Smart Meetings

As such, it blends sophistication and historic wonder; plus, it offers a large selection of first-class hotels ready to deliver your next great meeting.  In fact, Mexico City’s reputation as a meetings destination has grown significantly during the past few years. According to the International Congress and Convention Association, the capital surpassed Cancun as the nation’s principal meeting destination (ranking 33rd internationally) in 2007.

Jorge Gamboa, director of the Los Angeles office for the Mexico Tourism Board, says that planners choose Mexico City for numerous reasons. Besides its accessibility, there is a fiscal benefit, too: the zero tax incentive, an advantage for foreign planners. Plus, the requisite infrastructure is in place, with a major airport in close proximity and brand-new hotels along the city’s main corridor (El Paseo de la Reforma). Also, Gamboa says, planners are very pleased with the customer service provided. “Every enterprise has managed to give seminars to create ‘best worker’ incentives,” he says. The service industry “knows how to respond, and they know what Americans expect. That level of service has been put into every single hotel.”

And with so many points of interest, post-meeting activities are easy to find. For instance there are 129 museums, more than 2,500 restaurants and a central downtown area chock-full of hotels and nightlife options.
A new feature for the city is “Corredor Gastronomico del Sur” (gastronomic corridor of the south), a “dining tour” offering visitors a wide variety of restaurants in the nearby suburb of San Angel.

Much of the action in Mexico City is clustered along the city’s main business artery—Paseo de la Reforma—which runs through several of the capital’s smaller districts, or zones. In addition to the major meeting spaces, three main zones are featured here: Polanco, Zona Rosa (the Pink zone) and Centro Historico (the historic downtown).

MAJOR MEETING SPACES
You’ll have no trouble finding space for large groups; there are many venues available. Mexico City’s major convention space includes Centro Banamex (the newest addition to the meetings scene), with 440,987 sq. ft. of space and all the technology you’d ever need. It’s located in Polanco, one of the city’s premier neighborhoods, which means excellent shopping nearby for your attendees.
 
The Exhibitions and Conventions Center World Trade Center, found south of la Reforma, offers plenty of options for your meeting with 258,334 sq. ft. of function space. It handles about 700 events per year. And there’s the Expo Bancomer Santa Fe, which has 484,182 sq. ft.; it’s located in an up-and-coming neighborhood—west of the city in the modern Santa Fe district.

POLANCO
Known for its high-end properties and boutiques, Polanco encompasses a number of hotels with significant meeting space. The W Mexico City, the JW Marriott, the Presidente and Hotel Nikko are clustered together, across from the National Auditorium, a popular venue where crowds go to see film festivals, international music concerts and sporting events.

W Mexico City, with 237 rooms and 7,700 sq. ft. of meeting space, is adjacent to the JW Marriott, which offers 299 guest rooms. Farther east on la Reforma, there are several museums—from the Anthropology Museum (housing more than 10,000 works from Mexico’s history, including ancient Aztec pieces) to the Museum of Modern Art, which highlights contemporary artists like Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

Additionally, the Chapultepec Castle, built in the late 1700s, now houses the museum of history; however, back in the mid-1800s, it served as home to Emperor Maximilian. Bordering Polanco and Zona Rosa is the Fiesta Americana Grand, and Camino Real.

ZONA ROSA
Go to the Zona Rosa for its sizzling nightlife and excellent restaurants; you’ll also find the U.S. Embassy and many hotels in close proximity. Along la Reforma, the Four Seasons has 240 rooms and features an expansive front courtyard and fountain. It’s near the expansive Chapultepec Park, with its centuries-old forests and lakes for exploring.

Marquis Reforma is a sure thing for any VIP group. The Five-Star resort has 55 suites among its 209 rooms, along with three large ballrooms equipped with high-speed Internet. Beth Preddy, a KWE Group associate who represents the Marquis Reforma, says planners choose the hotel for its location on the city’s main street and for the “wide choice of excellent and flexible meeting space,” she says. “But mostly it’s service, service, service.”

Located in Zona Rosa and the financial district is Galeria Plaza, where you can take a dip in the rooftop pool while soaking in the city vistas. A few blocks from the U.S. Embassy is the largest hotel in Mexico—Maria Isabel Sheraton, offering 755 guest rooms, 24 meeting rooms (for up to 1,500 attendees) and views of the iconic Angel of Independence—a bronze and gold statue commemorating the start of Mexico’s War of Independence. Farther northeast is Hotel Maria Cristina, with 150 guest rooms, just one block from la Reforma.

CENTRO HISTORICO
Entering the city’s historic center, you’ll notice the strong presence of Aztecan ruins among stately European architecture that developed  during the Spanish conquest; this enriches the experience if you’re staying at any of the many hotels clustered in this district.

Embassy Suites and Imperial are some of the first in line coming from Zona Rosa. Farther into the downtown area, you’ll come to Gran Melia with 489 rooms, Fiesta Inn and Sheraton Centro Historico, which are located near Alameda Park (the city’s first) where it’s not uncommon to come across a musical concert on the weekend. Or go to nearby Palace of Fine Arts (Palacio de Bellas Artes), and view more than a dozen murals painted by some of Mexico’s most well-known artists, like Montenegro and Diego Rivera.

While la Reforma heads north, much of the downtown is still directly east, including Zocalo, the city’s busy square. “This square is very impressive,” Gamboa says. “It’s one of the largest in the world and the most beautiful.” At Zocalo, there’s much to see, like the enormous National Palace and the famous Metropolitan Cathedral, as well as a number of places to stay. Lodging lines the square’s western edge: Gran Hotel, Holiday Inn Zocalo and Hotel Majestic, which affords amazing views of the square. Back to Top

Getting There

Mexico City is easy to reach via Mexico City International Airport (a.k.a. Benito Juárez International Airport), which is located only eight miles east of the city. Several major airlines fly to Mexico City, including United, Continental, US Airways and Delta. Back to Top