Puerto Rico Convention Center, San Juan Metro /DEANJOHNC
Attractions & Sights October-2005, By:Travel and Sports Staff
Opening of the Convention Center
Largest single meeting space in the Caribbean
A gala inauguration takes place in late November as San Juan celebrates the long-awaited opening of the Puerto Rico Convention Center. Amid all the pageantry, the spotlight will be on the building’s large sweeping wave-shaped roof, on the 13-story glass curtain wall, and other striking motifs that blend the Island’s nature and history with contemporary architecture.
This is the largest single meeting space in the Caribbean and the most technologically advanced convention center in the Caribbean and Latin America, boasting the latest in Internet, video-conferencing and media services. It encompasses 580,000 square feet of space that includes a 152,700-square-foot exhibition hall, able to seat 20,000 people theater-style; the largest ballroom in the Caribbean (with the biggest chandelier in the world) plus meeting rooms, pre-function areas and support space. The center can handle conventions of more than 10,000 delegates yet is versatile enough to accommodate groups of 25. With its opening, Puerto Rico’s successful tourism industry is instantly thrust into the forefront of world-class meeting destinations.
Built on Isla Grande, a former islet in San Juan Bay, the new Convention Center is centrally located near Old San Juan, Condado and the international airport. This is the centerpiece and first phase of one of the most ambitious waterfront renovations in the history of the U.S., a 113-acre urban development project that will eventually include hotels, restaurants, shops, movie theaters, mini-parks and more.
Sales and marketing for the center is being handled by the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau. Groups that have already been booked include CHA’s Caribbean Marketplace in January 2006, with 1,500 attendees; U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in September 2007, with 6,000 attendees; the National Guard Association of the United States in September 2007, with 4,000 attendees; and the Caribbean Gaming & Hospitality Conference from 2006 through 2010, with 1,000 attendees. To get more information or to book an event, contact the bureau at 1-800-875-4765 or visit online at www.prconventioncenter.com.
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