The Mexican Caribbean interests the European Event Planner

The Latin American meetings industry reported growth of 27% in the months of March and April 2023 compared to the same period of the previous year, with a clear upward trend registered in the last two years and driven mainly by the Mexican market.

These are data from the Strategic Information Portal of the Meetings Industry in Latin America (PEIIR), which coincide with forecasts from other organizations and specialized surveys, such as that of the Mexican Council of the Meetings Industry (COMIR), whose forecast for 2023 is that The MICE sector in Mexico generates revenue of close to 25,000 million dollars for the organization of professional events in destinations such as Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Acapulco, Cancun or the Riviera Maya.

Latin America is also the region that predicts the largest increase in attendees for each type of meeting, with a face-to-face component in 90% of these, compared to 76% in 2022. “At the recently held FIEXPO Latin America in Panama, We detected the great interest of the Convention Bureaus of the entire region to attract the European event planner given the stability of this market, its longer stays compared to American markets and its high spending capacity on services, activities and experiences at the destination” , explains Andrés Merino, CEO of Global MICE Forums, a Spanish company specializing in B2B meetings for the meetings and events industry.
Meetings and event planners from the main markets of Europe, North America and Latin America will attend the first event that GMF organizes in Latin America, after more than 40 editions held in Europe, to meet with representatives of destinations, hotels, venues and DMCs from the Caribbean and South America.

According to figures from the organization, more than half of the hosted buyers will come from Europe and will be mostly incentive agencies (80%), followed by corporate event planners (15%) and venue finders (5%), with great power decision making and purchasing power in LATAM destinations. 
The Mexican Caribbean brings together, precisely, more than 130 hotels with capacities for MICE that translate into almost 152,000 m2 of event rooms, in addition to three convention centers, three international airports and an infinite variety of activities and experiences for incentive trips. and assistants to congresses, conventions and all kinds of corporate events.

What is the European Event Planner looking for in the Mexican Caribbean? 
"It is looking for simple air connectivity for its attendees, who usually fly from different parts of Europe, for which we offer direct flights from 18 European cities" including Madrid, highlights Rocío González Jonguitud, director of Groups and Conventions of the Quintana Tourism Promotion Council Roo. 

She also looks for diversity in activities, such as outdoor daytime experiences in cooler times, night activities, and a wide cultural offer, always very important for groups and events from Europe, she adds.

On the other hand, for the North American “it is very common to look for all-inclusive hotels that facilitate the logistics and operation of their events and that the entire program takes place within the same hotel, but in different locations and venues. They go out for a single day to carry out a recreational activity or to break the ice”, she concludes.

Valeria Serrano, CEO of CTA Event Designer & DMC and Chair of the MPI Foundation Council for Latin America, agrees with this: “Europeans seek the cultural aspect, connect with the essence of the destination, learn about customs, the human quality of collaborators and get away from the ordinary. commercial".

But the interest of the Caribbean for the MICE industry goes beyond Mexico and extends to countries like the Dominican Republic with a well-developed tourism infrastructure and a wide range of hotels and resorts with event facilities. 

Colombia, Costa Rica or Panama are also especially interesting, the HUB of the COPA airline that connects it with the entire continent and due to the recent inauguration in 2021 of its new Panama Convention Center, with capacity for 23,000 attendees and panoramic views of the Canal. 

The MICE offer from all these destinations will be represented at the next GMF Latam Edition in the Mexican Caribbean, which will be held at the Kempinski Hotel Cancún from October 8 to 10.

The meeting will consist of a balanced combination of pre-arranged one-to-one appointment sessions between event planners (buyers) and destinations and suppliers (suppliers), training sessions and an attractive social program to promote personal connections and publicize some of the best resources for destination events.

About GLOBAL MICE FORUMS 
Global MICE Forums is the leading Spanish company in professional Meetings and Events Tourism meetings that connect the supply and demand of the MICE industry, through several annual forums with high-value training sessions, pre-established appointments between buyers and suppliers, quality networking and destination experiences.

For more information: Andrés Merino – General Director of Global MICE Forums
Tel. +34 686 363 166 |  andres.merino@iberianmiceforums.com