Mexico City lures MICE market with local experiences
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Mexico City is aiming to differentiate its MICE industry by offering event planners and delegates more authentic local experiences.
Speaking to Travel Daily at the World Travel Market in London this week, Mexico City Tourism Trust’s director of events, Magda Sanchez, and deputy director of international communications, Ricardo Goria, said that the Mexican capital has been revitalised, transforming from a congested mega-city into a cultural centre focused on outdoor living and gastronomy.
“We are seeing something new in Mexico City; something different,” Ms Sanchez said. “We had problems with traffic, like all big cities, but… the government has tried to do something about it. It’s a city that promotes change, not only in Mexico but also in Latin America. We want to show the world the real Mexico City.”
Measures taken by the government to reduce congestion and improve the environment include car bans and a major bike-sharing scheme.
“We have one of the biggest shared bike systems in the world. We’ve had it for six years now and it was one of the first in the Americas, actually before New York and Toronto. The cycle lanes have grown around the city. So it’s more enjoyable, more liveable,” Goria said.
This all forms part of a broader effort to make Mexico City a better place to live, work and do business. And this reflected in the number of major events now taking place in the city.
“There are a lot of open air activities, fashion festivals, music festivals,” Goria stated. “The gastronomic scene has [taken off] in a big way; we have three restaurants on the San Pellegrino list (for the world’s 50 best restaurants) as well as super-cool nightlife, open-air activities, parks. We have sporting events like Formula One, NFL and PGA. A lot of organisers of big events have focused on Mexico.”
And according to Ms Sanchez, MICE delegates are now being encouraged to stay longer in the city, before and after their events, and experience life as a local.
“The meetings industry is often just considered about convention centres and hotels, but the world is moving to a new kind of travel, and this is what we are seeing. We now have a strategy that promotes everything in Mexico City,” she revealed. “People don’t want to be tourists anymore; we as visitors want to have experiences – we want to be locals in a destination. This is what we are offering to the world. This is a destination that can show you the culture of Mexico.”
This culture is being offered not only as a pre- or post-event add-on, but also as part of the events themselves, with a range of unique options now available to meeting planners.
As Goria commented; “We have… beautiful event venues all around the city, public spaces filled with murals. The ability to have your event in the house where Frida Kahlo lived – it’s not something that everyone can offer. Conference venues can be a bit generic, but it’s pretty cool what we have to offer the MICE segment.”
With the new era of global travellers increasingly wanting to experience “life as a local”, as Airbnb would put it, Mexico City’s focus on providing local experiences is likely to position the city’s MICE industry well in the future.
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