Caribbean holiday destination Jamaica will head to the office to do some work in June, with the JAMEX scheduled to arrive at Secrets St James in Montego Bay.

Already world famous for its sun, sea and sand culture, the island will showcase its formal side, with visitors offered an ideal opportunity to learn examine the Meetings, Incentive, Conference and Event (MICE) facilities on the island.

The event takes the format of a pre-scheduled appointment based trade show, which includes the chance to participate in site inspections of a number of Jamaica’s most popular hotels, attend hosted functions and experience key, local attractions.

Participants at this year’s expo will include local hoteliers, destination management companies and attractions catering to the MICE industry.

“As always, we are looking forward to having a focused approach to the MICE market this year, especially with the launch of the new Montego Bay conference centre which will open up the larger meeting and conference market to Jamaica,” said Elizabeth Fox, regional director of UK and Northern Europe for the Jamaica Tourist Board.

“JAMEX 2011 is also emerging as one of the leading events in the MICE industry calendar, offering participants the opportunity to discuss new developments with suppliers and learn about the facilities from first hand experience through actual site inspections.”

Montego Bay Conference Centre

This is a significant year for Jamaica with regards to the MICE market, as in addition to JAMEX the newly built, state-of-the-art Montego Bay Conference Centre in Rose Hall, St James, also recently confirmed a seven year agreement with management company SMG to manage and market the centre.

The US-based venue management firm will be responsible for reviewing interior furnishings, developing advertising and promotional programmes, as well as all booking and event management.

The partnership is a significant move for the management company as the convention centre is the first in the English-speaking Caribbean to be added to the SMG portfolio.

Participation in JAMEX – which takes place from June 9th-13th - is by invitation from the Jamaica Tourist Board and will include hotel accommodation, ground transportation, all meals and registration materials.

To submit an application, meeting professionals can register here.

City.Mobi

Also in the the Caribbean today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Kingston. 

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

Kingston.Mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.