News: A Positive First Year at the Buenos Aires Convention Center

During 2018, the CEC hosted major events such as the G20, national advertising awards, the 17th International Congress of Internal Medicine, Urban 20, the Olympism in Action Forum, and the National Mayors' Conference.

The new Buenos Aires Convention Center (CEC) hosted more than 30 major events in its first year, positioning itself as a world class venue and the city as an important destination for MICE tourism. A busy year is predicted for 2019.

Through 2018, the CEC hosted major events such as G20, the Lápiz de Platino advertising awards, Annual Radiology Congress (CADI 2018), the 17th International Congress of Internal Medicine, Urban 20, Olympism in Action Forum, and the National Mayors' Conference.

Leonardo Asin, manager of the CEC, said: “The management of this space is without doubt a great challenge that we face today, and we're very happy with the results achieved. Every member of the UTE contributed know how to carry forward the exploitation of the venue, which has enormous potential. Today we can say that it has become a fundamental venue for meetings tourism in Buenos Aires City.”

Gonzalo Robredo, president of the Buenos Aires City Tourist Board, said: “The strong performance of the CEC speaks of the great international interest in the city and is a result of the city's promotion as a destination during this time. We're currently at a crucial moment for tourism in which we're consolidating our position as an attractive, well-prepared city with quality infrastructure. The importance of this phenomenon is in the fact that every tourist has a multiplier effect for the income generated, and also serves as a promoter for the city."

Promotional actions have included presence at IMEX in Frankfurt, Germany, where contact was made with the industries present, and the city's services and attributes were presented.

The website www.cecbuenosaires.com.ar is now online with information on the center's agenda, news, capacity, services and other useful information for organisers and exhibitors. The center's actvities are also promoted through its accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

A satisfactory level of activity is foreseen for the year 2019, with ten major medical and scientific events confirmed already, including the 20th Argentine Hepatology Congress, the Annual Meeting of Latin American Dermatologists, the Latin American Anesthesiology Congress, as well as the United Nations International Conference on South-South Cooperation, Smart City and the National Retailer Conference, further positioning the CEC as an emblematic space for the MICE industry in Buenos Aires and Latin America.

In the first half of 2018, 22% of international visitors to Buenos Aires travelled for busines.

Buenos Aires, a leader in MICE tourism

Business tourism is one of the main engines of international tourist arrivals, with a spend per trip 25% higher than that of the average tourist. In 2017, 488,318 visitors came to the city for business, generating US$ 533m, according to the Buenos Aires City Tourist Board. The opening of the CEC expanded the city's capacity for major events. Last year, the city was the leader in the Americas for conventions, and 11th place in the world according to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) ranking.