We arrive at the Leon BJX airport, considered the most important in the central region of the country with national and international connections. In 2022 alone, it registered traffic of 2,581,976 passengers.
In the direct connections with the US we can mention Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Oakland, Sacramento, San Antonio, Fresno and many others that will be added soon through United and American Airlines, there are also direct flights to Central America and indirect flights with all of South America.
The city of Leon has a population of one million inhabitants and is located in the center of Mexico, which facilitates its exchange with all regions of the country. With a vast history, it was founded by Martin Enriquez Almanza in 1576, a Spanish citizen from the Leon region in Spain.
The city is known as the capital of footwear, since 70% of Mexico's footwear originates from Leon) as well as leather garments/clothing. This industry, together with the City Fair that has taken place more than 100 years ago with the participation of almost 6 million visitors in an area of 23 hectares (56.93 Acres), has the purpose of celebrating the identity of Leon and the State of Guanajuato with Local shows, crafts, gastronomy and
attractions of all kinds for the family, starting in January until February inclusive.
Both the footwear industry and the City Fair have provided Leon with experience and prestige in the organization of events of different magnitudes, creating a development space for meeting tourism with all types of facilities and trained professionals from different areas. .
It is also worth noting that Leon is the important headquarters of manufacturing and assembly plants for automotive brands such as General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Honda and Mazda, as well as manufacturers of parts for this industry.
Returning to the events and conventions sector, there are 3 main ones that take place year after year: Balloon Festival, International Rally and the aforementioned City Fair.
And they are added to these other highlights such as the Harvest Festival, given that Leon has wine-growing areas (Vineyard “Hacienda Tierra de Luz”).
Among its most notable activities to do before or after an event are:
Vineyards
Climbing and descending vertical walls in the Alfaro Canyon just 45 minutes from the city.
Shopping for footwear, clothing/leather items.
Golf with courses in the foothills of the mountain such as El Bosque and Villa Seca.
Visit a few kilometers from 2 World Heritage cities such as San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato, both well known internationally for their historical and building wealth.
As a corollary, we can say that Leon has vast and long experience in everything inherent to the MICE field. Some of the structures and buildings in the 67-hectare Leon District, Mexico that this sector uses are:
Polyfórum:
It was inaugurated in 1979 and is the first building used as a Convention and Exhibition Center, it has 42 thousand square meters of rooms and multifunctional areas.
This complex is considered worldwide as one of the largest complexes where business, recreation, art and culture are combined, and it is one of the 3 most important in Mexico and the only one that has a hotel in its vicinity.
Museum of Art and History:
It was inaugurated on November 27, 2008 and is one of the most important cultural complexes in Mexico, a government entity with a mixed board of directors—made up of public officials and opinion leaders from civil society. With 22,750 square meters. It has 4 temporary exhibition rooms in addition to the Regional Cultural Room.
Bicentennial Theater:
Inaugurated in 2010 by Mérida Architect Augusto Quijano. Both private and musical activities are carried out here, such as piano concerts, chamber orchestra, quartet, string concerts, presentations of Tenors and Sopranos. The largest venue has a capacity for 1,500 people where safety comes first, so the curtain is fireproof and the seats have a fire retardant treatment.
Show Center:
Also called “Palenque” it has a capacity for 7,000 spectators, with 4 levels and 12 entrances.
Velaria de la Feria:
The Mega Velaria León covers almost 9,000 square meters and is a velaria-type structure that is used as a performance venue for artists of international, national and local stature; It can hold up to 105,000 people. It is worth mentioning that the original purpose of the Fair is to celebrate the founding of the city. Here we can find various types of restaurants throughout the year.
Fair Dome:
It is generally used for sports competitions with a capacity of up to 4,463 attendees on 3 levels where you can also participate in musical concerts.
Lake Forum:
With more than 2,000 seats in 3 sections and 291 parking spaces.
Explora Science Center:
It is one of the most important interactive science centers in Mexico. It opened its doors in November 1994 and is visited annually by more than 190,000 people! It has fun themed rooms with exhibitions and the IMAX theater with the largest screen in Mexico. It also has a temporary exhibition area and an auditorium for screenings and outreach activities.
Closing this complete vision of the city, Leon demonstrates all the wealth it has with a completely expanding industry, where both participants in events and conventions and their companions can have a rich experience in culture, with great development and success of any activity. MICE.