Panama has announced the opening of FIEXPO Latin America, one of the region’s leading trade fairs specializing in the meetings industry, which is celebrating its 15th edition and is expected to bring together more than 2,500 participants, including exhibitors, visitors and industry professionals.
The new Panama Convention Center is set to host this event for three consecutive years, highlighting the country’s promotional strategy focused on bringing the MICE sector to higher levels than those of pre-pandemic, based on the ease of connection to all of Latin America, the expansion of its hotel offerings with highly recognized brands, and the launch of the new tourism brand platform “Panama Live for More,” which invites visitors, for pleasure or business, to take full advantage of the cultural benefits and unique tourism experiences offered by the country.
“We are proud to host FIEXPO Latin America in order to continue to raise awareness of Panama’s incredible advantages for the meetings, events and incentives (MICE) industry segment, based on its key location in the region and ease of access, the variety of its meeting space, and the hotel options both in Panama City and throughout the country. We offer planners a dedicated support team and a variety of services and benefits, as well as opportunities to explore the country’s exceptional biodiversity, that make for an unparalleled event experience,” said Fernando Fondevila, CEO of PROMTUR Panama, Panama’s official destination marketing organization.
FIEXPO Latin America will connect the main destinations and suppliers specialized in the meetings, events and incentives industry with the most outstanding buyers in Latin America. For this edition, there will be more than 390 exhibitors, 860 hosted buyers and trade visitors, 9,200 business meetings, all of which is estimated to generate an average of $391 million in business and more than $6 million in investment on behalf of the fair at the destination. Participants will have the opportunity to access an academic exchange of the highest level with indisputable references selected jointly with MPI, SITE, ICCA, UFI, PCMA, Destinations International, COCAL and AFIDA, which will address important themes such as: ICCA/FIEXPO Next Generation Summit, FIEXPO Convention Bureau One Day Challenge, PCMA Leaders of Tomorrow, SITE IBERO AMERICA MEET, ICCA Panama Summit, FIEXPO Connecting Minds and the Expert ZONE where participants can schedule appointments 1:1 with industry experts.
The new Panama Convention Center, which will host the event from now until 2024, is located on the Pacific Ocean at the entrance of the Panama Canal and has an exhibition hall of 15,400m2, 16 meeting rooms of 2,400m2 and space for 23,000 people. In terms of hotels, Panama City has approximately 20,000 rooms, in addition to 10,000 rooms throughout the rest of the country, with very easy access. Due to its small size and peculiar geographic shape, visitors can move from one coast to the other in a matter of hours, making it the only place in the world where you can see the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean and set over the Caribbean Sea in the same day.
The recent implementation of the new tourism brand platform “Panama Live for More” reinforces the offer for those visiting for meetings or conferences. “Panama Live for More” inspires meeting planners to actively participate in the country’s unique cultural and tourism experiences, resulting in stimulating moments through a myriad of activities such as appreciation of its exceptional historical heritage, visits to ethnic communities, natural parks, Caribbean beaches, and of course, the Panama Canal.”
The country’s 2020-2025 Sustainable Tourism Master Plan, recognized by UNESCO as an example of innovation and sustainability, highlights the fundamental pillars of the country’s heritage including cultural heritage (multifaceted culture), green heritage (extraordinary biodiversity) and blue heritage (ocean wonders). Examples include the work that the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) is undertaking with local and indigenous communities to revive tourism in several areas. In the Panama Canal watershed, one can travel up the Gatun Lake to visit the Embera Community, one of seven indigenous communities that inhabit Panama. In Bocas del Toro, the National Government collaborates with coastal Afro-Antillean communities to highlight the region’s unique cuisine which originates from Caribbean roots and has evolved over decades of local influence. In the Chiriquí Highlands, where the Ngäbe and Buglé indigenous communities harvest the world’s most prized Geisha coffee, the government expanded its coffee circuit to include a variety of tourism experiences at local farms.
With more than 30 local exhibitors, the Visit Panama booth stand will welcome agents and meeting planners with daily activations that offer a quick glimpse of the country’s riches while providing educational information and details on the destination’s robust offerings.
