The Expedition Cruise Network (ECN) will celebrate its first anniversary in April 2024 with its inaugural UK and Ireland roadshow spanning Birmingham, Manchester and Dublin between 23 and 25 April 2024

The ECN Roadshow will welcome travel trade professionals to an evening programme dedicated to expedition cruising, offering the chance for travel sellers to network with, learn from and sell a range of operators.

Suppliers from the sector at the First ECN Roadshow include AE Expeditions (Dublin Only); Albatros Expeditions; Australis; Aqua Expeditions (Dublin only); HX Expeditions (Birmingham and Manchester only); Polar Latitudes (Birmingham and Manchester only); Scenic (Birmingham and Manchester only); and Silversea.

Akvile Marozaite, chief executive of the Expedition Cruise Network, said: “We are very excited to announce the first ever expedition cruise roadshow in the UK and Ireland during the month of our first anniversary.”

Expedition Cruise Network Roadshows to ‘help break sales barriers’

In the organisation’s Insights Report 2023/24, it identified a key sales barrier for the travel trade was understanding, and differentiating between, expedition cruise products.

“The roadshow provides the opportunity for professionals to speak directly to suppliers to ask the questions they want answered so that they can confidently sell products taking clients to some of the most exciting and remote regions in the world,” added Marozaite.

The first event will take place in Revolucion de Cuba, Birmingham, on 23 April. The second will be hosted in Hilton Deansgate, Iris Lounge, Manchester, on 24 April and the third in Morrison Hotel, Dublin, on 25 April. All three events take place between 6pm-9.30pm.

It comes after the ECN added Antara and Maple Leaf Adventures to its membership of global expedition cruise operators, bringing the total in the network to 24.