Speakers Program Day 1 • Nov. 6

Opening Ceremonies

Delegates are welcomed to Hobart and the 47th Annual Interferry Conference by Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan along with Interferry President Bernard Dwyer of Spirit of Tasmania. There will be a special welcome message from Jeremy Rockliff, Premier of Tasmania.

KEYNOTE: The Leading Edge – Creating Unforgettable Customer Experiences

Rob Pennicott is an Australian tourism legend. His namesake company, Pennicott Wilderness Journeys, operates cruises and day tours from Hobart. Rob will discuss how he and his passionate local staff have been creating unforgettable moments for their customers sharing Tasmania’s scenery, wildlife and produce since 1999.

KEYNOTE: Bouncing Back – Global Tourism and Travel Trends

Robert Dougan of Tourism Australia will share his insights into customer experience in his keynote speech. As the vast majority of ferry operators rely heavily on tourist travel, they will be interested to hear Robert’s views on global tourist travel trends and patterns coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Automating the Customer Journey

The customer journey begins the second when passengers arrive at the terminal. Every interaction and experience until they arrive at their destination forms their impression of the journey. With a labour shortage forecasted to effect operators for the foreseeable future, automation will become a key tool of operators to avoid service interruptions.

In this session, Meri Rigby of Surikat will speak in depth about the application of ‘Smart Port’ solutions and examples of current projects with Stena Line and Scandlines. Anders Rundberg of Carus will discuss how having the right self-service tools and apps for real-time updates and communication can enhance the customer experience and increase onboard spending.

Presentations will be followed by 15 minute Q&A session.

Elevating Ticketing and Booking

When thinking about automation and digitization it can seem quite overwhelming regarding where to start. One of the easiest ways to begin integrating and adopting these technologies is to look at an operator’s booking and ticketing process. In this session, we will explore solutions for elevating the ticketing and booking processes.

Ciro Scopano of E-Dea will present CalMac’s experience in upgrading their ticketing and booking system and the many successes already being celebrated shortly after implementation. Paula Gill of Ferryhawk will discuss how one ferry operator’s frustrations led to the development of innovative software to automate and simplify their booking process, increase compliance, and improve customer satisfaction.

The presentations will be followed by 10 minutes of Q&A.

Seamless Voyage: Elevating Customer Experience with Accessible and Universal Entertainment

In today’s highly competitive market, companies are actively seeking ways to differentiate themselves and provide value to their customers.

PressReader’s Azahara Martinez will discuss a key challenge facing the entire industry: How do operators continue to enhance customer satisfaction in the face of rising operating costs and staff shortages? Creating waste-free, accessible entertainment opportunities onboard will be explored in this session.

An Electric Future

In the race to zero-emissions there’s no silver bullet, but there is a frontrunner gaining a lot of momentum and attention. Electricity is becoming an increasingly utilized option when designing the vessels of the future – whether hybrid-electric or solely battery powered.

This session aims to explore batteries, electrification and the considerations involved. Mathilde Bergerskogen of ABB will discuss the many considerations when integrating large battery systems on ferries. Kesavan Muruganandan of Arup will dive into an electrical engineer’s perspective on electrifying maritime transport and why passenger ferries are perhaps the most viable starting point for this technology. EV Maritime’s Michael Eaglen will share the plan for the electrification of Auckland’s passenger ferry network and the construction of two identical 200-passenger 25-knot battery electric fast ferries.

A 15 minute Q&A session will follow.