NEW YORK, Oct. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- UBM, owners and organizers of the Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific conference and exhibition, anticipate a strong increase in attendance at the third edition of the event, set to open Wednesday, October 9.

While cruising is still quite a new concept within the Asia-Pacific market, organizers are already seeing a nearly 20 percent increase over last year's attendance, based on pre-registration numbers alone. Given that 2012 numbers nearly doubled via on-site registration, total attendance may potentially reach 40 percent higher than previous years at the close of the show on Thursday, October 10^th.

Additionally, the size of the trade show floor has increased significantly as well. Exhibitors from all over the world, interested in trading in the Asia-Pacific cruise market have purchased nearly 20 percent more exhibit stand space than the 2012 event.

"The uptick in attendance and exhibit space this year truly mirrors the ongoing growth and expansion of the cruise industry in the Pan-Asia market," said Daniel Read, Portfolio Director of UBM's Cruise Portfolio. "The opportunity the cruise lines bring to this market is unprecedented, especially when you take into account passenger sourcing for worldwide destinations and the shipbuilding and repair sector."

Those elements and others will be thoroughly covered during the conference, which begins with the State of the Cruise Industry in Asia plenary session on Wednesday, October 9 at 10:00am.  Relevant concurrent sessions will follow in the afternoon and the following day.

The exhibition officially opens Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m. and closes Thursday afternoon at 5 p.m. In addition, a tribute to former Asia cruise industry pioneer Rama Rebbapragada will take place when an award is given in his name to an elite contributor to the growth of the Asian cruise market, Wednesday evening during the Welcome Reception.  The Rama Rebbapragada Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Cruise Industry in Asia, will be presented by Celebrity Cruises President and CEO, Michael Bayley.

Conference session details can be found at cruiseshippingasia.com or by clicking here.

For information about exhibiting or attending Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific visit www.cruiseshippingasia.com.

WHERE: Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. For more information, visit www.marinabaysands.com or contact Intercruises at Singapore.ops@intercruises.com

MEDIA REGISTRATION: Media credentials are issued to bona fide journalists covering the convention. Review the media policy, request a media badge on-site at the event registration counter.

Media Contact: Jennifer Rosen, +1-609-759-7604, Jennifer.rosen@ubm.com

Social MediaAdditional news, information and announcements about Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific are available at www.cruiseshippingasia.com.  Find Cruise Shipping on Facebook, on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

The Cruise Shipping PortfolioThe Cruise Shipping Portfolio organized by UBM Live includes Cruise Shipping Miami, Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific and Seatrade Med. Since 1985 Cruise Shipping Miami has been the world's premier annual event for the global cruise industry, featuring a three-day exhibition and four-day conference that draw more than 11,000 attendees and over 1,000 exhibiting companies from more than 130 countries.

About UBM LiveUBM Live connects people and creates opportunities for companies across five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products, promote their brands and expand their markets. Through premier brands such as Routes, CPhI, IFSEC, TFM&A, Cruise Shipping Miami, the Concrete Show and many others, UBM Live exhibitions, conferences, awards programs, publications, websites and training and certification programs are an integral part of the marketing plans of companies across more than 20 industry sectors.

About UBM Asia (www.ubmasia.com) Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is Asia's leading exhibition organizer and the biggest commercial organizer in mainland China, India and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global network of 30 offices and over 1,200 staff in 25 major cities. We operate in 19 market sectors with 160 exhibitions, 75 conferences, 28 trade publications, 18 vertical portals and virtual event services for over 1,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world.

About SeatradeConnecting the global cruise community – www.seatrade-global.com    Established 40 years ago, Seatrade is a leader in cruise and maritime publications, conferences and exhibitions, training, awards and other special projects. Regular events include international trade exhibitions and conferences across all maritime sectors, management training courses for shipping professionals, training seminars for travel agents and award schemes, including the Seatrade Insider Cruise Awards. Seatrade publications include magazines, supplements and yearbooks, whilst Seatrade Insider provides daily cruise news online at www.seatrade-insider.com.

SOURCE Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific

RELATED LINKShttp://www.cruiseshippingasia.com