Exhibition World Issue 5 — 2019 | Page 60

Advertising feature The impact of Fair & Meetings Tourism Industry in Colombia and Latin America The industry of fairs and meetings tourism has become a motor of regional, national and international growth, which generates important social and economic benefits that permanently stimulate the offer and demand for a country’s industry. In this regard, Andrés López Valderrama, executive president of Corferias, stated: “Fairs and events moved more than 800.000 million pesos of Bogotá’s GDP, which is equivalent to 0.4% of the city’s GDP. This industry has a great social impact, with the generation of jobs, which represented more than 20.000 direct and indirect jobs, in addition to the positioning, promotion and visibility of the city and the country within Latin America, thanks to the media Above: Corferias, panorama Roberto Vergara Restrepo International Business Director [email protected] (+57-1) 381 00 00 ext. 5100 Diego Laverde International Business Manager [email protected] (+57-1) 381 00 00 ext. 5327 Below: Corferias, exterior view and digital exposure that impulses the development of productive ventures in each fair and event that we produce”. In regards to Sustainable Development Objectives, López Valderrama stated that: “Today, there is also an evident need of implementing sustainable corporate practices in line with sustainable development objectives on a world scale level. We have a calling so that from the industry of fairs and meetings tourism, it is possible to adopt viable measures and projects that aim to strengthen economic, social and cultural development at a level of city and region, as well as to struggle for the mitigation of poverty, protecting the planet, generating high quality education and consolidating strategic alliances that aim towards fulfilling these Web page: www.corferias.com • The first District of Fairs Events and Conventions in Corferias zone, has more than 360.000 square meters which integrate Corferias, Ágora Bogotá and the new Hilton Hotel Bogotá Corferias. • Corferias, receives more than 2.000.000 visitors per year, both in Bogotá and Barranquilla. It conducts more than 60 fairs and services more than 270 events per year. objectives”. Patricia Acosta, president of the Colombian Association of Fairs, Congress and Related Activities in the Industry AIFEC, stated that the industry of fairs and meetings, jointly generates a series of social, economic and environmental activities in response to the industry’s sustainability commitments. She highlighted: “The participation of local and international fair organizers and venues, a constant investment in fair infrastructure of venues such as Corferias, Plaza Mayor Center, Expofuturo, Centro de Convenciones Valle del Pacífico, Centro de Convenciones de Cartagena, Puerta de Oro, among others, are investments that during the last years ascended to more than 500 thousand million pesos, promote the growth of already consolidated fairs and the creation of new entrepreneurial fairs and events of a national and international nature”.