Schedule of Content

Join My Nguyen, as she opens the show, welcoming attendees and celebrating this year’s class of Future Leaders. Following this, a winning interior design student will be awarded with the coveted NEWH scholarship, gifted by CSI.

As cruise projects grow in scale and complexity, the way we design and deliver them is evolving. This session explores how smarter workflows, technology, and collaboration are redefining efficiency, all while keeping design intent and creativity at the core.

• What’s changing about the way cruise interiors are designed and delivered?
• What new technologies and workflows ensure an efficient project?
• Data-driven decisions, risk register, health & safety and project management 
• Making collaboration easy, delivering a consistent service, with future feedback loops
• Using technology to deliver beautiful design!

SMC Design explore the scope of the briefs they receive from cruise lines including NYK Cruises, Aroya Cruises, MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line. Andy Yuill and the team will discuss how the design studio brings their design ethos and methodology to projects ranging from having sole responsibility of all design for a newbuild  or refurbishment project, to working alongside other design and architecture teams on select spaces.

JOI-Design explores their work on the recently launched Mein Schiff Flow. This case study dives into how the studio tackled the unique challenges of designing for a newbuild sister ship.

Refurbishment and fleet modernization projects are booming. This session dives into the evolving landscape of the US-based refurbishment market, the Grand Bahama’s Shipyard expansion and reopening and how every player in the supply chain is handling the bustling dry dock schedule.

• How Grand Bahama’s shipyard expansion is reshaping what’s possible for refurbishment
• How the refurbishment market is changing for cruise lines based in the US
• What impact is the demand for mega ships having on global shipyards?
• Creating space for creativity, how infrastructure and workflow influence design outcomes
• Larger fleets, busier teams: how to manage simultaneous dry docks
• A cross-industry conversation involving the outfitter, cruise line and shipyard

Yohandel Ruiz and Janice Davidson discuss how compelling design sets the stage for ‘slow travel’, including experiences that emphasize the journey, spaces that encourage social interaction and ways to empower guests to choose their level of engagement. The session will explore how the relationship between brand and design is a potent path to a new type of cruise experience, one that feels unabashedly old school but boldly about the future.

This Working Group will discuss a design challenge in cross-sector, mixed-discipline roundtables.

What does designing a new eco-friendly space look like from beginning to end of the design process? 

Small groups will discuss what makes sustainable design deliverable. Their output will be a set of guidelines which provide the guardrails and inspiration for sustainable products. In our scenario delegates will be designing a small rectangular space – bedroom + wet room. 

Some early considerations to discuss:

• At stage 1 concept, what’s our plan for reuse and demolition? Start from the end and work back
• Collaboration with stakeholders. What needs to happen (flowchart)? What conversations need to take place, and with which stakeholders?
• What are the characteristics of materials/ operations for the task
• What makes this more sustainable than conventional? What are the clear attributes? Natural, resource efficient, circularity, waste, less transport. Etc.
• Where here are places we as designers can influence?
• Where can we challenge the status quo, e.g. leasing equipment?

This session is in collaboration with Sustainable Design Summit.

Session now fully booked.

Tillberg Design of Sweden put the focus on their recent project on Sun Princess to explore the complexity of large-scale cruise development, the importance of early-stage master architecture and how design decisions influence operations and guest experience.

As cruise brands expand onto land, this session explores how ship design thinking translates into island and resort environments. Discover how architecture, interiors, landscape, and guest experience come together to create cohesive, design-led destinations.

• How islands have become true extensions of the cruise experience, not standalone resorts
• The unique design challenges of island destinations, from regulations to materials to long‑term operations
• Where cruise and resort design overlap – who’s best placed to lead shoreside projects?
• How to adapt cruise design thinking for land-based environments, balancing brand consistency with creative freedom
• What amenities are being built into today’s cruise-owned islands and resorts – from waterparks and beach clubs to wellness spaces and F&B hubs
• How these amenities support guest demand, brand identity, guest experience and and revenue opportunities
• How to align creative vision across architecture, interiors, landscape, furniture, and guest experience

Join the hospitality design community at NEWH’s Lunch & Learn with Sandals Resorts.

Join Danielle Darling, Senior Manager, Enhancements at Sandals Resorts for an exclusive conversation exploring luxury resort development and guest experience within one of hospitality’s most recognisable brands. This session will uncover how enhancements teams collaborate across procurement, design development, supplier partnerships, and guest experience strategy – offering valuable insight into how major hospitality projects are brought to life.

YSA Design guides the audience through the reimagining – and refurbishment – of the Hurtigruten Svalbard Express. The session explores how design places the itinerary at the heart of this now-coastal vessel, using nostalgic interiors, locally sourced materials and deeply entrenched cultural references.

Go beyond surface-level design and explore the thinking behind truly meaningful cruise experiences. This session looks at how interiors, storytelling, and immersive moments work together to create authentic, high-impact environments that resonate with guests.

• Getting beyond just creating IG moments – how to deliver deeper real-life experiences? What’s unique and hands-on?
• Aligning the purpose of a space with brand strategies for an authentic cruise product
• How does the interiors concept help link to marketing and the role immersive experiences play in attracting guests, delivering on board experience, generating revenue opportunities, and ensuring high NPS scores?
• Weaving in destination cultures, food experiences, lecture programmes etc. for authentic travel

An insider’s look at how today’s leading procurement companies operate, featuring case studies exploring topics such as procuring at scale vs boutique projects, going the extra mile vs operating within budget constraints and the new frontier of materials and products.