PCMA Today - Mexico
PCMA Partners With Mexico To Deliver Education
Mexico has recently embarked on several initiatives in partnership with PCMA. It’s all part of the country’s efforts to develop its services and infrastructure to attract meetings and conventions from North America–based associations.
A high-level group of PCMA members - corporate and association planners and supplier partners - traveled south of the border in October to share their expertise at the inaugural PCMA North American Advisory Summit. Held on Oct. 19-21 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel de Mexico in Mexico City, the summit was convened at the behest of Mexican Secretary of Tourism Rodolfo Elizondo Torres, who asked PCMA President and CEO Deborah Sexton to assemble an advisory task force of members (convention bureau CEOs, convention center CEOs, hotel executives, and convention and meeting organizers) from North America. The summit gave the task force a chance to assist Mexico in developing a program to drive North American group business. In turn, the approximately 125 industry professional attendees - government tourism officials, hoteliers, and DMOs from various states across Mexico - were given rare access to North American meetings industry experts and the opportunity to see Mexican destinations through their eyes.
Mexico Tourism Board CEO Oscar Fitch and Sexton kicked off the opening general session at the summit on Monday morning. Four 45-minute panel discussions followed, organized by industry sector: CVBs, convention centers, hoteliers, and planners.
After lunch, hosted by and held at the World Trade Center Mexico, the attendees broke into three groups, according to their progress in attracting North American organizations: mature/established; emerging; and new to conventions and meetings. The emerging and new destinations weren't necessarily small or new to tourism, but were in the process of assessing the infrastructure and marketing experience necessary to attract North American association business.
The three concurrent sessions targeted to each group (mature, developing, and new destinations) included representatives from each segment of the task force. "
The PCMA North American Advisory Summit was a terrific opportunity for PCMA to share the experiences and skills of our senior-level members with a wide variety of destination professionals in Mexico who are seeking to attract groups from North America," Sexton said. "I was impressed by the enthusiasm of those who attended the Summit and their desire to develop destinations North American planners will embrace."
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