Annual CMITE Sizzled with Sunshine, Irie Vibes, and Reggae in the Home of All Right

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22nd Aug, 2017
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The eighth annual Caribbean Meeting and Incentive Travel Exchange (CMITE) organized in partnership with the Jamaica Tourist Board, closed another successful event last week with nearly 1,500 one-to-one appointments made.

The unique event, which pairs North America-based MICE buyers to meet one-to-one with Caribbean travel suppliers in the privacy of deluxe hotel rooms for individual, 15-minute meetings, took place August 13-16, 2017 at the Hyatt Zilara/Hyatt Ziva in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Buyers came in a day early for a pre-event FAM trip at Moon Palace Resort. They were also given the opportunity for post-event FAMs at the Moon Palace Resorts or Meliá Braco Village. 

All guests were officially welcomed to CMITE via two gorgeous outdoor receptions. First, SITE Florida & Caribbean chapter hosted a lovely seaside cocktail party. Then guests donned their flip flops and headed over to Zilara Beach for an authentic Jamaican beach party sponsored by Hyatt Zilara/Hyatt Ziva, complete with sizzling grills filled with lobster, jerk chicken, sausage and so much more. Guests enjoyed live reggae music and dancing, an Appleton’s Rum bar as far as the eye could see, and of course, a special Red Stripe beer bar, because in Jamaica, is there anything else? 

Monday kicked off with a breakfast presentation from the Aruba Tourism Authority, followed by a day filled with private one-to-one appointments between buyers and suppliers. 

That evening guests headed out to the Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa for a James Bond theme night featuring the “Shaken Not Stirred” martini mixology contest, followed by a glamorous sit-down dinner complete with Bond movie music and screened footage. 

One-to-one appointments continued throughout the day again on Tuesday after a breakfast presentation from the SITE Florida & Caribbean chapter. 

The event closed with a chic masquerade party representative of Jamaica’s Carnival, hosted by the exquisite Breathless Montego Bay Resort & Spa. Guests tied on their masks and let down their hair for a sultry night of live music, dancing, fire breathing, knife throwing entertainers, and an enormous array of local cuisine. 

“Bringing CMITE back to Jamaica was a vital part of our long-term MICE strategy,” said John Woolcock, groups & conventions manager for the Jamaica Tourist Board. “Questex is known for bringing high-value meeting planners to their events and this year was no exception. We couldn’t be more pleased and look forward to the long-term results for Jamaica’s MICE business.” 

“Questex was proud to partner with the Jamaica Tourist Board on CMITE for the second time,” said John McMahon, executive vice president, Questex Travel Group. “Our two organizations have nurtured our relationship for many years, and bringing CMITE back to where it all started seven years ago was just one of the logical steps in forging our relationship for continued success on both sides of the equation.” 

Sponsors included Jamaica Tourist Board, Aruba Convention Bureau, Breathless Montego Bay Resort & Spa, Club Mobay, Delta Air Lines, Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa, Hyatt Zilara & Hyatt Ziva Brands, Island Routes, Jamaica Tours Ltd., Maui Jim Sunglasses, Melia Hotels International, Palace Resorts, Playa Hotels & Resorts, Private Jet Services, and Society for Incentive Travel Excellence. 

Questex’s Global Meeting & Incentive Travel Exchanges (GMITE) events have proven to be successful by offering one-to-one meetings and top-of-the-line training and networking opportunities for meeting and event-planning professionals, as well as incentive buyers. 

For the latest event information, visit Caribbean.IncentiveTravelExchange.com. Global Meeting & Incentive Travel Exchanges (GMITE), owned and managed by Questex LLC, feature invitation-only, appointment-based events catering exclusively to the meetings, incentives, conferences and events market.

GlobalTravelExchanges.com

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