Mazatlán International Center Welcomes Contentioneers

MAZATLÁN, Mex. (April 26, 2010) – With the opening of the Mazatlán International Center in November 2009, this popular Pacific Coast resort city is poised to become one of Mexico’s top meeting destinations.

Bordering a new marina and a championship golf course, the Mazatlán International Center is close to the beachfront resorts and hotels of the city’s Golden Zone. The $61 million complex represents a major investment in this port city known as the “Pearl of the Pacific.” With nearly 154,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting and exhibition space, the facility accommodates groups of up to 5,000 attendees.

“During the past decade, Mazatlán has emerged as a top Mexico destination with world-class accommodations and a dynamic business sector,” say Carlos Berdegue, vice president of the Mazatlán Hotel Association. “This beautiful, state-of-the-art facility further expands our offerings, enabling us to host citywide conventions.”

The Mazatlán International Center has already booked 30 events, including the 2010 National Notary Public Convention, International Allergy Congress and National Reunion of Fiscal Bureaus. Convention Center officials estimate bookings for this year will total 100 events. During the first ten years of operation, the convention center is expected to have an economic impact of $245 million for the meetings and events taking place at the complex and generate an additional $100 million in revenue in related lodging, food and beverage, and tourism services. The Mazatlán International Center created approximately 600 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect positions during the construction phase, according to Berdegue. Now in operation, the facility is creating 50 direct jobs and 200 indirect positions associated with activity within the complex. Additionally, Berdegue estimates the convention center will help preserve 2,000 jobs in the city’s businesses, transportation and tourist service companies.

State-Of-The-Art Complex

The Mazatlán International Center is located in the heart of the city’s Tourism Corridor within the new Marina Mazatlán area, a few minutes from the Golden Zone. The 25-acre convention center complex houses a main building, parking facility, gardens, expansive lawns and plazas, bus parking and freight area.

The contemporary, three-story main building features 95,400 square feet of indoor meeting space, including an exhibition room and 17 meeting rooms. The largest room seats 3,000 people banquet-style. The flexible meeting space can be subdivided to accommodate smaller groups. Additionally, the complex features semi-open areas for events of up to 5,000 people banquet-style.

On the ground floor, the Mazatlán International Center offers shops and an exhibition hall. The mezzanine level houses the business center and dining options and is accessible by escalators, elevators and a sky bridge from the parking garage. On the top floor, guests find the Grand Mazatlán Ballroom, Carnival Lounge, and a full-service kitchen for catering and food & beverage services.

Among the amenities, the convention center offers wireless Internet access, a business center, dining lounge, retail and commercial space, and full-service catering. A pedestrian bridge connects the main building to a four-story parking garage accommodating up to 466 cars and 26 coaches. The Mazatlán International Center’s architectural style evokes sea life, with features symbolizing the myriad species indigenous to the Mexican Pacific Ocean. The main building icon is the Sea of Cortés mural, greeting conventioneers upon arrival. At 17,222 square feet, Sea of Cortés is the largest work of its kind, as documented by the Guinness Book of World Records.

The towering mural by renowned local artist Ernesto Rios Rocha was handcrafted with approximately a half-million small ceramic squares. Focal points include deer and a bearded man surrounded by giant fish. In this way, Sea of Cortés highlights Mazatlán’s reputation as a world-class sportfishing destination. The deer are a tribute to city's name, meaning “place of the deer.”

Green Operations

Among the complex’s earth-friendly features, half of the grounds are designated green spaces. Water condensed from the air conditioning system is recycled for outdoor irrigation. Additionally, the facility features a double-glazed glass façade with special thermal and acoustic properties to dramatically reduce power consumption. Glass portions of the building are shatterproof and designed to withstand hurricane winds of up to 160 miles per hour.

The Mazatlán International Center is operated by SMG, a global company with 30 years experience in international service and 200 buildings, including convention centers, arenas, stadiums, and performing arts and entertainment centers.

Rich Tourism Offerings

Mazatlán’s new convention center lays the groundwork for a wave of construction, expansions and renovations throughout the city to accommodate the influx of meetings business.

The complex is located in Marina Mazatlán, which at more than 15 square miles is one of the largest urban and tourist developments in Mexico and Latin America. The Marina Mazatlán plan calls for new luxury hotels, residences, gourmet restaurants, spas, shops and recreational areas. Recently opened: the first nine holes of Marina Mazatlán Golf Course. When completed in late 2010, this David Fleming-design course will span 6,836 yards and provide 18 holes of championship golf.

Minutes away, the Golden Zone is home to some of the city’s top restaurants, nightclubs and hotels – many of them boasting significant upgrades – overlooking the golden-sand beaches of Mexico’s Pacific Coast. Also nearby, conventioneers find Old Mazatlán, the city’s cultural heart. This 180-block area with nearly 500 buildings designated as national historic landmarks buzzes with activity from its array of fine restaurants, sidewalk cafes, jazz clubs, theaters, concert halls, shops, art galleries, museums and unique examples of neoclassical architecture.

“Old Mazatlán is vibrant, friendly and safe,” Berdegue explains. “It also has many wonderful features that are ideal for offsite events, including historical settings, cultural venues and gardens for cocktail receptions, formal dinners and parties.”

By day, Mazatlán offers many recreational activities for groups, including world-class sport fishing and championship golf at such renowned courses as the El Cid Golf and Country Club, home of the 2010 Corona Mazatlán Mexican PGA Championship held earlier this month, and the Robert Trent Jones-designed Estrella del Mar Golf Course.

For conventioneers seeking additional authentic Mazatlán experiences, there are tours to the charming historic towns in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains.

“Some of our surrounding areas are also beneficial to delegates,” Berdegue points out. “There are half-day and full-day group excursions to wonderful historic sites, including El Quelite, Copala and Cosalá, a remarkable, 16th-century town filled with history, culture and ecological wonders.” For more information on the Mazatlán International Center, visit www.gomazatlán.com.

About Mazatlán

Mazatlán is located on Mexico’s Pacific Coast at the foot of the Sierra Madre Mountains. As Mexico’s second largest coastal city, Mazatlán has nearly 600,000 inhabitants. The city is divided into two main areas: Old Mazatlán and Zona Dorada or Golden Zone, with a seven-mile coastal road between the two. Mazatlán has an international sport-fishing reputation. Sites of interest include: the Angela Peralta Theater, Archeological Museum, Republic Plaza, Ocean Museum, Botanic Garden, San Jose Chapel and the world’s second-tallest lighthouse. Transportation is available via the local “pulmonías” or four-person open-air vehicles that have become a symbol of the city. Visit Mazatlán on the World Wide Web at www.gomazatlán.com.

-Mazatlan Hotel and Tourists Businesses Association