9 MARCH 2026 O n Feb. 6, 2020, the Passenger Vessel Association wrapped up the final day of one of its most successful MariTrends in Tampa. While the idea of COVID-19 was front and center during our time in the Sunshine State, I do not think any of us imagined what the coming days, weeks, and months would have in store for us as the most economically devas- tating event this country has seen since the Great Depression put a large number of our members at the point of bankruptcy. After experiencing a stroke of good luck in even being able to have an in-person convention in 2020, we unfortunately were forced to cancel in Portland in 2021 and had a virtual convention given the lasting effects of the pandemic.
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