17 March 2020 – Following on from the success of last year’s event, Cruise Ship Interiors Expo America (CSI) returns to Miami Beach Convention Center later this year. Last year, nearly 3,000 guests attended from every corner of the cruise interiors industry and early bookings suggest that 2020 will see significantly more. But this time, an entirely new feature promises to have visitors on the edge of their seats.
At Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Europe (CSIE) 2019, hosted in Barcelona, maritime publisher Jon Ingleton invited 16 of his fellow CSIE advisory board members to each sketch a chair. The initial illustrations were shared with DSE Visualisation, a Serbian architectural rendering studio. DSE transformed the sketches into photorealistic images, and the full collection will be on display at CSI this year.
Among the designers and cruise professionals to take part in this unique initiative were Petu Kummala, senior director of interior design and architecture at Carnival Cruise Line; My Nguyen, director of interior design and operations at Holland America Group; Antonio di Nenno, architect director at MSC Cruises; Petra Ryberg, head of design at P&O Australia; and Anne Mari Gullikstad, chief executive of YSA Design. Who designed which chair will be revealed at CSI 2020 – but not before attendees are offered the chance to speculate for themselves.
Given the calibre of the participants, it is safe to assume that each creation will be eye-catching, innovative and in some way reflective of its designer’s values – and yet no two will be alike. The variety in the designs will echo the diversity on the CSIE advisory committee, whose members represent cruise lines, design studios, architecture firms and – in Ingleton’s case – a magazine. CSI’s panel features many of the same names, but includes additional high-profile industry figures such as George Scammell of Princess Cruises and Greg Walton of Studio DADO Inc.
According to Toby Walters, chief executive of Elite Exhibitions, the company behind CSI, the event pushes the boundaries of creativity and collaboration in the cruise interiors sector: “CSI is a hotbed of talent and inspiration. This year in Miami, specialists from every area of the industry, including 350 exhibitors, will come together to share ideas, gain new perspectives and form relationships that will help to drive innovation in cruise ship interior design for many years to come.”
