Meeting News - March 9, 2009 - (Page P24)

Destination Diary Americas/Caribbean Center, including the high-rise, Hilton Guadalajara Hotel, with 450 rooms and an auditorium that can host 360 people. The center and hotels are just 20 minutes from the airport. Mexico’s Yucatan Yields Meeting Magic Think of Cancun—Mexico’s largest tourist destination—with its long beaches, even longer reef, lively nightlife, and now nearly a dozen green golf courses. Or think of quieter Cozumel, its white sands glistening above the blue water, its pleasantly undeveloped west coast, and its great diving along the 20-mile Mayan Reef. Or picture Riviera Maya, a Cancun destination that has boomed over the last decade, with hotels lining miles of oceanfront property. All three sound like great vacation spots—which is exactly why these Yucatan resorts are also perfect meeting and incentive destinations. In fact, Cancun does major meetings business—attracting about 630,000 attendees every year. These meeting delegates spend on average 30 percent more than individual travelers. Many groups head directly to the glistening Cancun Center, with its 75,350 square feet of convention space including 13 ballrooms, and its 77,900 square feet of exhibition space. That great infrastructure may help explain why Cancun has been chosen to be one of 12 destinations to host the Meeting Professionals International’s (MPI’s) 2010 edition of MeetDifferent (formerly MPI PEC), marking the first time this major industry event will be held outside of the US or Canada. Cozumel draws smaller groups, who hold their sessions in the island’s larger hotels, and who want to snorkel the reef, have dinner on the beach, and kick back a little. The Presidente InterContinental Cozumel, located on one of the best beaches, has two ballrooms and can host meetings with up to 300 attendees. Riviera Maya, just 50 minutes, and a world away from Cancun International Airport, now books everything from mega-meetings to corporate retreats. The 1,266-room Aventura Spa Palace can accommodate groups up to 1,000 in its 55,000 square feet of meeting space. Most groups visiting Riviera Maya visit the ruins at Tulum, or take the longer journey to explore Mayan Chichén Itzá, built between 800 and 1200 A.D. Bermuda Continues to Delight This perfect pastel island, located 650 miles off the North Carolina coast, packs a lot of meeting power into its 21 square miles. Top meeting hotels include the Elbow Beach Bermuda Resort; the in-town classic Fairmont Hamilton Princess; the Fairmont Southampton, which Puerto Rico Bermuda 24 Successful Meetings/MeetingNews/Incentive / MARCH 2009

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Meeting News - March 9, 2009

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