Mexico’s sunny coastline may get lots of attention from international visitors, but the nation’s interior cities offer a never-ending variety of exciting options for groups looking for unique experiences for meetings, events and incentives. From ancient traditions to colonial treasures to cutting-edge style, there’s something to fit nearly every taste. Here are a few possibilities from some of Mexico’s most noteworthy interior cities.
Mexico City
To get an idea of the many possibilities in Mexico’s capital, just ask David Miranda Ayub, sales manager at the recently renovated InterContinental Presidente Mexico City in the upscale Polanco district.
“Mexico City is a colorful city with a rich history and many modern innovations, with a variety of convention, exposition and business meeting facilities available,” Ayub says. “The capital offers more than 150 museums, eight archaeological sites, hundreds of theaters, galleries, parks, stadiums, auditoriums, cinemas, religious centers and nightclubs, among others.”
Indeed, hoteliers in the capital are well versed in connecting meeting planners with unique experiences, both on- and off-site. In the historic city center, the staff at the Hilton Mexico City Reforma works with meeting professionals to stage events at a variety of venues, including the Museo Interactivo de la Economia (Interactive Museum of Economics), which is billed as the first museum in the world dedicated to economics, finance and sustainable development. Set in a beautifully restored 18th century building, the venue is graced with a main patio that hosts up to 800 for receptions.
The Sheraton Maria Isabel, located on the Paseo de la Reforma boulevard in Mexico City, offers a variety of group programs and services for meetings. Among the options are packages that can include tickets to Broadway-quality theater shows, as well as use of on-site meeting space with coffee breaks and multicourse meals.
Guadalajara
The second-largest city in Mexico, Guadalajara is a hot spot for meetings, according to Rafael Micha Smeke, a director at Grupo Habita, the stylish hotel company that opens its newest property, the 37-room Casa Fayette, in Guadalajara this year.
He notes that the city is host to a number of large meetings, including Cumbre de Negocios, an annual October trade conference that attracts business leaders from around Mexico and abroad.
“You also have the Feria Internacional del Libro every November, which is the largest book fair in the world,” Smeke says. “And in 2016, Guadalajara will host Tianguis Turistico, Mexico’s international tourism convention.”
Among the options for group events in Guadalajara is the Instituto Cultural Cabanas, which is set in a neoclassical building that dates to 1810, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. At the cultural institute, groups can socialize on patios lined with flowers, meet in a historic chapel that seats 300 and admire exhibitions that include 57 murals by the artist Jose Clemente Orozco.
Puebla
One of Mexico’s cultural and economic hubs, the city of Puebla offers a variety of unique venues. In the historic center, the Museo Amparo is a museum housed in a former hospital, consisting of two buildings that date to the 17th and 18th centuries. Groups can take private guided tours of the art collection, which ranges from pre-Hispanic to contemporary works, and also make use of a 96-seat auditorium and a terrace that offers panoramic views of the city.
“We host conferences, dinners and cocktails for companies that want to make a private visit or take a private tour,” says Julieta Castaneda, a spokeswoman for the museum. “The last event was for an insurance company that had a dinner on the terrace. And we can do tours in English for foreign visitors.”
San Luis Potosi
This historic city is a natural favorite for meetings and incentives, according to Vilma Campos, area director of sales for Mexico at Hilton Worldwide.
“San Luis Potosi is ideal for business meetings and events because it is strategically located in the center of the country,” Campos explains. “Many international companies have facilities in this city, which makes it a great meeting point.”
SLP, as locals sometimes call the city, has a variety of diverse and unique venues for group events, including Centro de las Artes, a center for the arts creatively set in a former penitentiary that first opened in 1884. Planners looking for large-scale space in a decidedly modern setting should consider the Centro Cultural Bicentenario (Bicentennial Cultural Center), which is one of the most modern event spaces in the city. Also called CC200 to honor the nation’s 200th anniversary, the venue has a 1,368-seat theater, 13 meeting and event rooms and a large foyer.
Monterrey
Mexico’s third-largest city is the economic powerhouse for the northern part of the nation, and its group-friendly venues expertly blend old and new. The Museo de Historia Mexicana (Museum of Mexican History), the largest history museum in northern Mexico, is a striking piece of modern architecture with more than 1,200 items on display that highlight Mexican life from pre-Hispanic times to the 20th century. Open since 1994, the venue has a 172-seat auditorium and a 300-person foyer with elegant circular staircases, as well as an open-air terrace, Plaza Santa Lucia, which can accommodate up to 6,000, against the dramatic backdrop of the city skyline and the museum’s own eye-catching architecture.
“We’ve hosted events for insurance companies with a presence in Latin America; we’ve had bank groups like Bancomer, Banamex,” says Victor Garcia, a representative of the museum who organizes private events. “We’ve also hosted a lot of events that are for product launches.”
Merida
Many decades ago, the haciendas of the Yucatan region created great wealth for their owners. Today, many of those sprawling properties have become group-friendly, upscale getaways that offer a variety of unique regional experiences. Starwood’s Luxury Collection operates five haciendas in the region.
“These Haciendas recreate the belle epoque of the Mexican southeast, with special details like weathered wooden doors and rose petals, which reflect the natural [ambience] of our Mayan cultural surroundings,” says Rodrigo Avila, director of sales for Las Haciendas, The Luxury Collection. “Our main difference is that we deliver an indigenous, exceptional experience for each stay, meeting or incentive group.”
Among the possibilities: a Cochinita Show, an interactive presentation by the executive chef, during which guests learn about the preparation of roasted suckling pig and cochinita pibil, one of the region’s most popular traditional dishes.
Guanajuato
The state and city of Guanajuato are home to countless historic sites and cultural venues, many of which are well equipped for groups. The Meson de San Antonio, which belongs to the Universidad de Guanajuato in the eponymous city, is a lovely building that dates to 1776, with multiple meeting rooms as well as a terrace that hosts up to 180 people. Even the catacombs, which have beautiful stone arches, are available for private presentations, exhibits and meetings.
Not far away, in the neighborhood of Valenciana, groups can gather for an elegant evening at Bocamina de San Ramon, a museum and catering venue set at the entrance to a 16th century mine, offering a fascinating peek into the region’s history.
Zacatecas
This picturesque city in north central Mexico was once a money-producing hub, thanks to its generous deposits of silver and other minerals. Those days have quieted, but vestiges of the city’s rich history remain in the spectacular colonial architecture. For groups, one of the best venues in which to experience the glory of bygone days is Teatro Calderon, which first opened in the late 19th century in the heart of the city. Groups enter through a majestic lobby that’s accented by giant antique mirrors of Venetian crystal. The venue can welcome up to 708 attendees for public concerts and theatrical performances, as well as private events and presentations.
MARK CHESNUT is a regular contributor to Meetings Focus.
