Business conventions are putting to sea, Celebrity Cruises hopes.

This December the cruise line, which operates the summer callers Horizon and Meridian , will introduce a purpose-built luxury liner to hold highly sophisticated corporate meetings at sea. The ships will also feature some of the most luxurious cabins on the ocean today.

The new 1,750-passenger Century , currently under construction in Papenburg, Germany, is the result of an unprecedented alliance with the Sony Corporation of America.

The Conference Centre on board Century will provide the "most advanced array of meeting and entertainment options and interactive video services available on any ship,'' Senior Vice President of Marketing and Passenger Services Mr.

Al Wallack said.

"At Celebrity we believe that the changing face of the meetings and incentives market will increasingly require value-driven conference locations along with specialised technology.'' In spite of Bermuda's sophisticated on-land business services, the new ship will initially cruise from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean.

Features of the Conference Centre include flexible walls. It can be used as a 190-person cinema or meetings rooms of various sizes.

Its interior design, by the Greek firm of M. Katzourakis, will use wooden flooring, sea green glass doors framed with cherry wood to create a soothing atmosphere for corporate meetings.

It will be equipped for multi-purpose events including multi-media slide presentations, video projector playback from video tape, computer-generated graphic presentations, ship-to-shore satellite video and teleconferencing and interactive audience voting.

The advance audio system will include a four-channel Sony wireless microphone system and infrared wireless language translation system. A stage will be equipped with a video projector 100-inch diagonal screen, and four remote-controlled slide projectors.

A computer will be programmed with presentation software. Century will also feature a full-service television studio with capability to transmit customised programming into the meeting participants' staterooms, of which there will be 52 "Sky Suites'' and "Penthouse Suites,'' each with video systems, marble baths, verandahs and personal butler service.

The ship is scheduled to sail year-round on alternating seven-night cruises from Fort Lauderdale to the eastern and western Caribbean.