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From National Nature Reserves to Art Centers and Sea-Faring Voyages, the Paradise Coast Offers An Exotic Array of Off-Site Venues
August 14, 2009

Discover numerous unique venues when hosting an event, themed meeting, special dinner or group retreat in Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades. The rich natural treasures and diversity in landscape allows the Paradise Coast to offer meeting planners the best of both worlds of business and pleasure when creating a unique event for the group. For more information or images, visit the Media Center at www.ParadiseCoast.com.

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Media Contacts:
JoNell Modys, CVB, jonellmodys@colliergov.net, 239-252-2425
Maria Sabale, BCF, msabale@boomyourbrand.com, 757-497-4811


From National Nature Reserves to Art Centers and Sea-Faring Voyages, the Paradise Coast Offers An Exotic Array of Off-Site Venues


Naples, Fla. (August 10, 2009) – Discover numerous unique venues when hosting an event, themed meeting, special dinner or group retreat in Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades. The rich natural treasures and diversity in landscape allows the Paradise Coast to offer meeting planners the best of both worlds of business and pleasure when creating a unique event for the group. For more information or images, visit the Media Center at www.ParadiseCoast.com.


Within convenient reach of Naples and Marco Island’s hotel-based conference facilities, there is an eclectic array of off-site group function venues. One of the most striking is NGALA, a private game reserve with a luxurious tented facility where live African animals, fine food and spirits, music and adventure bring your group dinner functions to a whole new level of unforgettable experience. In addition to the African Safari theme, an Everglades adventure theme is also available. www.ngala.net.


Naples Botanical Garden is in the process of creating a world-class tropical garden paradise that will include cultivated gardens of Brazil, the Caribbean, and a hands-on interactive Children’s Garden along with 90 acres of beautifully restored natural Florida habitats. The Garden will open to the public in November 2009. Starting January 2010, Naples Botanical Garden will be available as a venue for meetings, conferences, receptions and dinners. The lush backdrop of the beautiful Garden with vibrantly colored flowers makes a picturesque tropical paradise backdrop, all just ten minutes from downtown Naples. The newly remodeled Windstar Garden Room, a 4,000 square foot air-conditioned space, can accommodate up to 125 guests. Also available is The Garden Lecture Room that can accommodate up to 60 guests www.naplesgarden.org .


Big Cypress Market Place consists of an 87,000-square-foot flea shopping, entertainment and event venue opened October 10, 2008 and will be open year-round Friday-Sunday to the public, with special events planned on weekday evenings. Located on U.S. 41 four miles east of Collier Boulevard (CR 951), the Market Place features an indoor flea market with more than 100 retail vendors, a food court with entertainment stage and second-floor mezzanine seating, an outdoor produce market and Tiki Bar, a winery and a large event center. The 7,000-square-foot food arena features a second-floor mezzanine and a stage for live entertainment, student performances and cooking demonstrations. A 13,000-square-foot EXPO event center can be rented for trade shows, car shows, parties and other large gatherings. Vendor and event center leasing information is available at (239) 262-3210. www.bigcypressmarketplace.com.


Naples Zoo is building a resume of corporate and social group functions that incorporate the property’s extensive botanical gardens as well as the AZA-accredited zoo’s animals and programs. Set up a tent for a formal dinner event in Rain Forest Grove, or provide ride aboard the zoo’s Primate Expedition Cruise, with two pontoon boats that tour the zoo’s cage-free primate habitats on islands within Lake Victoria. The Leopard Rock exhibit features glass walls that allow visitors to be eye-to-eye with the big cats. The fosa exhibit displays two rare fosas, a native predator from the island of Madagascar, and the new Black Bear Hammock is the largest black bear zoo habitat in the Southeastern U.S. www.napleszoo.org.


The Philharmonic Center for the Arts, including a concert hall and the Naples Museum of Art, offers culturally significant events and exhibits as well as an interesting choice of unique meeting venues. www.thephil.org.


The Naples Art Association’s von Liebig Art Center at Cambier Park in downtown Naples has free public art galleries along with classes and workshops. The art center’s facility is also available for special functions. www.naplesartcenter.org.


North Collier Regional Park, home to the Sun-N-Fun Lagoon water park, also has new exhibit space available for groups. This facility in north Naples has two exhibit halls for a total of 5,400 square feet of space with half and quarter hall divisions available. There is a kitchen to accommodate catering and dining tables and chairs are available. Call 239-254-4060.

Edison Community College’s Collier County Campus just east of downtown Naples has a conference center that accommodates 234 people with several breakout rooms on site. This site is very convenient to Marco Island as well as Naples. Call 239-732-3707.

There are numerous museum facilities that offer interesting locations – such as the Collier County Museum locations in Naples, Everglades City and Immokalee. www.colliermuseum.com.


Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve has a wonderful interactive educational center. Included in this space is a state-of-the-art auditorium, break out meeting and classrooms, and reception spaces with views of the mangrove estuary surrounding the Reserve. Nature walks and boat tours of the reserve are available, as are volunteer opportunities to participate in reserve maintenance. www.rookerybay.org.


The Naples Princess yacht is available for group charters or for public sightseeing or dinner cruises. This elegant large yacht offers inside seating in spacious air conditioned cabins as well as decks for enjoying the sea breezes. www.naplesprincesscruises.com.


Cruise Naples offers sightseeing cruises on the double-decker Double Sunshine boat departing from the docks at Tin City. Every Friday evening there is a public Sip n’Sail sunset cruise, with an extensive wine tasting experience onboard. Planners may also work with Sipn’Sail’s own master sommelier and staff to create their own exclusive wine tasting experience, along with wine tasting receptions, dinners & cordial finales, at any location on the Paradise Coast. www.cruisenaplesflorida.com. www.sipnsail.com.


The Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau is the official tourism marketing and management agency for Collier County, Florida, funded entirely by the Collier County tourist development tax. The CVB provides meeting planning assistance, guides and support materials online at www.ParadiseCoast.com/meetings or by calling the meeting planner’s hotline at 1-800-830-1760.

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