Plan Your Meetings

Most hotels and facilities in Florida escaped unscathed from Hurricane Wilma. Lack of electricity was the biggest concern, but that didn't stop groups from meeting in South Florida. Wilma arrived in Florida after ricocheting off the Yucatan Peninsula, where recovery efforts are getting hotels and facilities back online as soon as possible.

Cancun was hit hardest, but the Cancun International Airport has resumed normal operations and attractions such as golf facilities, eco-parks, Dolphin Discovery and tourist-quality restaurants, are open. Le Meridien Cancun Resort & Spa is scheduled to reopen Nov. 16, and the Cancun CVB is predicting nearly 8,500 hotel rooms will be operating by the end of the month. By January 2006, the CVB is predicting 20,900 of the city's 27,500 lodging units will be online.

"We have received unprecedented federal and local response and plan to continue making remarkable headway in the coming days and weeks," says Artemio Santos Santos, executive director of the Cancun CVB. "We want the world to know that Cancun is open for business and that when visitors come back they will see an even better, stronger Cancun." For the latest news and updates, visit cancun.info.

Limited commercial air service to Florida Keys Marathon Airport has resumed. Key West's port is open and most November and December events will go on as planned, although Fantasy Fest has been rescheduled for Dec. 7-10. For more information and updates on recovery efforts, call 800-FLA-KEYS.

In Miami Beach, the New Cardiovascular Horizons Conference met as planned on Oct. 27, days after Wilma hit. Its Web site reported more than 85 percent of the faculty and exhibitors, plus more than 1,000 delegates attended. The conference had ironically been moved from New Orleans to Miami in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Nearly 99 percent of hotels and restaurants on Miami Beach and downtown Miami are open for business. Major November events such as the South Florida Auto Show (Nov. 4-13) and NASCAR Ford Championship Weekend (Nov. 18-20) will proceed as scheduled. For more information or assistance, call 800-933-8448.

The Southwest Florida International Airport reopened for business on Oct. 25 and, according to Nancy Hamilton of the Lee County VCB, hotels are reopening rapidly. For regular updates regarding storm recovery efforts in The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel area, call 888-231-5320.

Along Paradise Coast (Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades), Marco Island and Naples beach resorts have reopened, with additional hotels reopening daily. A hotel hotline has been set up to track open hotels and room availability (800-785-8252). The Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens hopes to be partially open by Thanksgiving. Events at its facility are being rescheduled.

In Greater Fort Lauderdale, the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades had reopened, as have more than 85 hotels. Check with individual properties for availability (sunny.org/hotelrooms).

Several Fort Lauderdale events are continuing as scheduled. The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival picked up where it left off after Wilma blew through; the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is scheduled to arrive Nov. 3; and the new Carnival Liberty cruise ship will debut in Port Everglades Nov. 10. And major shopping and dining districts (Sawgrass Mills, the Galleria, Broward Malls, Las Olas Boulevard) are open.

In Palm Beach, the Palm Beach Convention Center has reopened. As of Nov. 1, more than 60 percent of hotels were online. Other amenities available include the Palm Beach International Airport, county parks, and CityPlace and the Clematis Street district in West Palm Beach. The area will still host a full calendar of fall events. For updates on the status of area hotels and facilities, visit palmbeachfl.com.