ITHOUT A DOUBT, 2011 has been an important year for the meetings industry in Mex- ico. As a leader in the growing MICE industry with convenient
accessibility, world-class venues, modern hospital- ity infrastructure, and quality service providers, this year Mexico has played host to major international events, including the Adventure Travel World Sum- mit, the FDI Annual World Dental Congress, World Road Congress, and World Allergy Congress. Addi- tionally, Mexico will host some of the world’s most prestigious events in 2012: the World Economic Forum on Latin America, the G20 Summit, and World Menopause Congress. In response to this ever-increasing number
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CITY CENTERPIECE: The World Trade Center Mexico City includes the International Exhibition and Convention Center, with 138,209 square feet of exhibition space, 128,661 square feet of meeting space, an audi- torium, and 22 meeting rooms. Located in the city’s financial and cul- tural heart, the center is within a three-mile radius of more than 8,000 hotel rooms.
of international congresses and events, Mexico has invested in new hotels and convention cen- ters throughout the country. Puebla, an hour outside of Mexico City, opened the Expo Center Puebla in early 2011, with 430,500 square feet of space for meetings. Queretaro also welcomed a new venue, the 355,000-square-foot Querétaro Convention and Confer- ence Center, which opened in February 2011. In Mexico’s heart- land, the San Luis Potosi Convention Center recently opened with a
Mexico has invested in new hotels and convention centers throughout the country.
97,000-square-foot, column-free great hall and 12 meeting rooms. In Guadalajara, Expo Guadalajara added 301,390 square feet of meet- ing space, making it the largest convention center in Mexico, with just over one million square feet of space. Los Cabos, one of the world’s most popular beach destinations, will open a new conven- tion center next year. The country also recently conducted a study to measure the eco-
nomic significance of its meetings industry. Findings revealed that in 2010 more than 197,000 meetings took place in Mexico, generating
pcma convene November 2011
24.2 million room nights and representing 18 percent of total travel and tourism. As only the third country in the world to measure the economic revenue generated from congresses, conventions, and trade shows, Mexico can now prove that meetings provide an eco- nomic engine for the national economy, as the industry constitutes 1.43 percent of the GDP and is responsible for more than 440,000 jobs. n
AT A GLANCE
Convention facilities: 56 convention centers in 45 destinations, with more than 9.3 million square feet of total meeting space Hotel rooms: 495,000 Airports: Mexico has 57 international and 28 domestic airports. Mexico City’s international airport serves more than 32 million pas- sengers each year.
For more information: Visit Mexico; Eduardo Chaillo, CMM, CMP, Executive Director for Meetings; (202) 265-9021; echaillo@visitmexico.com; Twitter: @mexmeetingsnet; www.visitmexico.com