The party is over… for this year, anyway.

The largest Live & Invest in Panama Conference in the history of International Living is now finished and entered in the record book.

And what a conference it was. I’ve served as Master of Ceremonies at most of our major events for the past few years. I can honestly say that the record 375 folks who joined us on sunny Kobbe Beach at Playa Bonita Resort outside Panama City were some of the most focused, action-oriented attendees we’ve ever hosted.

They weren’t just thinking about a move to keep what was left of their wealth and personal freedom… they had one foot out the door and the suitcase in their hands.

The fact that we focused on Panama had a lot to do with the serious nature of this event and these attendees.

I have to admit, spending most of my time in Mexico and Ecuador for the past few years shifted my focus from Panama for a while. But once back on the ground here, after listening to the tips, tricks, advice, and insider info from our long list of financial and lifestyle experts, I remembered what an incredible value proposition Panama really is for expats.

Stable, democratic government. Robust economy (the Panama Canal profit actually increased last year during the global downturn). Incredible culture. First-World services and amenities. International airport. Choice of any kind of lifestyle from city to beach to mountains, cool to warm to hot.

Panama checked a lot of boxes for our attendees this year, that’s for sure. In fact, one big check box was right next door to our conference location at the old Howard Airforce Base, one of the largest and most upscale U.S. military installations in the country back when the Canal was a U.S. operation.

The entire base is now one of the most ambitious and potentially profitable projects in the country.

Called Panama Pacifico, it’s a mixed-use business, residential and recreational community… essentially a city unto itself just across the Bridge of the Americas from Panama City.

As Panama Pacifica representative Andrea Cooper told our attendees, this is no small undertaking. The government of Panama will work with London & Regional Panama Development Corporation for the next 40 years to create what they call a “dynamic business center and residential Mecca set in a lush tropical environment” that includes:

* 1,400 hectares, with nearly half of the land to remain in its natural state or to be devoted to new parks and open space

* 1 million square meters of commercial space

* 20,000 homes

* 40,000 new jobs

* Retail centers and hotels

* Schools and places of worship

* Parks, recreational amenities, and a championship golf course

That’s a project with legs, as they say… and it really got my attention. A modern condo or townhouse in this project would come with a surrounding community and active business infrastructure second to none.

You wouldn’t just be buying a condo… you’d be buying a quality lifestyle in a small city purpose built from the ground up around principles of sustainable business and ecological lifestyle.

Several busloads of our attendees went over to take a look for themselves, and they came back with the conviction that this is the real deal.

In fact, I was intrigued myself by the condos on offer in one of Panama Pacifica’s three main residential areas. In the northern sector there are 72 one-, two-, and three-bedroom condos located over retail space across from the project’s Olympic-sized pool and theater. And starting at about $150,000, they fit to a T my template for a reasonably priced vacation/rental property in a stable, prosperous, and beautiful location that could pay for itself while I use it as a vacation home or second residence.

These condos are just the tip of the iceberg at Panama Pacifica, as Andrea explained to us during her presentation. The business opportunities alone had many of our attendees signing up for the bus tour even before she was done.

We captured it all on tape, of course. We’ve been recording all our conferences for several years now to preserve every bit of expert advice and insight that our attendees hear during these events.

I’m particularly glad we have the recordings of this latest Panama conference. As I said, they record a piece of International Living history.

And as the wheels of fate turn and political and economic conditions move and shift in the U.S., I’m pretty sure that Panama’s value proposition of stability, privacy, economic health, and livability will only increase.

In fact, I wouldn’t doubt that anything we might plan in Panama next year could break another record. We’ll keep you posted.

Editor’s note: The presentation that so impressed Dan…as well as five other top recordings from the recent Panama seminar…comes free with the Ultimate Overseas Retirement Plan. It’s the complete package for anyone interested in Panama, and also includes the Panama Owner’s Manual…and a special report detailing a step-by-step guide to The World’s Best Retirement Program.

The Ultimate Overseas Retirement Plan is available for one week only—this week, our “No-Bull Guide to Panama” week. Get the full details here.