Participants in the 2006 Meet the Greens Invitational Golf Classic and Marketplace, held June 9 to 12 in Puerto Rico, got their first big surprise before even reaching the Sol Meliá Paradisus Puerto Rico: a seamless transfer along Route 66, a new highway just opened in March that makes the trip from the airport to the resorts on the northeastern corner of the territory a snap. It bypasses the old route through the city to avoid traffic and to shave to just half an hour or so the time it takes to reach the Paradisus, the Westin Rio Mar Beach Golf Resort and Spa, and other northeastern resorts. The views of mountains, not to mention grazing cows and spectacular orange-flowering royal Poinciana trees, made the trip fly by.

The 60 or so meeting professionals also got a sneak peek at the course they would play on the next day as they wound past the fairways at the Coco Beach Golf and Country Club, which adjoins the Paradisus property and was designed by PGA tour professional Tom Kite and Bruce Bease of Willowbend Golf and Land Design. The event — hosted by the Puerto Rico Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Paradisus, and the Westin Rio Mar, and co-sponsored by The Meetings Group, Prism Business Magazines and Media, publishers of Medical Meetings — included a second day of golf at the River Course at the Westin, designed by Greg Norman. Sol Meliá Paradisus Puerto Rico, which does more than half its business in the group market, is one of the all-inclusive resorts in the Sol Meliá hotel chain (which also has Paradisus properties in Cancun, Mexico; and Punta Cana, Costa Rica). It served as headquarters for the event and also hosted the Meet the Greens Marketplace trade show and the closing dinner and awards ceremony.

After the opening reception — actually, a feast — at the Westin Rio Mar, several planners checked out the slot machines and blackjack and roulette tables at the Paradisus' casino, while others grooved to the music in the lobby bar. No one seemed the worse for wear bright and early the next morning, though, when they assembled after breakfast to provide some feedback on the Web sites of the Puerto Rico CVB and the new 580,000-square-foot convention center before heading out to golf at the Coco Beach Golf and Country Club.

But the real excitement came when the golfers heard that the tournament had been sanctioned by The Golfe; the winners would be eligible to participate in the Golfe's Meeting Masters Championship, scheduled from November 15 to 20 at the Amelia Island Plantation in Amelia Island, Fla. The Meeting Masters Championship was developed in 1984 to bring together winners of regional hospitality industry tournaments on a national level. As one golfer said, “This brings the game to a whole new level.”

Of the four nine-hole layouts at Coco Beach — the Mountain, Lakes, Ocean, and Palms courses — the golfers particularly raved about the Mountain course's views, which extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the north and El Yunque rain forest to the south.

The nongolfers in the group had the choice of touring Old San Juan or visiting the rain forest, where an expert on the local flora and fauna guided them on a trail walk. In Old San Juan, the planners shopped along the cobblestone streets, gawked at the beautiful Colonial buildings, and explored the ancient fortresses and walls that protected the city from enemies by land or sea. Among the most striking was the Fuerte San Felipe del Morro or El Morro fortress, which sits 140 feet above the sea and offers a maze of secret tunnels and dungeons. The top of the fortress was the perfect spot from which to watch a speed boat race in the seas below, where power boats ripped along at well over 100 miles per hour, trailed by helicopters.

The nongolfers joined the golfers that evening for a ride up into the rain forest for a real “Survivor”-type experience, only the food and band were excellent, and no one got kicked out of the Revealing Rain Forest's 45-acre, privately owned facility. Those who hadn't had the opportunity to visit during the afternoon got a taste of the adventure by riding ziplines over the river, watching a flame dancer cavort to the beat of the drummers, and observing an artist who created amazing paintings of local scenes before their eyes. The flexible space can be tented for up to 750 people and can be used for both dinners and teambuilding exercises that range from a “treasure trail” hike to a movie-making activity.

Despite an early morning downpour the next day, the drainage on the Westin Rio Mar's River course worked its magic, and by the time the sun came out, the golfers were good to go. The nongolfers took a much less strenuous route, opting for lounging by the pool and on the beach and enjoying spa treatments that did everything from cure a sunburn to relax folks to the point where they could barely pick up silverware to eat the extensive luncheon spread that the Westin provided.

All were sufficiently recovered to enjoy the final evening gala and awards ceremonies, where Puerto Rico CVB's president and CEO Ana María Viscasillas addressed the crowd. Viscasillas emphasized the importance of group business to Puerto Rico, and she stressed all that the U.S. commonwealth has to offer for meetings and incentives. While she didn't specifically mention dancing lessons, the entire audience got up to boogie the rest of the night away.

Sponsors

American Airlines Caribbean Special Events Entertainment Concepts

The Meetings Group, Prism Business Magazines and Media

Puerto Rico Convention and Visitors Bureau

Paradisus Puerto Rico Revealing Rain Forest Events Travel Services Inc.

Westin Rio Mar Beach Golf Resort and Spa

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