WPIC Goes to Love Mexico

During the week of December 3-10, 2011, Danielle Andrews Sunkel, President of The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada Inc. and WPIC Instructor, Dulce Avila Castillo, had the pleasure of attending, presenting at and participating in both the Latin American Congress of Destination Wedding Professionals and Love Mexico.

WPIC Alumni: Sandra Aaron, Denise Georgiou-Newell, Sheryl Hammond, Amira Harris, Lindsay Laur, Caryn Lim, Amanda Rego, Bobbi-Jo Roback and Aisha Wilson, attended the Love Mexico Conference and FAM trips.

With an excellent response from wedding planner and travel agents specializing in U.S., Canada and Mexico, Love Mexico closed its eighth edition, repeating for the third consecutive year, due to the demand and interest of the wedding planners in Riviera Maya.

Love Mexico, is the most recognized event to promote Mexico as a destination for weddings and romance. This event is organized by Mexico Wed with the support of the Destination Marketing office of Riviera Maya and the Mexico Tourism Board, it has positioned itself as a reference for professionals in destination weddings in the U.S. and Canada and a generator of business for Mexico. 130 international wedding planners and international personalities of the industry classified as A-List Destination Wedding Planners, stars of the television programs  “Married Away” and “Whose Wedding is it Anyway” and the CEO’s of the major conglomerates that generate weddings to Mexico attended the 2011 edition of Love Mexico Riviera Maya.

These professionals have an annual business of $49 million USD. in the understanding that on average each of the participants considered to organize about 5 weddings per year in Mexico. To a destination wedding attend in average 63 people with an average stay of 2.5 nights and an average expenditure per person of $1,300 USD. The budget of weddings organized by these professionals is $10,000 usd to $3,000,000 usd for that it represents a business for a very wide range of local suppliers.

Kitzia Morales, Partner of Love Mexico commented “During the 3 events of Love Mexico performed in 2011 (New York-Los Angeles-Riviera Maya) more than 500 wedding planners of U.S. and Canada have been trained and connected directly to Mexico’s specialized offer and we have reached over 6,000 professionals of the industry through our online releases and social networks”.

Love Mexico has the endorsement and recognition of the most important International Associations in the wedding industry and for the first time gathered the three presidents of the leading associations: Richard Markel, President of AFWPI- Association for Wedding Professionals International, David Wood, President of ABC- Association for Bridal Consultants and Danielle Andrews Sunkel, President of WPIC- The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada.

Love Mexico concept consist of an intensive educational program and a business forum through pre-established appointments where Mexican’s representatives of hotels, resorts and several companies with wedding products make connections and close business with North American destination weddings professionals.

The exhibitors attending the event are more than 80 representatives of 48 companies and destinations in Mexico that provide wonderful options for destination weddings. Among the exhibitors are de Destination Marketing office of Riviera Maya, Karisma hotels, Barcelo hotels, AM Resorts, Grand Velas, Palace Resorts, Riu Puerto Vallarta, Baja California Sur, Michoacà¡n, San Miguel de Allende, Yucatà¡n, Excellence Resorts, Blue bay, Grand Sirenis, IVI , among many others. The Mexico Tourism Board and 11 Mexican destinations provided valuable information to international wedding planners to help organize a wedding in Mexico.

This year in Love Mexico Riviera Maya, were more than 3,000 one-to-one appointments and a record breaking number of solid leads confirming that Love Mexico is a productive platform where real business is conducted. The positive feedback about the quality of the event and the business resulted from the one-to-one appointments was huge and the participants ended the event with new fresh and creative ideas to offer to their clients.

With the supplier positions sold out since late October, Love Mexico included interactive and innovative learning events including  2 boot camps specially designed for travel agents & for wedding planners and a friendly competition “The Top Destination Wedding Planners for Mexico Challenge”  having  Jill Schoenfelder as the winner, who showed a great knowledge and skills on how to sell Mexico for weddings.

About  Mexico Wed
The first company in Mexico specialized in the destination weddings industry and proud organizer of Love Mexico, Mexico Romantico and the Latin American Congress of Destination Weddings Business. For more information  www.lovemexicoweddings.com