Mexico for Meetings and Conventions

Mexico for Meetings
and Conventions
For nearly half a century, Mexico has demonstrated its
strengths in hosting conferences, conventions and other
large events.
Among the major events of recent years in terms of
importance, number of attendees and room occupancy
are the World Diabetes Congress, with between 8 and 10
thousand people attending, the World Water Congress, the
World Congress on AIDS, with 25 thousand people in attendance, and the Cancun Summit on Climate Change with an
equal number of attendees.
With regard to facilities, equipment and services, Mexico
offers a strong infrastructure, many cultural and natural
attractions, and a selection of world class hotels, dedicated
conference halls and fully-equipped convention centers.
For the Latin American market, our attraction is technology and facilities, and with regard to Europe, we differentiate ourselves by offering an experience consisting of
elements from three worlds: the best of Latin culture, the
best in technology and the American lifestyle, and a very
European touch of class.
To ensure the most successful organization
of any event:
Visitors & Convention Offices (abbreviation in Spanish:
“OCVs”) and Mexican government institutions (state ministries of tourism) provide ample and reliable information
for organizers about what is and isn’t possible, and also
information describing the attractions and advantages of
each place with regard to meetings, conferences, conventions and expos. These offices also provide assistance with
some administrative procedures and requirements.
Other institutions and organizations:
Hotel associations
Associations specializing in specific segments.
Mexican Fairgrounds Association – provides information on
convention centers.
Phone. +52 (443) 314.6150 / 314.6202 Fax.:+52 (443) 314 6411
National Association of Visitors & Convention Offices.
http://www.andoconline.org/
MPI (Meeting Professionals International), Mexico Chapter.
http://www.mpimexico.org.mx/
Mexico offers the 0% VAT rate for conferences, conventions,
expos and fairs anywhere in the country. For more information, see page 25 or www. shcp.gob.mx
Below is a list of destinations, in which information is provided about what sort of events each is best suited for.
Cancun
Ideal for conferences, conventions and expos.
Cancún Convention & Exposition Center: 7,000 m²
(75,347 ft2) of space for conventions and 13 columnless halls, dividable into 37 smaller areas, capacity for
8,000 attendees, plus 7,200 m² of exposition area.
www.cancuncenter.com
Cultural activities: In the vicinity are ruins of various
Mayan cities and site museums, and event-goers can
enjoy evening shows of regional and traditional dance.
Sporting activities: Considered a submarine paradise,
with excellent diving and snorkeling opportunities.
Memorable settings: Beautiful white sand beaches
for day or evening theme parties.
Testimonials: Has hosted international encounters
including world summits, attended by leaders from
around the world and the World Bank, among others.
Hotels: Over 31,000 rooms, from tourist, deluxe and
grand luxury category.
Some of the hotels that specialize in meetings and
conventions: Hyatt Regency: Meeting or event for up
to 300 people. Offering 8,630 square feet of function
space in addition to outdoor spaces. The Cancun
Convention Center is located within walking distance
from the hotel and provides additional meeting space. www.cancun.regency.hyatt.com
Live Aqua Cancún: Offer more than 16,000 square feet
of meeting space with 17 rooms accommodating up to
1,000 people. Spaces that turn any business meeting
or group function into a magical experience that
touches, all the senses. www.aquaallinclusive.com
Fiesta Americana Coral Beach: Offers more than
32,000 square feet of meeting space, with 7event
rooms that can be divided to form 20 individual spaces, accommodating groups from 12 to 1,700 people.
www.fiestamericana.com
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Cancun Palace: Convention center with 12,378 ft2
(1,175 m2) and an additional meeting space of 4,030
ft2 (384 m2) with the option of 10 breakouts.
www.palaceresorts.com
Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort: Ballroom with
55,850 ft2 (5,188 m2) with capacity for up to 5,000 attendees, another 36,000 ft2 (3,344 m2) of conference
space, accommodates up to 3,600 people, and one
more with unobstructed views, 30 ft (9 m).
www.palaceresorts.com
Beach Palace: Features a ballroom with 8,274.5 ft2
(768 m2) of flexible meeting space with a maximum
capacity of 450 people banquet style and divisible
into 13 breakouts. www.palaceresorts.com
Sun Palace: Rooms for small events, 4,100 ft2 (380
m2) . www.palaceresorts.com
Le Blanc: Elegant and flexible meeting space with
wireless Internet, measuring more than 8,000 ft2 (743
m2). www.leblancsparesort.com
Crown Paradise Club Cancun Resort: Totally equipped Conference Center with more than 3,300 Sq.
Ft. Meeting space, with a maximum capacity of 700
people. www.crownparadise.com
Guanajuato
Ideal for conferences and expos
Access: Guanajuato International Airport.
Contact: Guanajuato Convention and Visitor Bureau
Tel: (473) 732-1574 ext. 211 ocv@hotelesguanajuato.com
Guanajuato Convention Center: maximum capacity of
2,000 in its auditorium configuration. Its multiple-use
room (1,600 m2) has the flexibility to be used for business meetings, conferences, conventions and it also
has 5 meeting rooms for smaller groups.
Cultural activities: Visit the Historical Centre, which
is declared UNESCO Cultural Patrimony of Humanity.
Tour of San Miguel de Allende.
Memorable settings: The Juarez Theatre. Evening
walking tours accompanied by troubadours and
wine-carting burro.
Testimonials: Cervantino Festival
Hotels: Over 1,500 rooms, tourist, deluxe and grand
luxury category.
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Mexico for Meetings
and Conventions
Mazatlan
Ideal for conferences and expos.
Access: Mazatlán International Airport
Contact: Ministry of Tourism 01-800 949-4949
Mazatlan Hotel Association 669-916-5782 www.gomazatlan.com
Convention Center: International Convention Center
of Mazatlán: Overall area of 34,645 m² (372,915 sq.
ft) with exposition area of 6,400 m² (68,889 sq. ft)
with a capacity of up to 4,500 persons. Green areas
account for 29,024 m² (312,411 sq. ft). (See pg. 106).
Cultural activities: Visit the Historical Center
Sporting activities: Sport fishing for sailfish.
Memorable settings: The Angela Peralta Theatre.
Hotels: Over 5,000 rooms, tourist, deluxe and grand
luxury category.
Morelia
Ideal for conventions and incentive meetings.
Access: International airport with flights from the
United States and other Mexican cities.
Contact: Michoacan Convention Bureau (Fiprotur)
Tel: +52 (443) 340-1101/02 fiproturmich@michoacan-travel.com
Convention Center: CECONEXPO: Surrounded by 15
hectares (37 acres) of forests and gardens, with 4,522
m² of exposition space, and a ceiling height of 5.60 m.
Capacity for up to 5,000 attendees. 1,045 m² dividable
event hall, conference rooms and 4 meeting rooms
for up to 90 people, 658 m²2 lobby.
www.ceconexpo.com
Cultural activities: City of rich cultural heritage, beautiful colonial buildings, museums, galleries, fine crafts,
charming villages in the vicinity, great cuisine.
Memorable settings: Events with the Morelia
Children’s Choir. Tour of Pátzcuaro. Reenactment of
Purépecha ball game. Sound and light show at the
Cathedral.
Testimonials: International film and music festivals.
Hotels: Over 2,300 rooms, tourist, deluxe and grand
luxury category.
Oaxaca
Ideal for conventions.
Access: Flights available from all over the world as
well as other major Mexican cities.
Contact: Department of Tourism and Economic Development of the State of Oaxaca www.oaxaca.travel
Cultural activities: The historic downtown has been
named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and the
city is located a few minutes from the archaeological
sites of Mitla and Monte Alban; the city also features
many important civil and religious buildings from the
colonial period. Museums, galleries, excellent crafts
and cuisine, regional dance shows, festivals such as
the Guelaguetza.
Memorable settings: Beautiful colonial settings.
Events in historic downtown buildings. Light and
sound shows at archaeological sites.
Testimonials: National Cultural Circle and Personal
Assistance Meeting, National Endodontics Meeting,
Southeast Dental Congress, 4th Fiscal Forum of the
Central Peninsular Isthmus Region.
Hotels: Over 1,688 rooms, tourist, deluxe and grand
luxury category.
Puebla
Ideal for conventions and expos.
Access: Puebla International Airport
Contact: Puebla Convention Bureau www.buroconvencionespuebla.com
Convention Center: Puebla Convention and Exposition
Centre: Total area of over 80,000 m2. The ground
floor features: modules for registration and ticket sales, locals (profitable), toilettes and cellars; the upper
floor has executive lounge, meeting rooms, coffee
stations, administrative offices, telecom room and
elevator. www.expo-puebla.com
University Cultural Complex: Overall area of 87,877 m²
(945,931.10 sq. ft), minimalist architecture, auditorium with capacity of 3,494 persons, multifunctional
spaces and an explanade with a capacicity of 8,000 to
15,000 personas. www.complejocultural.buap.mx/
William O. Jenkins Convention Centre: Covered area of
4,696.83 m², (50,557.91 sq. ft), a hall with a capacity
of up to 3,500 persons, with grandstand seating for
1,000 persons, six small meeting halls with capacities
of 50 to 550 persons and an auditorium for 264 persons. (See pg. 125).
www.convenciones-puebla.com.mx
Cultural activities: Named a World Heritage Site in
honor of its rich cultural, architectural and artistic
heritage. Beautiful civil and religious buildings of the
colonial period, museums, galleries. Refined craft
production.
Memorable settings: Banquets in elegant colonial courtyards and cloisters. Night African Safari in the winter.
Testimonials: Your Wedding Expo, Agroindustrial
Christmas Fair, National Meeting on Adolescent Care,
International Industrial Engineering Congress.
Hotels: Over 2,900 rooms, tourist, deluxe and grand
luxury category.
Some of the hotels that specialize in meetings and
conventions:
Presidente Intercontinental Puebla: 11 rooms for
meetings, 16,816 m2 of space for conventions, three
meeting areas and a room with a capacity for 600
persons in theater set up. A ballroom measuring
65.29 by 117.39 m (214.2 ft x 385.13 ft) and 3.6 m in
height (10.7 ft) www.intercontinental.com/intercontinental/en/gb/ locations/puebla
Queretaro
Ideal for congress and conventions
Access: Queretaro Intercontinental Airport, or
through Mexico City, given its proximity
Contact: Visitors & Convention Office. Phone: +52 (442) 238 5000 ext 5841 http://occ.queretaro.travel
Congress and Conventions Center: Queretaro Congress Center 18,991 m2 of space, divided into 4 levels,
with space for exhibitions, congresses, banquets or
work sessions, and is complimented by a parking area
with a capacity for 1,550 cars. For more information
see page 137.
Testimonials: International Congress 2011: Science,
Community and Addictions
Hotels: 8,400 rooms tourist category
Some of the hotels that specialize in meetings and
conventions:
Fiesta Americana Hacienda Galindo
More than 20,000 Ft2 (2,000 m2) of indoor space for
reunions, conventions and meetings for up to 1,000
guests. www.fiestamericana.com
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Riviera Maya
Ideal for large conventions and meetings
Access: Cancun International Airport
Contact: Riviera Maya Destination Marketing Office
www.rivieramaya.com www.rivieramayatravelagentprogram.com
Cultural activities: Rich pre-Hispanic cultural heritage,
archeological sites.
Sporting activities: Considered an underwater paradise, diving and snorkeling activities are recommended.
Memorable settings: Beautiful natural and archeological settings.
Hotels: Over 38,000 rooms, tourist, deluxe and grand
luxury category.
Some of the hotels that specialize in meetings and
conventions include:
Barceló Maya Beach Resort: Eleven divisible halls of
between 30 m² (322.917 sq. ft) and 1125 m² (12,109.399
sq. ft) for a total of 19 halls, as well as a theatre for
750 persons, 950 m² (10,225.715 sq. ft) for exhibitions.
www.barcelo.com
Iberostar Hotels & Resorts: Conference rooms furnished with the latest technology and all the equipment
you might need for your meetings to be a success.
www.Iberostar.com
Aventura Spa Palace: Convention center divided into
three distinctive areas: one with 25,000 ft2 (2,322
m2), other with 9,000 ft2 (836 m2) –divisible up to
14 breakouts– and the last one of 6,000 ft2 (557 m2).
State-of-the-art technology www.palaceresorts.com
Playacar Palace: 3,417 ft2 (317 m2) of meeting space,
and an extensive foyer covering an area of 1,449 ft2
(134,5 m2 ) convenient for coffee breaks and cocktails.
For groups ranging from 40 to 320.
www.palaceresorts.com
Veracruz
Ideal for conventions
Access: Veracruz International Airports
Contact: Veracruz Office of Visitors and Conventions
Tels.+52 (229) 923 03 91/ 923 03 92 ovc@veracruzovc.com.mx
Convention Center: WTC VERACRUZ
9,000 m² (96,875 ft2) column-free exposition space
with 15m high ceilings, dividable into four rooms.
Capacity for 600 booths, 2,470 m² (26,586 ft2) for conferences dividable into 5 rooms, business center.
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Mexico for Meetings
and Conventions
www.wtcveracruz.com.mx
Cultural activities Historic city with interesting constructions dating back to the 16th century, museums,
aquariums, great culinary variety.
Sporting activities: Nearby opportunities for rafting,
or walks around ecological reserves.
Memorable settings: Fine views of the harbor by day
and by night, function halls and terraces overlooking
the sea. Pier tours and dining in historic buildings.
Testimonials: International Congress on Successful
Cases, Education for Development of Sustainable
Societies, 30th Anniversary of COPARMEX.
Some of the hotels that specialize in meetings and
conventions include:
Fiesta Americana Veracruz: 7 modern meeting rooms
for up to 470 guests. Each space has wall-to-wall carpeting, integrated a/v equipment and the service of a
well-trained professional staff that is always ready to
take care of you and your group.
Zacatecas
Ideal for conventions and meetings
Access: Zacatecas International Airport
Contact: Zacatecas Office of Visitors and Conventions. Phone: +52 (492) 925 12 77. www.zacatecas.gob.mx
Convention Center: Zacatecas Fair and Exhibition
Center: Twelve halls between 250 m² (2,690 ft²) and
900 m2 (9.687 ft²), a 2800 m² (30, 000 ft²) esplanade.
Capacities from 40 to 4000 people. centrodeferiaszacatecas.com
Zacatecas Convention Palace: Main hall of 52.186 ft²
(4.850 m²), divisible into 26 multipurpose rooms of
3.766 ft ² (300 m2) for 40 people each. Business center with high technology. Capacity up to 5 thousand
people. www.convencioneszacatecas.com (p. 166)
Cultural activities: This state has a rich historical
and cultural heritage and a wide variety of museums
among which the most notable are the Francisco
Goitia, the Pedro Coronel, and the Zacatecano, all
of which are located in buildings considered to be
veritable architectural jewels.
Tourist activities: Tours in the El Edén mine, or on the
Cerro de la Bufa cable car.
Unforgetable settings: the Historical Center, declared a World Heritage Site, the “El Edén” mine,
museums.