cun gives meeting attendees plenty to look forward to once ses- sions are over—including scuba diving, sailing, surfing, fish- ing, golfing at 13 signature courses in the area, and pampering at many premier-level spas. Pre- and post-meeting tours oflocal Mayan ruins are also popular.

Group Options A few hotels are adult-only, a plus for many groups. For par- ticipants who want to bring children, there are a number of family-friendly properties, and some hotels offer programs for children so parents can concentrate on the meeting’s business during the day. Anumber of properties offer all-inclusive plans.“We decided

to try the all-inclusive and were really happy with it,” Hults said. “It takes a lot ofpressure off the meeting planner, and the property was incredibly responsive. It was also good for our sponsors and vendors.With all the regulations on entertain- ing doctors, itwas simple for attendees and suppliers to sitdown and have conversations, because all the food-and-beverage was already taken care of.” Maul, who has held meetings at the Moon Palace Golf&

Spa Resort, finds all-inclusive plans easy to budget because “there are no surprises.” In addition to meals and drinks, sev- eral tours were also included in her attendees’ price. “Ifanyone went and didn’t have a good time,” she said, “shame on them!” Here’s what to keep in mind when considering Cancun for medical meetings, conferences, and conventions:

Getting There Cancun International Airport is the leading airport for inter- national arrivals in Mexico, offering about 5,000 flights a day fromall major U.S. cities and Central and South America. All U.S. travelers to Mexico need a passport and must fill out an immigration form upon landing.

Customs “Mexicoknows the importance ofconvention travelers and tries to make it easy for business tourists to get through customs,” Maul said.To avoid difficulties shippingmaterials for meetings, she advised: “Follow all the rules, and be sure to ship early.” Likewise, Gold cautions exhibitors who ship equipment to

Mexico to keep all their records, in the event they have tomake a claim. Some meetings in Cancun opt for tabletop exhibits with lit-

erature and computer displays to avoid issues. “The four or five vendors who brought equipment [to the Association of LensCrafters Leaseholding Doctors conference] had no trou- ble,” Hults said. “But I think they may have relied on internal distributors inMexico, rather than shipping through customs.”

Transfers Once everyone has gone through customs, it’s only a 20- to 30- minute drive to the hotel zone. Once there, the hotel district is convenient, with easy access between properties—which, White said, is a big plus for many groups. Gold, who relied on the Hilton to recommend a good local

service, encountered no problems with transportation to and from the airport. Hults used a web registration system to set up

78 pcmaconvene April 2011

transfers for his event, and had a similarly smooth experience. Airport-hotel transfers were included in Maul’s hotel rates, and the shuttle vans that transferred her attendees were air-condi- tioned and offered free bottled water. (All hotels hosting meet- ings in Cancun offer bottled water and have purified water on tap.)

Perception Issues Gold’s conference drew fewer exhibitors than a comparable con- ference stateside, which she attributed not only to the current economybut to somecompanies’ hesitancy to conduct business in a “resort destination.” Addressing that perception issue, White said: “The truth is, the costs are reasonable. The peso compared to the dollar can really get you more value for your money.” Mexico’s drug violence has gotten plenty of media exposure,

leading some to jump to the conclusion that all ofMexico is dan- gerous. “That’s like connecting something that happens in Seat-

“The peso compared to the dollar can really get you more value for your money.”

tle to Miami,” Cervantes said. “There is insecurity along the northern border, but Cancun is very far from there and proba- bly is just as safe as your hometown.” Andwhen he hears of a different misperception—that Can-

cun is just a “spring-break destination”—Cervantes points to the facts.“Not evenone percent of the three million touristswho come to Cancun annually are spring-break kids,” he said.

VAT The federal value-added tax (VAT) is 11 percent in Cancun. Meeting expenses—including rooms, transfers, F&B,AV, and other services that are booked through a government-certi- fied event organizer or hotel—are exempt from this tax, but you must file the proper paperwork. Since the exemption applies only to foreign business, your master bill must show a foreign address and payment must come from outsideMexico. Additionally, you must file copies of attendees’ passports

and immigration forms to support their tourist status. This proofusually can be accomplished by having attendees present documents to be copied at registration or at a special concierge desk, Cervantes said. The tax exemption applies to interna- tional guests but not to attendees from within Mexico. How- ever, if you host something like a luncheon for all attendees and it is charged to the master account, you do not have to sort out guests from Mexico. If you pay a non-certified supplier directly, you do not get

the VAT exemption. That is why it is customary to book the majority ofservices through the hotels, and most hotels have staff who routinely handle VAT issues.

Linda C. Chandler is a freelance writer and editor based in Tyler, Texas. Contact her at chandler.lindac@gmail.com.

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