Most people will automatically associate the Caribbean with relaxing holidays – swaying palm trees, powder white sandy beaches, snorkeling and luxury resorts. Popular with honeymooners and those celebrating special occasions, the region is incredibly romantic, with over 700 islands offering different cultures and landscapes. Meetings and conferences may not be the first things that spring to mind, but in fact the Caribbean could be the ideal place to host your next company event. Not only is the scenery incredibly exotic and beautiful, it also has world-class conference facilities and event spaces.
Here’s what makes the Caribbean a great place to host events:
Luxury hotels
Whether you’re hosting a major conference, a meeting for company executives or a business getaway, the Caribbean boasts scores of luxury hotels with large event spaces and meeting rooms. Expect stylish venues, quality catering with local ingredients and panoramic views over the Caribbean sea.
If you’re looking for a large resort to host a large-scale conference, the Atlantis Conference Center in Nassau, Bahamas, can accommodate up to 4,000 resort guests and features a 50,000 sq. ft. Imperial Ballroom, over 40,000 sq. ft. of pre-function space, 30 break-out rooms, 3 boardrooms, a large staging area and a banquet kitchen. In addition it offers more than 21 restaurants, as well as a water park and the largest casino in the Caribbean.
For something a little bit smaller, but the ultimate in luxury travel, the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman offers a high-end experience and is often used for financial events. Other popular hotels for corporate getaways include the Hyatt Regency in Trinidad, the Hilton Barbados and Half Moon Resort in Jamaica.
Bermuda is a popular destination because of its close proximity to the United States, so meetings often take place at the Cambridge Beaches Hotel & Spa, which provides 10,576 square feet of space and a superb executive golfing retreat.
High-end restaurants
If you need to find a suitable restaurant for a business meeting, the Caribbean is filled with high-end restaurants and eateries that cater to all tastes. If you fancy indulging in the local delicacies, you’ll find Caribbean food is a fusion of African, Armenian, European, East Indian and Chinese cuisines. The seafood is particularly fresh since you’re right on the ocean.
Warm weather and beautiful scenery
The Caribbean has a tropical, warm climate, all year round, so you can leave the heavy winter coats at home and pack light. As soon as the winter months hit the United States, meeting groups crave the warm sunshine and tropical weather, so it’s a very popular event destination for North Americans.
When it comes to which month your conference falls on, the months from December to April are usually the driest, so if you’re also planning to go hiking or visit a golf course whilst on your trip, these months would be most suitable. If you’re trip is in the Summer or Autumn, these times tend to be stickier and more humid, so may be suited more to snorkelling and diving for those additional experiences. Of course, all year round you have access to state-of-the-art facilities each location provides too, with an almost guaranteeable tan opportunity at whichever time you do decide to visit the Caribbean.
Transport to and from the Caribbean
With Virgin Atlantic and British Airways offering direct flights from the UK to several destinations in the Caribbean, business fliers have easy access to the region. Even though the destination is long-haul, the flight times are still fairly reasonable, taking about 8 hours 45 minutes to get from London to Barbados. Contact a specialist at Skyclub.com to find business class flights at the best rates.
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