HALLANDALE, Fla. -- Radisson Seven Seas Cruises CEO Mark Conroy
ended his tenure as chairman of the Cruise Lines International
Association last week, but, like any outgoing CLIA boss, he
couldn't step down without being roasted a bit.
Conroy's testimonial dinner wasn't so much of a roast, actually
-- during his speech at the dinner industry veteran Rod McLeod
mused: "Is it going to be a full roast? Is it a light braising?" --
as it was a chance for industry executives to get together to
praise Conroy for his work at the trade association and, yes, to
tell a few anecdotes at his expense.
The chairmanship of CLIA typically is a two-year post that's
rotated through execs from the various member lines, but Conroy
served for nearly three years after his predecessor, Rick Sasso,
left his position at Celebrity Cruises midway through his CLIA
commitment.
There were some serious and heartfelt moments. During his
speech, David Giersdorf, the incoming chairman and the executive
vice president at Holland America Line, announced the creation of
the Mark Conroy Scholarship Fund, which will be awarded to a
student in the travel and tourism department of the Milwaukee Area
Technical College.
But there also was plenty of humor. McLeod read through a
laundry list of events that rocked the world during Conroy's three
years, which included war, SARS, the "coming together" of Carnival
Corp. and P&O Princess and "the collapse" of Jennifer Lopez and
Ben Affleck's wedding plans.
Vicki Freed, the senior vice president of sales for Carnival
Cruise Lines, meanwhile jokingly referred to Conroy's
self-professed "hands-off" management style while referencing
several hands-on changes that occurred at CLIA under Conroy's
watch: a new president, a new headquarters, a new agent
certification level and a significant ramp-up in online
training.
And, she deadpanned to laughter, Conroy would now have time to
focus on his own cruise brand and its name change, "from Radisson,
a well-respected brand in the hotel industry, to Seven Seas, a
well-respected brand in the salad- dressing industry."
The attendees were a collection of high-level cruise line
executives and a few agent partners. Among them were Crystal
Cruises' Bill Smith; Deborah Natansohn, Cunard Line; Jack Mannix,
Ensemble (formerly Giants); Silversea's David Morris; CLIA
president Terry Dale and Marilyn Richardson-Conroy, a sales
executive at Silversea and Conroy's wife.
To contact reporter Rebecca Tobin, send e-mail to [email protected].