The Dominican Republic Shows Off Its Unwavering Beauty and Hospitality at the Fourth Annual Latin America Meeting & Incentive Travel Exchange
NEW YORK (PRWEB) June 22, 2018 -- The fourth annual Latin America Meeting & Incentive Travel Exchange (LAMITE) closed high above Santo Domingo Thursday night, June 21st to an evening of dancing, music and fabulous cuisine.
The unique event, which took place June 18-22, 2018 at the Renaissance Santo Domingo Jaragua Hotel and Casino and the Sheraton Santo Domingo in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, paired Latin America-based MICE buyers with global travel suppliers for 1,225 private, 15-minute one-to-one appointments. In addition, attendees were treated to lavish receptions, exquisite meals, and exciting cultural activities, all designed to offer networking opportunities at every turn.
“We’ve worked with Questex for years now and knew that they always bring the highest quality of buyers to their events so partnering with them to host LAMITE here in Santo Domingo was ideal for us,” said Amelia Molina, MICE director for the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism (MITUR). “This year’s event has been no exception and has given MITUR the best opportunity to exhibit the Dominican Republic as an exceptional destination for meetings and incentive business.”
Buyers were welcomed Monday evening with a networking reception and dinner hosted by the Real InterContinental Santo Domingo. Then on Tuesday they were treated to a Dominican cultural tour inclusive of a lunch at a typical ranch location in Bayaguana, while suppliers arrived from all parts of the world to meet with the Latin America-based buyers.
The evening was capped off with the official welcome reception for all attendees at Lulú Tasting Bar in the Colonial Zone, which included authentic Dominican delicacies, dancing, and music, and was hosted by the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism (MITUR).
Wednesday kicked off a day full of pre-scheduled, private one-to-one appointments between suppliers and buyers, and included an education session called “The Role of the PCO in the Meetings Industry,” which was presented by Lucío Vaquero, business development director, MCI Argentina, and Javier Montilla, managing director, Congrex Americas Panama.
Guests were then treated to a fabulous reception and four-course dinner at the historic El Embajador hotel in Santo Domingo. Attendees enjoyed music, champagne and a tour of the iconic hotel that combines 1940s glamour with modern creature comforts and design.
Thursday offered additional education including “Economic, Social, and Educational Relevance of the Meeting and Incentive Industries,” presented by industry veteran Eduardo Chaillo, global manager LATAM, Maritz Global Events, as well as a presentation by the Costa Rica Tourism Board, which will be the host country for LAMITE 2019. Dates for the 2019 event are still being finalized, but will tentatively be in June as is usual for the event.
The day continued with a Santo Domingo city tour – another opportunity for buyers and suppliers to create relationships while becoming immersed in Dominican history and culture. Finally, the night came to a close with a sizzling carnival-themed reception from Santo Domingo’s highest rooftop, hosted at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Santo Domingo.
Both buyers and suppliers alike were overwhelmed by the total value LAMITE provided them via the combination of education, activities, and one-to-one meetings.
Sponsors included Aeromexico, Barbados Tourism Marketing, Inc., Connect DMC, Copa Airlines, Costa Rica Tourism Board, Delta Air Lines, El Embajador, Embassy Suites by Hilton Santo Domingo, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, K&M Destinos, Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism (MITUR), MASCO, Real InterContinental Santo Domingo, Maui Jim Sunglasses, Paradisus Resorts, Puntacana Resort & Club, Renaissance Santo Domingo Jaragua Hotel & Casino, Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, Sheraton Santo Domingo, The Westin Punta Cana Resort & Club, and VisitScotland Business Events.
LAMITE is an offshoot of Incentive Travel Exchange, the flagship event in the Questex Travel Group’s MICE portfolio of events and media, and is the only event in the industry that brings global suppliers to meet with Latin American buyers in Latin America. For more information, visit LatinTravelExchange.com.
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 more information, visit GlobalTravelExchanges.com.
About Questex Hospitality + Travel
The Questex Hospitality + Travel Group of Questex LLC serves the worldwide hospitality, travel and related industries that together contribute over $6 trillion to the global gross domestic product. Through an innovative platform of targeted solutions, the group serves the sector’s entire ecosystem, from tourism and hotel development and investment to hotel design, purchasing, management and operations.
The Questex Hospitality + Travel Group serves every B2B segment of the industry, from investment and development to management operations, sales and marketing of hospitality and travel products to destination development and marketing, via proven demand generation, learning, loyalty and rewards solutions as well as a network of live events. This division of Questex is aligned around three broad market segments – hospitality, travel and meetings – and supported by its digital media staff.
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Jennifer Rosen, Questex LLC, http://questex.com, +1 212-895-8262, [email protected]
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