Plan Your Meetings

Watch for:

• Attendees traveling to Mexico will need to have a passport, or a government-issued ID, plus proof of citizenship (e.g. voter ID card, birth certificate), to re-enter the United States.
• The new South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center will open in 2008 next to the South Padre Island Convention Centre.
• New condo properties include the Suites at Sunchase.

Want waterfront dining?

Restaurants typically focus on serving up steaks and fresh seafood or Mexican cuisine, with dining areas arranged to make the most of each sunset. Louie’s Backyard is a sports bar with banquet rooms for groups of up to 500 people and unusual activities, such as bungee jumping (the continent’s second-highest bungee tower is across the street). Amberjack’s Bayside Bar & Grill is known for its award-winning Shrimp Rasta and signature mojitos. Scampi’s Restaurant and Bar has live music entertainment and more than 200 wines by the glass. Overlooking the Sea Ranch Marina, the Sea Ranch Restaurant pulls its daily catches straight from the marina’s fishing boats. For ultra-casual beach-themed parties, Dorado’s Baja Bar & Grill is a colorful restaurant known for its fish tacos and surfer décor.

Want to be eco-conscious?

Through the South Padre Island Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), planners can arrange for a tree to be planted in the company’s name to stand as a living legacy to the event. Groups also can adopt a sea turtle through Sea Turtle Inc., which rescues and rehabilitates sea turtles, and has educational sessions and group tours. Several charter boat companies offer marine ecology tours. The Laguna Madre Nature Trail is a 1,500-ft. boardwalk through four acres of wetlands just outside the convention center’s front doors; birding tours are popular group activities, and a new birding center with meeting space is expected to open in 2008. The Dolphin Nature Research Center offers hands-on encounters, and educational seminars about sea animals and conservation.

Want to break out of the boardroom?

Hold a beachside meeting or seminar (shoes optional). Or, take small meetings to sea aboard a catamaran or party boat; companies such as Breakaway Cruises and South Padre Island Dolphin Watch also offer fireworks, dinner and dolphin cruises. With Mexico a half-hour away, it’s also easy to create an authentic after-hours fiesta (don’t forget the mariachi).

Want to de-stress attendees?

Arrange coffee break chair massages or beachside massage pavilions through Bamboo Day Spa. The Unum Day Spa’s relaxing treatments were featured in Southern Living magazine. Center Pivot offers tango and yoga classes, corporate seminars and meditation sessions as well as massage therapy.

Want unusual group activities?

The CVB can enlist local artists to lead a sandcastle workshop/team-building competition. Fishing tournaments and trips are available from Jim’s Pier, Dolphin Docks and Osprey Fishing Trips; Blast to Cast also leads duck hunting trips from November-January. Some of the best surfing in the Gulf of Mexico is at Isla Blanca Park.