In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Nicolás Aieta, Director of Sales and Marketing at Hilton Bogotá Corferias.
What are the expectations and objectives of participating in IBTM World?
This is our first time at this event and so far it has been very productive, with a good number of appointments and some business prospects as well, so the balance is positive and if this level of quality of appointments is maintained we will surely repeat it next year.
We also participate in other international fairs of this kind such as Imex Frankfurt or Vegas, but this is our first time at IBTM World and so far we are very pleased.
Not only are you here with Hilton Bogotá Corferias, but Hilton also has a very large stand…
Yes, Hilton is here supporting the event, but I personally like to support our destination, that is why I am participating from Procolombia. I believe that we need to create synergy with public-private entities such as Procolombia and the Bogotá Bureau, so it is a good opportunity to work together with these entities and continue promoting the destination among all.
I also always take advantage of the opportunity to be close to our neighbors at the Ágora Bogotá Convention Center, which together with Corferias make up the Bogotá Fairs, Events and Conventions District, so it gives us more strength when we all participate together at the Procolombia stand, which is why I am leaning toward the destination stand.
We are ending the year, what reflections can you give about what you experienced in 2024?
It's been a very good 2024 for our Hilton Bogotá Corferias hotel, we can even say that it's the year in which it's finishing consolidating. We opened in April 2019 and due to the pandemic we closed in March 2020, we reopened the hotel after the pandemic and this year I think we've achieved consolidation.
2024 is ending in a very productive way, with good occupancy and rate indicators, in line with what we had projected.
What do you expect for 2025?
2025 is looking very good in terms of the number of groups we have on the books for next year compared to the same time last year. This year we are three times above that number.
We are going to start 2025 with a solid business foundation, which predicts that it will be a good year and that Bogotá is positioning itself with larger, larger businesses, which are confirmed earlier.
It is good for the city to continue building this MICE base, especially congresses, conventions and incentives that are confirmed well in advance, allowing for a better outlook for what is to come.