Coordination and key performance indicator in cruise event management: an empirical analysis in Italian market

This paper aims to verify the coordination and control systems applied in the relationship systems between cruise line companies and terminal concessionaires in the cruise events management when the ships are stopping on the quay. In the recent years, the continuous increase of the cruise passenger flows has interested several countries, especially the Mediterranean area. This growth is due to the changes in the strategies system of the cruise line companies and to a pricing policy oriented new customer targets. In addition, the cruise ship dimensions are becoming greater than in the past and require a well-structured range of cruise services to attract more passengers in order to fill each ship managed by cruise line companies. In this multi-services effort the cruise events play a key role. Indeed, the events on board during ship navigation assure the occupancy of the berth lower, instead, the cruise event management on ships board in stopping on the quays could represent “a new way” to foster the cruise package sale because the “event participants” are “temporary ship visitors” and not cruise passengers. For the last two cruise events types, the cruise terminal concessionaires are involved in the operational process and could support the cruise line companies to increase the passenger flows. We conduct an exploratory study through a qualitative approach by using a case study methodology. The empirical study focused on the Italian context by interviewing two main cruise terminal concessionaires and observing the events planned by the cruise companies shareholders in these seaports. We found out that the increasing interaction between the cruise companies and terminals in the cruise event management process needs to be managed efficiently through specific and effective coordination and key performance indicators.