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Welcome Reception Institutional Sponsors Corporate Sponsors Guided tours of Old San Juan, a folkloric ballet, hosted rum-tasting, a reception at the historic La Puntilla – this is a real Puerto Rican welcome! The University of Puerto Rico, in partnership with key tourism organizations and local companies, has put together a fabulous multi-event party to showcase genuine Puerto Rican hospitality. The Puerto Rico Rum Producers Association will provide samplers of rum drinks; fruit drinks and soda will also be served. The menu will feature a full dinner of tempting Puerto Rican dishes, including chicken and beef turnovers, corn sticks, yucca fritters, rice and beans, baked turkey and pork, a variety of salads, several styles of meatless pasta, soybean meatballs and dessert.
Options #1 and #2: Walking Tours of Old San Juan and Welcome Reception
#3: Welcome Reception Only
Overall Schedule
IMPORTANT: If you decide to stay later in San Juan and do not take the return INFORMS bus, please be aware that taxi service back to either hotel will cost over $100.
Guest Tickets
Hotel Shuttle for Welcome Reception
General Reception-Salsa Night
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7:30pm-9:30pm
Early salsa lessons begin at 7:00pm
Wyndham Rio Mar, Vista Verde Garden
Your badge is your ticket to this event. See below for information on purchasing tickets for your guests.
Learn to salsa! Another fabulous party with a real Puerto Rican flavor, the General Reception offers you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn to salsa from true experts, students from the University of Puerto Rico. Salsa “tutorials” will be offered at 7:00pm, (a half-hour before the reception begins at 7:30pm) and continue during the evening.
After you work up an appetite, you’re invited to enjoy some genuine island cuisine and sample from a variety of foods at this buffet dinner. The party will be held under the stars, at the Wyndham’s Vista Verde Garden with expansive views of the beach and ocean. If you are staying at the El Conquistador, buses will be available to transport you between the two hotels before and after the party.
Guest Tickets
Admission to the General Reception is included in the registration fee for registrants. If you would like to bring a guest(s), you can purchase a guest registration, which includes the Sunday Welcome Reception as well as the General Reception. The guest fee is $100 adult; $50 children 6-12; free for children under 6. You can also purchase tickets for just ONE of the receptions at $50 adult; $25 children ages 6-12; free for children under 6. If you have registered for the conference already and want to add a guest registration or purchase reception tickets, contact meetings@informs.org or call 800-343-0062 (401-722-2595) x200.
Hotel Shuttle for General Reception
The shuttle between the El Conquistador and the Wyndham will operate as follows:
| To Wyndham: | departs El Conquistador at 6:00pm, 6:30pm and 7:00pm. |
| Return: | departs Wyndham at 8:30pm, 9:00pm, 9:30pm and 10:00pm. |
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INFORMS TOURS
These INFORMS-exclusive tours are offered during the conference and are open only to INFORMS attendees and guests. Sign up for these tours when you register for the conference. You can choose from the following: El Yunque Rainforest, Catamaran-Sail/Snorkel Buffet, and Laguna Grande Bioluminescent Eco-Tour. Click here for tour descriptions and prices.
ADDITIONAL TOURS ON YOUR OWN
There are many local tour companies that offer regularly-scheduled tours of Puerto Rico sights as well as excursions to other islands. One of these companies, Global Tourism Alliance, has prepared a list of tours that may appeal to INFORMS attendees. You must purchase these tours directly with Global Tourism Alliance and make all arrangements with the company (please note that these are not INFORMS-organized tours). Tours offered include: Arecibo Observatory and Camuy Caves, deep sea fishing, St. Thomas excursion by air, Las Cabezas Bay kayaking/snorkeling, a sunset sail, Rio Grande Nature Reserve, shopping in Old San Juan and the Bacardi Distillery, horseback riding and more. For a complete menu, with prices and purchase information, click here.
EL YUNQUE RAINFOREST
Sunday, July 8 9:00am-12:30pm
$32 (lunch not included)
El Yunque Rainforest is the perfect place to spend some quiet time, take unique photos and enjoy the vistas from a mountaintop location. The Caribe Indians spent some 200 years living in this 28,000 acre tropical paradise, and when you explore the mountain named after their “Good Indian Spirit, Yuquiyu,” you can imagine the serene life they must have lead. The 3,624-foot mountain is home to 240 different species of trees. With over 120 inches of rain each year, a lush ground cover of vines, tubers, ginger and orchids abounds. The sounds of waterfalls blend with those of tropical creatures such as birds and frogs in this sanctuary. Observatories, walking trails and great places to sit and contemplate make this tour a special one.
CATAMARAN - SAIL / SNORKEL BUFFET
Sunday, July 8
8:30am-1:00pm
$69 (includes lunch buffet)
Sail/Snorkel Buffet is a 4-hour program that begins with a pickup and transfer to Fajardo’s Puerto de Rey Marina. We will board for a relaxing sail on our majestic catamaran to one of the nearby coral reefs. Throughout the sail you will partake of unlimited Rum Punch, Piña Coladas, soft drinks and assorted snacks including fresh tropical fruit and deli style lunch that consists of:
| Pan de Agua (Spanish style bread) | Smoked ham, turkey and salami |
| Swiss and cheddar cheese | Lettuce, tomatoes and pickles |
| Pineapple, bananas, seasonal fruits | Bar snacks and cookies |
When we anchor you may choose to snorkel near a live reef with hundreds of colorful species of fish. Relax on the pristine beaches and crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea.
LAGUNA GRANDE BIOLUMINESCENT ECO-TOUR (Las Croabas ) SOLD OUT
Tuesday, July 10
6:00pm-9:00pm
$55.00 (includes boxed snack)
One of Puerto Rico’s most incredible sights must be witnessed in the dark! The precise conditions of mangrove and limited sea access combine to host millions of dinoflagellates, microscopic organisms that release energy in the form of light. These underwater fireworks can be seen in the wake of kayaks paddling silently into the night. The reason for their existence and near extinction will be revealed to you by your guides…an unforgettable adventure! For the more adventurous, you can wear your bathing suits and swim in the bioluminescent waters. You have to be able to get in and out of your kayak.
INFORMS Puerto Rico will take full advantage of our tropical location for an exceptional social program! The Local Committee from the University of Puerto Rico has taken the lead in planning a complete menu of special events. Here are just a few of the concepts now in the planning stages; check back for details as they are finalized.
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Copyright © 2006 INFORMS, Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences |