Connect Meetings Partners with World Meetings Forum

Anonymous (not verified)
31 October 2021 3:56pm
Connect

As part of Connect’s ongoing mission to present meeting planners with a diverse group of impressive destinations, Connect is pleased to announce a partnership with World Meetings Forum. Rafael Hernandez, chair of the Forum, will act as a liaison to Latin American, Central America and Spanish-speaking Caribbean DMCs to attend future Connect events.

With almost 10 years of presence in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, WMF has become one of the most important events connecting qualified hosted buyers with suppliers for the MICE industry. 

Significantly, it was the first event in the region to return face-to-face in 2020 in Los Cabos. In particular, Hernandez has been a leading voice in Latin American meetings for two decades. He has the established connections to further bolster the strong set of suppliers and planners Connect attendees have come to expect at our events.

The increased presence of such destinations will meet the increasing demand of Connect attendees looking to source international association conferences, global corporate meetings and incentive trips in Mexico, the Caribbean and beyond. Through Connect’s innovative reverse-style trade show, planners meeting one-on-one with representatives from international destinations can initiate their RFP process and build important business connections.

“We are extremely excited to have highly regarded partners such as Rafael Hernandez and the World Meetings Forum,” said Derek Rodriguez, Connect’s vice president of sales. “I am confident that this would only add to the value Connect offers the events industry as we all are looking to rebound from such a challenging period.”

The timing of the announcement comes as Connect has begun planning for its 2022 portfolio of events. Highlights include Connect Spring Marketplace in Puerto Rico, May 22-24, and Connect Marketplace in Detroit, Aug. 8-10, both of which are expected to draw thousands of the industry’s best event professionals. Connect 2021, Aug. 30-Sept. 1 in Tampa, Fla, drew together approximately 2,500 elite event professionals, a sign of a welcomed step forward for the events industry. 

Connect pledges to build off that momentum to facilitate necessary face-to-face meetings with planners and destinations eager to bring in new business. We fully expect a robust increase in business travel in 2022 and will continue to be a leader in finding the right venue matches for important meetings and events.

ABOUT CONNECT

Connect is a leader in the meetings, events, travel and tourism industry. Specializing in destination marketing, the company produces digital programs, online and mobile solutions, meetings business and travel magazines, trade shows and consumer events, travel guides for newspapers and leisure magazines and destination information, which is distributed through broadcast and custom programs. 

Connect, formerly known as Collinson Media & Events, introduced the popular Marketplace format to the meetings industry and now produces national shows for meeting planners in the Corporate, Expo, Sports, Diversity, Association and Faith sectors as well as other state- and region-specific meetings- and hospitality-focused events. 

ABOUT WORLD MEETINGS FORUM

WMF is a business platform with almost 10 years of experience around Mexico, Latin America and Caribbean destinations helping the development of connections between qualified hosted buyers and suppliers including high level content, networking activities and social responsibility actions through its WMF Foundation that helps the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the meetings industry. 

WMF is part of Grupo Latinamerica Meetings that also includes content development and distribution of leading magazines in the region of Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean.

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