Puerto Rico not only boasts great weather all year round,
natural beauty and a friendly bilingual population that make it a
favorite among travelers, but as a semi-autonomous territory of
the United States it also enjoys technological transfer from the
mainland and more investment in modern infrastructure than
many of its neighbors.
A$1.6billion investment, thePuertoRicoConventionCenterDistrict,
is showcasing these advantages in amixed-use urban zone that will cater
to both pleasure and business and that is
being considered a cutting-edgeproject in
the region and beyond.
Owned by the Convention Center
District Authority (CCDA), the sparkling
complex is being developed on top of an
old naval base in San Juan peninsula, strategically located next to the Isla
GrandeAirport and the PanAmerican PortTerminal.
At theheart of thedistrict is theConventionCenter, an iconic building
with 580,000 square feet and a planned expansion into a staggering
1,000,000 square feet of total space.As themost technologically advanced
convention center of its kind in Latin America, it offers broadband and
wireless connectivity at high speeds, video conferencing and simultaneous
translation.“It is obviously an architectural jewel and has surpassed all the
statistics projected two and a half years ago,” says Manuel Sanchez
Biscombe, ExecutiveDirector of CCDA. “We’ve hosted 848 conventions
andwe have reservations into the year 2015.”
TheCenter representsacreativewayof financing.“Theconventioncenter
building isworth$432million,”explains Biscombe. “This has been financed
through the sameof theexact dollar valueof government bonds over a30-
yearperiod,and it’sbeing repaidover the same lengthof timeby room taxes
from tourists visiting the island.”Lots within theDistrict are sold or leased
to the private sector for the development of other individual projects.
Theentertainment vocationof theDistrict is ingreatpart fulfilledby the
Coliseo JoséMiguelAgrelot,whichhas the capacity for 18,500 spectators. It
hasalreadyhosted someof theworld’s top
artists and athletes with great success.
“Since its opening, it has accrued $86
million in ticket sales,” says Biscombe,“and
it has established itself as one of the best
arenas in the world by being top twenty
every month as well as placing eighth
worldwide in 2007 for outstanding ticket sales.” The District will also
include a set of state-of-the-art hotels that should eventually add 1,700
much-needed rooms to the island,aswell as theWorldTradeCenteroffice
complex, residential units, stores, restaurants, green parks and fountains.
The jewel among thehotels is theSheratonPuertoRicoConventionCenter
Hotel: the $209million, 500-room hotel will feature 117,000more square
feet ofmeeting space and a casino, and itwill alsobe a greenbuilding.
Masterminded by Sasaki Associates, the Convention Center District
is already a dazzling display of the synergies between tourism and
business that could catapult Puerto Rico into a prime spot as a hub for
both in theAmericas.
Puerto Rico means business
Advertising Feature
“We’vehosted848 conventions
andwehave reservations into
theyear 2015.”
Manuel Sanchez
Biscombe, ExecutiveDirector of CCDA
