Another Successful Conference Held at CCMIT

MITAGS-CCMIT is America’s Leading Meeting and Conference Venue for Maritime Industry

By Nichole Williamson, Assistant Editor of the Maritime Executive

The recent Wrecks of the World (WOW) Conference hosted by the Conference Center at the Maritime Institute (CCMIT) on the MITAGS campus was a conference experience completely maritime. I arrived at Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) and was picked up by the free CCMIT shuttle bus, which is about a five-minute ride to the conference center. The complex is a well-manicured 80-acre campus with a 282-room hotel, a 500-seat dining room and 55 full service meeting rooms. As I walked through the hallways of the hotel and conference center, I admired the walls filled maritime photos and memorabilia and took a small detour to visit the merchant marine museum with lots of artifacts from World War II and years gone by when the U.S. Merchant Marine was a vibrant sector of the U.S. economy.

The WOW conference was a two-day event with numerous presentations and lots of comments about the massive problem of ships holding pollutants and their deterioration. While I spent many hours in a meeting room over the two days, I must say the tables and seating were very comfortable and the breaks had fresh coffee, juices, and lots of snacks. Also, I had breakfast, lunch and dinner at the conference center and the food was outstanding and better than many of the mainstream hotels where I have stayed. With the meals included in my room cost, it was really delightful checking out with no hidden or addition costs added on my bill.

After a long first day, I have a comforted night’s sleep and the next morning I hit the hotel gym for a quick workout and then took a few laps in the Olympic size pool. The hotel is across the campus from the academic center, which hosts one of the most sophisticated simulation centers in the world. On the second day of the conference we had an opportunity to tour the simulators and I was amazed by the clarity and details incorporated in the software. It was truly like being on the water and navigating through a port or waterway.

MITAGS-CCMIT has hosted numerous industry events and has been visited by numerous dignitaries from around the country and the world including Washington D.C. Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) was the key note speaker at the WOW luncheon and recently Congressman Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) spoke at an event there as well. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood spoke to a huge crowd at the American Marine Highways Conference last month, and ex-Congresswoman Helen Delich Bentley, who the port of Baltimore is named after has spoken at MITAGS numerous times and was a key note speaker at the Merchant Marine Memorial Dedication dinner dance held for over 200 World War II merchant mariners. Recently, U.S. Coast Guard Admiral James Watson, Deputy Commander of the Atlantic Sector, spoke at the International Federation of Ship Masters. There have also been other prestigious events held at the center such as the Council of Master Mariners and Ship Operations Cooperative Program and the UK based International Lighthouse Organization.

Any company or organization considering having an event or conference, CCMIT-MITAGS is a self-contained environment with lots of amenities, which is easy access for travelers using either AMTRAK or flying into BWI, because it’s only minutes away on a free shuttle. To find out more about classic maritime conference and training center, click here to visit the CCMITwebsite.

-MarEx