For seven years the popular Caribbean Gaming & Hospitality Conference has been at hotel venues on the island of Puerto Rico. Organizer Bruce Smith as President of WestVille Enterprises, Inc has now signed a 5-year contract with the new Puerto Rico Convention Center, due to open in October this year. Next year’s Conference will be June 13-14, 2006, and is expected to be even larger than the one earlier this month that had record attendance.

Located near the entrance to the Old San Juan area, the Puerto Rico Convention Center is the centerpiece of a $415 million waterfront development project, the largest to date in U.S. history. The 113-acre property will include shops, restaurants, office and residential space, hotels, and plazas. Ana Maria Viscasillas, President and CEO of the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau (PRCB), said that the selection of the Convention Center as a multi-year host destination for the Caribbean Gaming & Hospitality Conference is “an excellent example of how Puerto Rico is emerging as a premier meetings destination.” She added, "We're proud to play a role in the success of this growing show."

The Caribbean Gaming and Hospitality Conference is the only educational, business, and networking program designed for Caribbean and Latin American-based casino, resort, and hospitality managers. With Latin America proving to be a growing gaming market, Bruce Smith is already in talks with local hotels to accommodate next year’s increased attendees and exhibitors at the show. He predicts that the agreement with the PRCB will attract more than 10,000 attendees through 2010.

Puerto Rico has a vibrant gaming industry with 19 casinos and two others scheduled to open later this year. Bruce Smith comments, “We've held our program in Puerto Rico at the Caribe Hilton for the past several years and as our conference and business expo attendance continues to increase, the new Convention Center gives us a great opportunity to grow intelligently. Add to that the excellent suppliers and vendors in the region, and we are very confident this is the right decision." (E-06.30.05)

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