Uruguay and Punta del Este score Well

As in most countries where the meetings industry is only just taking off someone has to stand up with a loud voice to get things started. The man who does that in Uruguay is Arnaldo Nardone, former ICCA President. Last year he was appointed General Manager of the new convention centre in Punta del Este, which will be inaugurated in June this year. What can we expect to happen there?

Report Marcel A.M. Vissers

Why in Punta del Este?

Uruguay is an unusual country. The North has a definite colonial touch. It’s very green and fresh air is in abundant supply. In the South there’s classy Punta del Este with its permanent flow of healthy ocean air and lush green surroundings. And in between both lays Montevideo, the country’s capital city, which seems to be vegetating and perishing very slowly. Although at first sight this city has everything to make it desirable there is unfortunately not much going on. Maybe it’s better not to dig too deep into this and just wonder why?

Nevertheless, it looks like Uruguay might be getting ready to score a few points soon. Arnaldo Nardone believes the country’s at a turning point. The construction of the new convention centre is expected to have a boom effect on the country. Though Punta del Este has always been a big name in the tourism business it tends to suffer from the seasonality effect. It’s in season for only a few months of the year. The rest of the time it’s rather quiet and its infrastructure just sits there.

The arrival of the new convention centre could change all this. Conventions are not tied to seasons. Much to their advantage they can be held in the low season. They are an ideal tool to fill up the calendar with activities and keep hotels busy. Commissioning a new convention building with eye-catching architectural design often creates new perspectives for a country. It stimulates entrepreneurship and boosts the local economy. We are looking forward to the opening of this new venue which is expected to be inaugurated in June. Let’s take a moment to discover what it will look like.

www.puntadelestecec.com.uy