at Maritrends:
• Following Hurricane Sandy, those who wanted to pay cash to use New York’s ferry system had to wait in lines that literally stretched a mile in length, while those with a mobile device that could download tickets were able to hop aboard.
• Being green is conceived by customers as being a good thing, and the cost of going green can be prohibitive.
• You’re hearing about LNG everywhere.
• There are about 75 lawsuits challenging mandatory coverage of contraceptives under the Affordable Care Act.
• Dow Jones numbers are a reflection of a managed index.
• The Coast Guard is keeping up with service demand.
• The more communication you can provide your customers, the happier they will be.
• Kids start learning about environmental responsibility at an early age.
It’s been another interesting show and I had a good time hanging out with the people from PVA. Next year the PVA convention will be in Long Beach, Calif., so my West Coast colleague Bruce Buls will likely cover the show for WorkBoat. Hopefully, I’ll be back in 2016.
