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The ninth annual Caribbean Meeting and Incentive Travel Exchange (CMITE), organized by the Questex Travel Group, publisher of International Meetings Review, closed another successful event this week with over 1,200 one-to-one appointments made, and announced the location for next year’s tenth annual event.

The unique event, which pairs US and Canada-based MICE buyers to meet one-to-one with Caribbean-based travel suppliers in the privacy of deluxe hotel rooms for individual private, 15-minute meetings, took place August 6-9, 2018 at the UNICO 20°87° Riviera Maya in Quintana Roo, Mexico.

Buyers came in a day early for a pre-event FAM trip to the TRS Yucatan All-Inclusive Palladium Hotel and were also given the opportunity for post-event FAMs at the Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa or the NIZUC Resort and Spa.

All guests were officially welcomed to CMITE via two gorgeous outdoor receptions at the UNICO 20°87°. First, the SITE Florida & Caribbean chapter hosted a lovely terrace cocktail party. Then guests headed over to a poolside patio for some authentic Mexican cuisine, a mezcal tasting, and live music which was sponsored by UNICO 20°87°.

Tuesday kicked off with a breakfast presentation from the Quintana Roo Tourism Board followed by a day filled with private one-to-one appointments between buyers and suppliers.

That evening guests headed out to the exquisite Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya for an ethereal, enchanted forest-themed reception complete with live fairies and other mythological creatures, performance artists, a contortionist, and delicious delicacies and desserts displayed among the decorative trees.

One-to-one appointments continued again on Wednesday, followed by a lunch presentation from the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), as well as the Curaçao Tourism Board and ECO Destination Management Services Aruba/ Curaçao, who presented their gorgeous island as the host destination and host DMC for CMITE’s tenth edition which will be held August 6-9, 2019 at the Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort in Porta Blancu, Nieuwpoort, Curaçao.

“Bringing CMITE to Curaçao is a vital part of our long-term MICE strategy,” said Wichita Villacres, president and CEO, ECO Destination Management Services Aruba/Curaçao. “We’ve partnered with Questex for years and have attended all of their MICE events every year due to the exceptionally high-quality buyers they draw for us. Bringing their Caribbean-focused event to our beautiful island is the natural next step in showcasing Curaçao to those qualified US and Canadian buyers who book high-volume Caribbean business.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with ECO Destination Management Services Aruba/Curaçao and the Curaçao Tourism Board for next year’s event,” said Jill Birkett, event director for the Questex Travel Group. “Year over year we offer our CMITE attendees exceptional and authentic Caribbean experiences and I can’t think of a better, more unique destination to take our tenth anniversary event to than Curaçao.”
CMITE 2018 closed with a Beatles-themed 60s rock party hosted at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya inclusive of a live Beatles tribute band, psychedelic décor, and tons of fabulous food and drinks.

2018 event sponsors included AIC Hotel Group, Aruba Convention Bureau, Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa, CEO Mexico, Discover Puerto Rico, Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, Nizuc Resort & Spa, Palladium Hotel Group, Quintana Roo Tourism Board, Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya, Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, and UNICO 20°87 Riviera Maya.

Questex Travel Group’s MICE events have proven to be successful by being the only organizer to offer private, one-to-one meetings, with 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.