Sixth and Final ICOMEX Event Has Successfully Concluded to Give Way to the First Annual ibtm latin america by Reed Exhibitions

ICOMEX (now ibtm latin america, www.ibtmlatinamerica), part of ibtm events, reaffirmed its position as Leading Trade Show for Incentives, Congress and Conventions in Latin America, following the success of the two-day event which took place in Mexico City last month.

The show delivered over 5,600 business meetings and welcomed more than 6,000 attendees, including 168 international and 177 domestic Hosted Buyers and more than 380 exhibitors, over 5,000 m² of show floor.

More than 30 conferences and educational events, organized by industry bodies, took place, including: Meeting of directors of IAEE; Exchange leads, conducted by CVBs Latin Caribbean; MPI meal; AFIDA meeting; the signing of COMIR consolidation; HelmsBriscoe meeting; EMC certification; Congress Mexico City; CBVS meeting, to name a few.

The Healthcare Day Forum, organized by CETIFARMA and Reed Exhibitions Mexico, brought experts together to discuss the best practices to organize, certify, and regulate medical conferences and events.

Other popular events which were held at the show include; the Human Resources Leaders Meeting which highlighted the importance of incentive travel; The American Express Meeting; the MCI Americas Meeting; the Corporate Planners' Meeting – PCMA; GBTA Mexico Education Day as well as the Wedding and Romance Congress, where attendees could learn how to manage and empower the romance segment's vision and innovation in Mexico and Latin America. This congress gathered major industry gurus such as Camelú Millan, CEO of the Asociación de Consultores de Bodas y Eventos Capítulo México y Latinoamérica (ABC); Emilio Serrano, Creative Director of La Canapería; Melanie Ramone, Wedding Designer and CEO of ABC Puebla; and Elizabeth Uribe, CEO of Specialty Cleaners.

Finally from the close of this year’s show, ICOMEX is to be rebranded as ibtm latin america, which will join its sister events; ibtm world, ibtm arabia, ibtm africa, ibtm america, ibtm china and ibtm india under the ibtm events umbrella along with AIME in Melbourne.

David Hidalgo, Show Director of ibtm latin america, who announced the new name during the opening ceremony, said: “Being part of the ibtm portfolio will provide the event with a major boost and an international presence in the MICE industry, offering new opportunities for the international database of meeting planners seeking new business, which will allow the 2016 ibtm latin america Hosted Buyers to qualify for the international market.”

Ricardo Baquerizo, CEO of the AFIDA, commented: "Mexico has become a country of reference for convention tourism. However, to continue growing, it is essential to continue to professionalize this sector."

Alejandro Ramírez Tabche, Representative of COMIR, added further: "The main objective of this type of event is to strengthen and represent the commercial tourism sector. According to a study undertaken in 2011, conference tourism represented 1.43% of the GDP, and by 2014, the GDP of tourism in general represented 8.4%, 17% of which pertained to meetings tourism. We need to achieve growth in these figures year after year, and the only way to do this is to support events of this magnitude."

Miguel Torruco Marques, Secretary of Tourism of the Mexican Federal District, concluded: “In the first half of this year, hotel occupancy in four-star and five-star establishments was between 67 and 73 percent, which is 2% more than in the previous year. Economic benefits were 0.6% greater than they were at the same point in 2014.”

Our department will continue its efforts to make Mexico City the place for more international conferences that will position the city as a more attractive and reliable destination for the meetings industry.”

Valérie Exposito-Coitte, Conference & Incentive Manager for Europe, Russia, Brazil & Mexico for the Paris Convention Bureau who exhibited at the show commented: “The show has been very busy, efficient and dynamic. The quality of the buyers has been excellent; they have been well matched, professional and we have made great contacts. The rebrand of ICOMEX to ibtm latin america has made the event an international one, not just a local show, and will make it an easy sell to our partners.”

Jim McMichael, Specialty Markets Manager for Las Vegas commented: “It’s been an amazing experience for us. The venue has been a tremendous asset for us; the welcoming that you get as soon as you arrive means this is a show we’re going to do business at. The set up has been great and the facilities well-managed. This year's hosted buyers have been the best ever. We’ve had positive leads from the buyers we’ve met with, people that have been telling us they have business ready to come to Vegas, they’re looking for quotes, they’re looking for us to respond with immediate action. Groups that are looking to come to Vegas within the next year.”

The ibtm events portfolio is part of Reed Travel Exhibitions, the world’s leading provider of events and exhibitions for the travel and tourism industry.