Successful Meetings - January 2008 - (Page 53)

While modern Hawaii resembles Blue Hawaii (insets), sophisticated hotels and retailers are now the norm; in Acapulco, beach renewal and the Mundo Imperial complex should excite groups through a local nonprofit foundation to feature Big Island artists. Island Partners offers a variety of cultural activities, including a traditional “sand-talking” bonding ceremony. But for those who remember Elvis, says Jenkins, “We produce a couple of great evening events; one called “Blue Hawaii”—a beachy type party—and the other, “Rock-aHula,” which is an after-party that transitions from a luau event to a dance party.” ACAPULCO IS FUN AGAIN Elvis also starred in Fun in Acapulco (1963), where he played a pool lifeguard at the Acapulco Hilton (which is no longer there). The plot worked in an angle to include Acapulco’s world-famous cliff divers. But while cliffdiving has remained a premier attraction, the city’s other amenities grew shabby after its ’70s heyday, even as its beaches became increasingly polluted through poor infrastructure, intensified by hurricane damage in 1997. According to a planner (who asked not to be named) who toured Acapulco a few years back, “We loved the Fairmont; we wished we could take that hotel SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS JANUARY 2008 and put it somewhere else in Mexico. We were looking at Acapulco for a 1,000-person incentive, and there were a few reasons [we didn’t end up going there]. The biggest? We went on a boat ride, and I remember sitting in a boat, looking around, and seeing garbage in the water.” However, a massive renovation and development effort is promising a whole new destination. Since 2005, hundreds of millions have been spent on the remodeling and renovation of existing properties, including a $2-million tech upgrade for the existing convention facility, the Acapulco International Center, which debuted in 1972. “Our beaches,” says Katty Rodriguez of the Fairmont Acapulco Princess, “[as well as attractions] and nightlife, are among the best in the world. We are one of the best destinations in Mexico.” In addition to the growth in the Diamante area, which stretches along the coastline from Las Brisas Hotel to the Tres Palos Lagoon, the Mundo Imperial—which is about nine miles down the coast from the traditional resort area—soft-opens this summimegasite.com mer in time for the 2008 annual meeting of the Mexican Association of Professional Fairs, Exhibitions, and Conventions (AMPROFEC). Mundo Imperial is expected to feature 355,000 square feet of dedicated meeting space, a 4,000-seat theater in Foro Imperial, a 15,000-square-foot spa, and an 800-room luxury hotel as well as upscale shopping and dining. “The Acapulco Diamante area downtown will establish an unprecedented level of luxury and excellence in business, hospitality, and entertainment in Acapulco,” says Aran Rush, Mundo Imperial’s general manager, “and Mundo Imperial will be guiding the way for some of the ambitious projects slated for the Diamante area.” According to Jesus Radilla, GM of the Acapulco CVB, the current convention center has approximately 191 meetings per year, drawing a total of 395,841 attendees. With the Diamante project, however, the destination’s inventory of resorts has been expanded to new areas outside Acapulco Bay. “Additionally,” says Radilla, “the Diamante zone is within close proximity to the 53 http://mimegasite.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - January 2008

Successful Meetings - January 2008 Contents Editor's Note Associations Research Events Suppliers Associations On the Record Associations Suppliers Planner Spotlight Websites of the Month Management Matters Meeting the Law Personal Success Mouth for Sale Food & Beverage Professional Development On Site Pre-Event Tools of the Trade Veggie Power Tennis, Anyone? Seeing is Believing The Wild Green Yonder Game On Places & Spaces Galveston & Texas Beaches Greater Seattle Singapore Gurus

Successful Meetings - January 2008

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