Despite the havoc created by the incredibly destructive hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005, meeting planners continue to look at hurricane-prone areas as desirable destinations for their events — sometimes even during future hurricane seasons.

During its recent annual meeting in New York City, Financial and Insurance Conference Planners announced it would hold its November 2008 annual meeting in Cancun, which is currently recovering from the devastating impact of Hurricane Wilma that swamped the area in October.

“The consideration of Cancun was somewhat similar to the consideration of New York City, which was selected after 9/11,” says Steve Bova, CAE, FICP's executive director. “The precedent is that we won't exclude a destination based on what are really uncontrollable events.”

Meeting business will go on, even during the hurricane season,” says Mark Benson, vice president sales, Posadas USA Inc. Benson heads the U.S. sales team for the company, a dominant hotel chain in Latin America. One of its brands is Fiesta Americana, which has three hotels in Cancun (and will host FICP in 2008, at the Grand Coral Beach).

“Hurricane season is consistent around the world, but you never know exactly where the storms will strike,” Benson says. “Do you stop bringing groups to Disney World and Orlando in hurricane season? I don't think so.

“If you're located in an area with hurricane activity, it's what happens during the storm that's important,” adds Benson. “You have to have a disaster plan in place.”

In the case of Fiesta Americana during Hurricane Wilma, guests were transported to shelters in Mérida, Mexico, and arrangements were made to transport them home from there. One meeting planner, Teresa Clark of MasterCraft Boat Co. of Venore, Tenn., was actually caught in Cancun during Wilma just prior to her company's dealer meeting, which was scheduled at the Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach.

Clark says that the hotel was “phenomenal” in providing assistance to her and her group (about 13 dealers and guests who had arrived in advance of the MasterCraft meeting). They were quickly transported to a shelter in Mérida, and ended up spending two and a half days there. Despite her travails, Clark hopes to bring a MasterCraft meeting back to Cancun sometime in 2006, possibly even during hurricane season. “After working with the hotel,” Clark says, “I have absolutely no problem rescheduling. It all depends on when the hotel gets back to normal operations.”

Christine Duffy, president and CEO of Maritz Travel Co., St. Louis, and chairwoman of the board of Meeting Professionals International, says a point to consider is “the reality that there is more demand than supply in the group market. It's almost impossible for people to say they are not going to consider [destinations like Cancun or Florida] for meetings during hurricane season.”

It also helps that areas like Cancun, Orlando, and New Orleans are intrinsically appealing. “Cancun is a fun, exciting, dynamic location,” says FICP's Bova. “It's an important meeting and incentive destination for our members.”