State of the Industry session, which sets the course of the cruise industry's premier annual event, will feature the chief executives of the world's largest cruise companies in a wide-ranging discussion of the health and future of the global cruise business. Cruise Shipping Miami 2015 is set for March 16-19 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, the organisers said in a statement.

This year's opening plenary session features CNN's Richard Quest as the panel moderator. Quest is CNN's foremost international business correspondent and presenter of "Quest Means Business" and the monthly "CNN Business Traveller" programs. Based in New York, he is one of the most recognizable members of the CNN team.

"Recently, we have seen significant changes in the cruise industry, with brand consolidations and new faces at the C-suite level," said Christopher Dauer, director of UBM Connect's Cruise Events Portfolio. "These four executives will provide a top-level overview of where the global cruise industry is today and what they foresee going forward."

The State of the Industry panel includes Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc; Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; Frank J. Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.; and Pierfrancesco Vago, executive
chairman of MSC Cruises.