As Mexico’s meetings economy continues to expand and attract investment, U.S. and Canadian planners are finding positive returns in the nation’s improving infrastructure and services for groups. Long favored by incentive houses, Mexico is now also on planners’ radar for large-scale gatherings, from conventions and trade shows to international festivals and events.
This summer, Mexico City hosted the 7th World Chambers of Commerce Congress, drawing some 12,000 chambers of commerce from 100 countries, including the U.S. Last year, Cancun hosted MPI’s first meeting outside the U.S. and Canada, with meeting planners representing nearly half of the 2,000 delegates.
As the following two planners explain, meetings in Mexico come with several advantages, including opportunities to give back.
Andrea Young; Innovative Events; Sacramento, Calif.
After several years of traveling to Mexico for meetings and events, Andrea Young, owner and planning director of full-service planning firm Innovative Events, decided to discover the country on a more personal level.
“My ventures turned into quite a few repeat visits, which in turn has only enhanced my love for Mexico, its people and its culture,” she says.
With her clients frequently inquiring about or outright requesting Mexico, it is a choice that Young is quick to recommend.
“I have held events in Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco, but my primary focus is in Cancun and the Riviera Maya,” she explains.
Working with a range of groups, including associations, Young steers her clients toward Cancun and the Riviera Maya for its unique scenic appeal.
“The sheer beauty of the destination is a huge draw, especially for groups yet to experience the allure of white-sand beaches and azure blue waters,” she says. “It’s eye candy at its finest.”
In addition to “rich culture and history and second-to-none hospitality that goes above and beyond expectation,” Young sees purchasing power as Mexico’s top selling point—starting with the zero percent value-added tax.
“This represents a huge cost savings for meetings, conferences, educational sessions or any gathering strictly focused on business and not entertainment or pleasure,” she says. “Groups save from 10 percent at beach and coastal destinations to 16 percent at inland destinations on sleeping rooms, food and beverage, audiovisual and often transportation, providing the requirements are met and all billing is posted to a single master account, typically at the hotel.”
For an association group she recently took to Cancun, the VAT exemption resulted in savings of $45,000. Other budgetary incentives include lower service charges and cost of services, and often, no resort fees.
“Airlift is another plus, with nonstop service from most gateway cities in the U.S., and there is a wide range of accommodations to suit all budgets,” Young says.
Among her favorite hotels in Cancun are Grupo Posadas properties such as Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach, Live Aqua and Fiesta Americana Condesa, along with the Westin Regina and Grand Melia. On the Riviera Maya her picks include Ceiba del Mar Spa Resort, Banyan Tree, Deseo, Maroma Beach Resort & Spa and Grand Velas. Her preferred conference venues include the Cancun Center, Conventions and Exhibitions; Gran Melia Convention Center; and Grand Velas Convention Center.
Young brings experience to bear when addressing safety and security issues.
“One of my 2010 programs was jeopardized due to the bad media publicity on Mexico,” she relates. “However, doing my due diligence and keeping an arsenal of travel statistics, safety documentation and testimonies from personal experience helped quell the media-instilled fear.”
She attests to never feeling in danger or worrying about her safety.
“Actually, the complete opposite is true,” Young says. “I have felt safer in Cancun and the Riviera Maya than I did at some places back at home in California, especially with the multiple layers of security around tourist destinations.”
Acknowledging that Mexico has “bad spots like anywhere else,” she recommends putting safety issues in the right perspective.
“Mexico is composed of 31 individual states and a federal municipality,” she says. “When something goes wrong in one state, one city or one area, you cannot generalize that this is true of the country as a whole.”
In terms of specialized activities, community service projects are an increasingly popular group option, according to Young.
“These important and needed projects make for great team-building events,” Young says. “I have been on programs including building bicycles for children from less-fortunate families, and with a recent group of pediatric dentists, providing oral health screenings and education to local orphans. These are amazing opportunities to give back to the host community.”
Heather Connelly; GFS Canada Company; Grand Rapids, Mich.
As the U.S.-based marketing communications and event manager for Gordon Food Service (GFS) Canada, North America’s largest family-owned broadline foodservice distributor, Heather Connelly routinely organizes incentives and other group programs south of the border. This year, she took a group of 150 people to the Fiesta Americana Condesa in Cancun, followed by a 38-attendee event at the Bahia Principe in Riviera Maya. With two events already booked for 2012—one gathering of 170 people at the Dreams Puerto Vallarta and another for 650 at the Barcelo Los Cabos Palace in Los Cabos—she discusses why Mexico works well for her Canadian groups.
“We don’t want guests spending eight hours on a plane or dealing with long layovers, so flying time is a key deciding factor when we look at a destination,” she explains. “Getting to Mexico from most parts of Canada is very easy—and affordable.”
Having taken groups to Mexico for many years in a row, Connelly varies the destinations each year to provide a range of experiences.
“In climate, architecture and other ways, Cabo is very different than Cancun, which helps make each trip feel fresh and unique, along with the wide selection of hotels, tours and restaurants.”
Among Mexico’s selling points, Connelly has special praise for the hospitality.
“Everyone is very friendly and makes our guests feel welcome in their country,” she says.
Safety-wise, she always advises her guests to use caution.
“When venturing outside of the hotel, our basic message is to have the same level of awareness you would have when traveling anywhere in the world,” says Connelly, whose groups, typically food sales representatives, especially enjoy checking out the local dining scene.
Connelly’s Puerto Vallarta group next year can look forward to two custom activities developed in conjunction with her DMC, Chicago-based Meeting Incentive Experts. The first is a new scavenger hunt, leading to a group lunch once all the clues are collected; the second is the repeat of a charitable program held in Cancun last year called Feet First.
“We asked our guests if they would consider bringing a new pair of children’s sneakers with them to donate to a child in Cancun, which they happily did,” Connelly says. “We then arranged for students from a local school to meet us at the hotel for breakfast, where we gave them the sneakers and donated school supplies. The kids were so happy to receive the sneakers, and our guests said it was a highlight of the trip, and we are looking forward to doing it again in Puerto Vallarta.”
