Marine Log - April 2008 - (Page 40)

ICE CLASS TANKERS INTERACTIVE TV AT SEA T he name of the game for cruise lines continues to be how to raise the level of passenger service and generate additional onboard revenue. A panel on “IT and Communications at Sea” at the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Show in Miami last month, discussed how smart technology and up-to-theminute IT systems could accomplish both goals. Holland America Line’s VP Technology Ron Sorozan spoke about the opportunities available through the latest IT systems across a fleet to ensure raising service levels and, at the same time, boosting revenue. To better manage its vessels, passengers and crew, HAL has installed a range of software systems onboard his ships from Fidelio Cruise Software GmbH, Hamburg, Germany. The software includes Ship’s Property Management System, Fleet Management System and Comment Card. The software, explains Sorozan, provides the cruise line with a better understanding of customer demands, demographics and trends. Fidelio Cruise president Tony Heuer stressed the critical role that IT plays in the effective collection of data. This is fundamental to improving passenger services and raising additional revenue, he said. Once cruise lines hold the relevant data, he said, there are any number of ways to analyze and identify market trends, big spenders, most popular shore excursions, events, spa treatments, menus, retail sales, etc. Heuer pointed out that revenue data can be analyzed on line for the first time, providing cruise managers with a comprehensive track record of every transaction undertaken by every passenger. This, in turn, equips cruise lines to analyze passenger demographics including age and gender, and respective spending habits and trends. Ten years ago, transmitting these volumes of data from ship to shore was unthinkable—now, because of increased bandwidth onboard, it is available ashore on a daily basis. INTERACTIVE TV Interactive TV offers dramatic scope to raise service standards, the panelists agreed. It enables services on board to be “personalized” for individual cruise guests, a vital aim on board latest generation vessels with several thousand passengers. Instead of waiting in queues to book shore excursions or other activities, they can now make reservations from the comfort of their own cabins. This enables them to plan their activities more effectively and to make the best use of services available on board. And 40 MARINE LOG APRIL 2008 www.marinelog.com http://www.beierradio.cm http://www.beierradio.cm http://www.marinelog.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Marine Log - April 2008

Marine Log - April 2008 Contents Editorial Second Thoughts Update Inside Washington Offshore Vessels Evolve to Meet Subsea Demands Picking the Right Floaters for Deepwater Tugs: The Good Times Roll, But for How Long? Interactive TV at Sea Jo-Kell's Suzan Kelly Tugs & Barges Exhibitors Preview Beyond Imagination Tech News Newsmakers Contracts Events Website Directory Infodirect ML Marketplace Last Page

Marine Log - April 2008

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