Event Report: We Loved Working in Mexico City

Alisa with our Mexico Team: Gerardo and Rocio.

Alisa Walsh reports from Mexico City.

The Event: a General Session and Dinner 
Guest Count: 120
Industry: Hotel Franchise Owners and General Managers
Date: May 2018

One month time to produce a general session and dinner event in Mexico City? Not a problem.

Alisa: "Thanks to our wonderful team members in Mexico we can deliver an event in Mexico City in the same time frame it takes us to produce a similar event in our hometown of Los Angeles. I have to say, we had the hardest working staff ever. They did not have an easy load-in. As a further challenge we had a very short turnaround time from general session to dinner."




"We had just an hour and a half for the room turn and our team made it happen in record time even though they had to overcome a difficult access route. They had to bring all dinner evening elements in by walking through the kitchen and up one floor using stairs and a freight elevator. Our local crew made it happen in record time. They were the hardest working team, carrying four chairs at a time on top of their heads!"

The look: farm-to-table, bringing the wonderful colors and imagery of Mexico into the ballroom.

Any language barriers?

Thankfully no. Working "en español" is not a problem for Alisa who spent half a year in Costa Rica and speaks Spanish frequently at home in Southern California.

"We also work with a completely bi-lingual, San Diego based producer. In any case, our Mexico City contacts all spoke good English and were very gracious and hospitable."

Things you really need to know about working South of the border:

Payment Method:

Alisa: "We are used to paying for everything with company credit cards but many venues and vendors in Mexico do not accept cards. We had to discuss different payment options and paid most charges with international wire transfers ahead of time."

Holidays:

"Our event coincided with the Mexican Mother's Day, a Thursday.

Many businesses were shut down. Also due to the holiday inventory was more limited as many events were taking place the same day. We had to come up with creative solutions to make up for the shortfall. For instance, we selected seating elements in different styles and colors. The mix worked beautifully with our local art theme".

 

Our dinner concentrated on local cuisine. Our decor was inspired by famous local artists, especially Frida Kahlo. 

Alisa: "It was a wonderful experience to work in Mexico City. I can't wait to go back. Many thanks to Gerardo, Rocio and our team in Mexico City for such a great job."

Thank you for reading!