CHICAGO — The Caribbean & Mexico Meeting and Incentive Travel Exchange (CMITE), powered by Questex, made its long-awaited return Aug. 21-24 for the first time since 2019, when it was suspended due to the pandemic. This year, CMITE was held in Montego Bay, Jamaica at Secrets Wild Orchid & St. James Resorts, bringing together North American meeting and incentive buyers with travel suppliers based in the Caribbean and Mexico.
“The 2023 edition was an exceptional year for CMITE,” said Jill Birkett, Vice President, Travel + Wellness, Questex. “We have been coming to the Caribbean to host this unique event for 10 years now and each year it delivers an exceptional experience, thanks in large part to our incredible partners including the Jamaica Tourist Board, World of Hyatt Collection and Sandals Resorts. We look forward to announcing the location and dates for the 2024 event.”
For two and a half days, CMITE attendees had the opportunity to network and participate in one-on-one meetings scheduled in private rooms. More than 800 meetings were scheduled throughout the event.
“The one-on-one relationships in the suites make all the difference,” said Tanesha Clarke, sales marketing manager at Ocean Coral Spring and Ocean Eden Bay in Jamaica. “I was able to build personal relationships very easily and I can say that this will help us generate a lot of business.”
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Corrine Statia Thomas, CMP, Strategic Meetings and Events Specialist and Business Advisor at Absolute Events By Corrine, has also seen the benefits of private meetings at CMITE. “My meetings were very productive and I was able to meet and learn from several hoteliers in the Caribbean region. While I am familiar with the different countries, I was not aware of their ability to host meetings and events outside of the region. I was very impressed and look forward to bringing groups to the region for retreats and possibly incentives.”
The event kicked off with a theatrical performance, music, dancing and fireworks presented by the Jamaica Tourist Board. The following day, Jamaica Tourist Board Tourism Director Donovan White welcomed attendees before they were treated to presentations from SITE Global and Voyage Charters, as well as a panel presentation, “Countdown to 2024: Finding Success in the New Era of Business Meetings.” The panel was moderated by Matt Turner, Editor-in-Chief of Questex Travel & Meetings Group, and included Stacey Liburd, Tourism Director, Anguilla Tourist Board; Alexia Alfaro, Group Sales and Incentives Manager, Enjoy Hotels of Costa Rica; Danene Dustin, Senior Director of Global Sales, Morris Meetings & Incentives; and Julia Chen, Senior Conference Manager, TechGC.
Additional evening receptions were held at the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall, where CMITE attendees were treated to pan-Caribbean cuisine and entertainment, and at Sandals Montego Bay, which featured a “BoHo night” theme filled with local cuisine and dancing.
Guests were also able to explore local highlights, including a catamaran excursion to Montego Bay courtesy of Amstar, which included dolphin encounters and a snorkeling experience.
“It wasn’t just meetings. We really immersed ourselves in the local culture and flavors,” Statia Thomas said.
The dates for CMITE 2024 will be announced in the coming weeks.
Contact Jill Birkett at (212) 895-8253 or jbirkett@questex.com