With a delegation of five Chilean companies led by Sernatur, Chile participated in the 2023 version of IMEX America, North America's largest trade fair for the meetings and events industry.
The meeting was held for three days until yesterday, October 19, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, United States, where thousands of buyers, meeting planners and suppliers from all sectors of the global industry in the MICE segment meet. .
The national director of Sernatur, Cristóbal Benítez, highlighted that “IMEX America is a favorable instance to enhance the image of Chile in the field of meeting tourism, especially focused on the North American market. Chile, as an event venue, offers unforgettable experiences, first-class infrastructure, security, and incredible landscapes. These characteristics are highly valued when choosing an international headquarters.”
To understand the impact of meeting tourism on the national economy, during 2019 (reference year prior to the pandemic), almost 500,000 people arrived in Chile for business, conferences and seminars, leaving US$452 million, representing 18. 5% of foreign exchange for tourism. During 2023, Sernatur has attracted twenty-four international conferences that will be held in the country in the coming years, four more than those obtained in 2022.
Chile's stand at IMEX America had 28 square meters and is a public-private effort to continue promoting Chile within international tourism. The participating Chilean companies were Las Majadas Hotel, Turavion, Marriott International Chile, Mandarin Oriental Santiago and Visit Puerto Varas Convention Bureau, which during the event will present their offer of business tourism, congresses and incentive trips, in addition to promoting the attractions and infrastructure that our country has for this segment.
About IMEX America
IMEX America is North America's largest trade show for the meetings and events industry, both by number of exhibitors and participants. It brings together thousands of buyers, meeting planners and suppliers from all sectors of the global meetings industry and is organized on a pre-arranged appointment system.
Since 2016, between exhibitors and buyers, IMEX América has had more than 13,000 participants (all professionals in the sector), more than 60,000 individual appointments with buyers and approximately 10,000 buyers attending group appointments.