Cruise Ship Interiors Design Expo Europe 2024 is now fully underway! Read on for a recap of the first day of the only trade show dedicated to the European cruise interiors industry.
The Pelligon Party
As delegates touched down in London, many had an early start to Cruise Ship Interiors Design Expo Europe (CSIE) at the Opening Party, sponsored by De Wave Group, Bourne Group and Herculan. This swanky event was held at The Pelligon along London’s waterfront, where guests could mingle while enjoying the sparkling views of London after dark.
The next morning, before doors opened, decision makers and suppliers began their day with a quickfire round of introductions at this year’s first Speed Networking session. Matched by the team according to pre-show interviews, cruise interiors industry buyers were paired with hand-selected suppliers catering to their upcoming project needs.
At 10am, CSIE 2024 officially began! Visitors were welcomed as they entered the bustling hall for the first of two action-packed days. The vibrant aisles boasted many enticing stands showcasing impressive products, new innovations, demonstrations and activities to explore.
The show floor, plus a bit more
The suppliers, manufacturers and service providers of the cruise ship interior design supply chain presented their best at CSIE. SD Marine (stand 634) laid down a challenge, inviting visitors to their award-winning sustainable stand to test their repair skills against the clock. Every visitor was invited to repair a damaged bit of worktop. The SD Marine team have kindly already filled and sanded the scuff, all the participating visitors must do is repaint the surface to create a seamless finish. The daily prize for the fastest repair is a bottle of champagne. Today, the first prize went to Alan Crampton, of SG Ecophon. Could tomorrow’s winner be you?
CITA Design have launched their new branding, showcasing their new logo and signature colours on their stand. Their stunning new branding was warmly received among the attending cruise line buyers and designers – netting them the joint win of Best Stand. Their co-celebrants, turnkey marine outfitting company Accomar, showcased their multifaceted skills. The winner of the most sustainable stand was protective material supplier, Temprotech.
Pitch and Pint returned, and this year saw the addition of a new interactive element. Pitchers, judges and the watching crowd gathered at this year’s apres ski-themed location, The Lodge, for another round of fast-paced pitches. The audience could do more than just cheer their favourites on, casting their votes via the show app. Participating companies included: Gyrex, P/Kaufmann, SEIEFFE SRL – OKITE, Ulster Carpets, Woodio. Elite Exhibitions CEO Toby Walters compéred the event, challenging the judges to up their scores and encouraging the audience to raise the roof in favour of the plucky pitchers. In true CSIE style, there was even room for a surprise entrant, Aluwood, to jump in and pitch when another contestant was unable to make it. The winner was Woodio for their innovative, sustainable and weight-saving flooring made using woodchips.
Sustainable Luxe
Not to be left out, the VIP lounge was outfitted in fine style by Satelliet UK (stand 1040). In addition to their own tropical-flavoured stand, featuring zesty orange soft furnishings and light wood floors and panels, they elevated the VIP lounge with their stunning new range, entirely made out of recycled materials. The range, Current, featured stunning recycled plastic wicker elements and high-end velvets. Bethany Buxton, Senior Audience Engagement Manager, said, ‘Creating a hub of community and networking for the cruise ship interiors industry’s leaders, buyers and designers is one of my favourite aspects of CSI Europe. I’d like to thank Satelliet UK who helped us create such a welcoming and stylish space.’
Interiors insights from the conference
Chair of the CSI Advisory Board, My Nguyen (Holland America Line & Seabourn) opened the CSI Design Expo Europe 2024 conference program with her opening remarks. This was followed with the awarding of this year’s NEWH scholarship.
This year’s CSI Design Expo Europe conference program, in partnership with NEWH, debuted a new format consisting of both a hospitality track and an interiors track. At ‘Transforming key spaces’, taking place on SMC Design’s stand Andy Yuill revealed exclusive details about SMC Design’s work on the groundbreaking refurbishment of Aroya for Cruise Saudi . He said that he and his team had to ‘look at the total picture to create a new brand.’ They immersed themselves in the culture and involved specialist consultants in order to rapidly acquire the knowledge and oversight needed to complete the project. The ship, previously World Dream, had been designed for the Asian market, so a complete overhaul was needed. As an example of one of the space overhauls, Andy detailed how they had transformed a space that had previously housed a spa into one of the largest children’s areas afloat.
Over at the CSI+ Lounge and Sustainable Product Showcase, Meyer Turku gave listeners a deep dive into the many ways the shipyard was striving towards sustainability. Speaking on ‘MaMa’ – their sustainable materials project, their sustainable cabin prototype and NEcOLEAP, the shipyard set out their plan to achieve their emissions-free future.
A warm welcome to Hospitality@CSI
New to CSIE, Hospitality@CSI launched with a bright and early Welcome Breakfast. The cruise hospitality community gathered to make connections and mingle while enjoying delicious pastries and coffee at CSI Europe’s ski-inspired pit stop, The Lodge.
Dining has undergone one of the most dramatic transformations of all public areas in the last ten years of cruise. At ‘Designing back of house for new dining concepts’, Jason Gelineau, Fabiana Dornelas and Adrian Hibbert discussed what the shift from set dining and buffets to market-style and experience-led venues meant for galley design. Jason highlighted that cruise lines had really moved away from creating spaces with a lot of downtime. For example, he said, ‘Instead of having a theatre with a bar, they have a lounge with entertainment.’ This means that the space is activated and in use throughout the day, and the guests are still able to enjoy the entertainment programming that they love.
Blooloop hosted a lunch & learn on CONDUCTR’s stand, with Business Development Director speaking with Josh Pickover from SMC Design, Ben Wilson from MSC Cruises and Peter Cliff, CONDUCTR. Backed by CONDUCTR’s modern twist on the shuffleboard, the speakers discussed competitive socialising, entertainment spaces and how on land and at sea parameters for creating engaging spaces differ. Ben discussed MSC World America and MSC Cruises’ zoning strategy to keep their 6,000 multigenerational guests engaged throughout different areas of the ship.
More to come
Day one of CSIE closed with the always popular Happy Hour. After a brief word from Toby Walters, and with thanks to the sponsors, Fiber Protector, MJM Marine, Peninsula and Bourne Group, the party was underway. As in previous years, Happy Hour was a celebration of a busy and invigorating day of forming and deepening professional relationships and sharing ideas. However, this year it was also something of a goodbye, as this is CSI Europe’s last year in the Excel London ahead of their 2025 move to Hamburg Messe.
At the end of the day it was announced that Giedrius Valainis, CEO of Aros Marine, has joined the CSI Advisory Board. He brings years of experience managing ship refit projects for cruise ships, ferries and expedition vessels. His practical knowledge and focus on sustainability will complement the diverse expertise of the CSI Advisory Board.
For those who didn’t want the party to end, invites were sent out to the secret CSI After Hours. The secret location was revealed as The Lockdown Room. For those who wish to attend the second day of CSI Europe, there’s still time to register and join in with the best event in the European cruise ship interiors market’s diary.
Want more of this?
Check out the Cruise Ship Interiors (CSI) Design Expo Europe blog for more design insights and the latest industry updates. CSI Design Expo Europe is a specialised conference and exhibition catered exclusively to the European cruise interior design industry, with a unique focus on Europe’s luxury ocean, river, and expedition cruising. The next event will be taking place on 3 – 4 December 2025 at Hamburg Messe & Congress.