Sandals Dunn's River Unveils Conference Center
Sandals Dunn’s River in Jamaica has just unveiled a new conference center. The investment signals a continued focus on the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) market. This move underscores the need for responsive supply chains capable of supporting large-scale events in addition to daily resort operations.
The new 8,000-square-foot facility at Sandals Dunn's River is named the Louis Grant Conference Center, honoring a 60-year veteran of the tourism industry who spent over 25 years with the Sandals brand. Executive Chairman Adam Stewart announced the naming in December 2025 at a "Back to Jamaica" event, highlighting Grant's role in shaping the resort's soul. This state-of-the-art center can host up to 500 guests theatre-style or 360 for a banquet, significantly boosting the resort's capacity for large-scale corporate functions. The main venue of 5,396 square feet is highly flexible and can be divided into three separate ballrooms, supplemented by two boardrooms and pre-function areas for networking and registration. The center's rooms are named after iconic local landmarks in Ocho Rios: Laughing Waters, Fern Gully, and White River, connecting the business facility to the local Jamaican community. This development is part of a broader reimagining of the flagship Sandals Dunn's River property, which reopened in 2023. This investment underscores a long-term strategy by Sandals to capture a larger share of the MICE market, moving beyond its traditional focus on couples and leisure travel. The all-inclusive model is a key selling point for planners, as it simplifies budgeting by bundling accommodations, meals, AV support, and on-site coordination. The move aligns with Jamaica's national tourism strategy, which is increasingly targeting the MICE segment. The Jamaica Tourist Board has been actively promoting the island as a prime destination for business events, and this new infrastructure at a major resort strengthens that offering. For supply chain operations, supporting a 500-person conference requires a different logistical scale than daily guest services. The increased demand for banquet supplies, high-tech AV equipment, and customized event materials necessitates a highly responsive and robust distribution network to the Ocho Rios location.
