From October 8 to 10, Puerto Vallarta shined at IMEX America, the world’s most important expo dedicated to the meetings industry. This event, held at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, brought together the main players in this sector, creating an ideal space for education and networking.
In this thirteenth edition, the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Trust led a delegation that included prominent hotels such as Sheraton Buganvilias Resort & Convention Center and Secrets & Dreams Resorts, as well as the Vallarta Adventures tour company and the DMC North American Travel. Together, they presented the destination as a key player in the meetings industry in America, thanks to its exceptional infrastructure and connectivity.
Puerto Vallarta had the opportunity to connect with more than 3,500 global decision makers, managing to arrange more than 40 business meetings that open the door to potential incentive groups in the future.
Prior to the exhibition, on October 7, a free online educational event was held by Meetings Professionals International (MPI), the largest association of professionals in the events and meetings sector worldwide. This event focused on the environmental impact of the industry, a crucial topic on the event’s agenda.
IMEX America 2024 stood out for its commitment to sustainability, using renewable energy and reducing the carbon footprint, preventing 93% of the waste generated during the event from ending up in a landfill. Its goal is to achieve “net zero” events by 2030 and promote these practices throughout the industry.
Laura Suárez, Director of Groups and Conventions of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Trust, highlighted the destination’s commitment to a sustainable meetings segment, highlighting that this year 48 events have been held at the Convention Center, with a total attendance of 53,376 people and an economic impact of more than $1,000 million pesos.
In 2024, thanks to the support of the Trust, Puerto Vallarta hotels have managed to attract 39 events, totaling 45,384 visitors with an average stay of 3.3 nights. This MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) segment represents between 35% and 40% of the business mix of local hotels.
With its successful participation in IMEX America 2024, Puerto Vallarta is positioned as an attractive and sustainable destination for the meetings industry, seeking to continue multiplying these results in the future.
Source: elcapitalino
