Introduction and Event Details
Monterrey, NL. The Mexican Association of Professionals in Fairs, Exhibitions and Conventions (Amprofec) announced the upcoming edition of its National Congress (CONAM 2026), which will take place from January 27 to 29 of the following year in Monterrey. The event will be held at Cintermex and Show Center Airó.
The congress is expected to gather 300 decision-makers from the meetings, incentive travel, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) industry. Representatives from exhibition organizers, venues, destinations, stand construction companies, and service providers like Expo Guadalajara, Vanexpo, RX Global, Informa Markets, Tradex, Expo Chihuahua, and the visitor centers of Torreón, Saltillo, and Guadalajara are anticipated to attend.
Organizing Committee
A committee has been formed to plan the event, including Julio César Bojórquez (national president of Amprofec), Lisset Sierra Ramos (general director of Cintermex), David Manllo (director of the Monterrey Convention and Visitors Bureau), Mauricio Magdaleno (director of the Monterrey Tourism Cluster), Jorge Arizmendi (director of Trade Show Factory and president of Amprofec Región Norte), and Hugo Lozano (director of Operations at Airó).
Importance of the MICE Sector in the Economy
Julio Bojórquez highlighted the significance of the MICE industry in Mexico, stating that there are 973 exhibitions generating a direct economic impact of 170,530 million pesos according to Amprofec’s National Study on the Exhibition Industry in 2023. This represents 0.49% of the national GDP, 5.75% of the tourism GDP, and 30.7% at the MICE level.
The MICE industry also generates an indirect economic impact of 944,000 million pesos and approximately 12,000 million pesos in accommodation expenses, accounting for 37.08% of the total economic impact in the MICE sector.
Bojórquez added that the industry creates 138,935 direct jobs annually and at least 320,000 indirect jobs. An estimated 592 jobs are generated per event.
“Our sector is a key driver for national destinations. In terms of accommodation, we generate 11,809 million pesos annually, with 4.5 million hotel room occupancies. This accounts for 37% of the economic impact generated by the MICE industry in Mexico,” he emphasized.
Monterrey’s Attractiveness for Expos
The growth and frequency of these events in Monterrey, which consistently works to attract exhibitions, result in increased yearly growth and higher hotel occupancy. National congresses may return every 10 years, while international ones every 20 years. However, when a city actively pursues exhibitions, like Monterrey, these events recur more often, grow annually, and generate greater hotel occupancy.
Julio Bojórquez pointed out that attendees of events such as Expo Manufactura, AHR Expo México, and Fabtech—three of the country’s most important exhibitions—do not come for leisure but to conduct business. Such encounters have a significant economic impact.
On average, all events generate around 15.29 million business opportunities annually, with 3.05 million being closed or finalized.
Lisette Sierra Ramos, general director of Cintermex, noted that in 2023 alone, the venue will host 64,500 attendees from five exhibitions, generating a 500 million peso economic impact in Nuevo León. Expo Manufactura, Expo Carnes y Lácteos, FABTECH México, Expo Proveedores del Transporte y Logística, and AHR Expo México will cover approximately 133,000 square meters of exhibition floor space.
Hugo Lozano, director of Operations at Airó (the corporate events division of Show Center), added that this venue will host the National Assembly to elect the new Amprofec president for the 2026-2028 term.
Call for Support
Amprofec has invited the local value chain, business chambers, municipal governments, and universities to support the Congreso Nacional Amprofec 2026, as it presents an opportunity to attract more events and establish leadership.
