MEXICO. Starboard Group marked the success of its 2026 Unleash the Potential Summit, which brought together over 200 retail managers and leaders, as well as executives from top cruise lines and brand partners.
Held this week (11-13 January) in Cancún, the summit at the Marina El Cid Spa & Beach Resort demonstrated the strength and collaborative spirit of Starboard’s industry partnerships under the theme ‘Celebrate, Educate, Inspire’.
Designed to showcase Starboard’s achievements over the past year, the event combined custom learning and networking opportunities with inspiration for teams executing the group’s 2026 growth strategy across its global fleet.
The speaker line-up featured prominent industry leaders, including Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy; Princess Cruises President Gustavo (Gus) Antorcha; and Scenic Group President (USA/LATAM) Ken Muskat.
They were joined by Starboard President and CEO Lisa Bauer; Westgate Resorts CEO and Starboard Group Chairman of the Board Jim Gissy; People2Strategy Founder and CEO Patricia Sadar; and author and retail leadership expert Ron Thurston.
Day one kicked off with a celebration of the group’s achievements, including an awards ceremony honouring top performers and recognition for employees with 20 or more years of service.
The event also celebrated the group’s highest achievers with awards, including top-performing retail manager and top-performing ships.
Top-selling Swiss timepiece specialists were also awarded, both for the overall category and for individual brands such as Breitling, Hublot, Longines, Swiss Crown and TAG Heuer.
Day two featured motivational and educational sessions, with brand showcases and a fireside chat led by Bauer titled ‘Unscripted: Stronger Together – Powering the Partnerships’ with Duffy and Antorcha.
On the third day, Muskat delivered a keynote on ‘Sales DNA’ and participated in a partnership panel discussion moderated by Starboard Senior Vice President, Luxury & Resorts Stacy Shaw.
Top retail managers at the summit took part in curated experiences from 17 brand partners, including a ‘Diageo After Dark’ welcome reception, featuring a special Bulleit Bourbon tasting; a breakfast hosted by Kallati; and Bacardi’s ‘Night of Networking’ on the second evening.
Educational sessions were also held featuring LeVian’s ‘Learning Showcase’ and brand presentations by Diageo, What Goes Around Comes Around, and Swiss Crown, with additional participation from Citizen and Engrace Diamonds.
Starboard President and CEO Lisa Bauer described the company’s people as its most valuable asset. She said, “This summit gave our retail managers from 25 different countries and our corporate teams an opportunity to come together to hear from, learn from and be inspired by some of the most influential leaders in the cruise travel industry and some of the most innovative brands in retail.
“The event highlighted the power of partnerships, and we were particularly honoured that the presidents of three of our cruise line partners were able to join us as speakers this week and share their insights on everything, from personalisation to luxury to experiential retail to help our teams deliver even more extraordinary customer experiences in 2026.” 🛳️
