Congratulations to the 42 meeting and event professionals who recently achieved a Certification in Meeting Management (CMM). The recipients successfully completed the rigorous program that was held at the Paradisus Playa Del Carmen La Esmeralda Resort in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, and sponsored by the Mexico Tourism Board.

The CMM is a professional level designation that is offered to management level meeting planners. The focus of the education program is to improve the strategic acumen of these leaders and enhance their ability to deliver exceptional meetings and events in support of organizational business objectives.

MPI’s CMM educational program provides experienced and highly accomplished members of our global meeting and events community the opportunity for personal career advancement and professional recognition. For more information on the CMM designation, as well access to more than 130 hours of CEU-eligible content, visit www.mpiweb.org.

The professionals listed below recently completed the program and obtained their CMM designation:

Jeff Ley, CEM, CMM, USGIF
Nicole Sutter, CMP, CEM, CMM, USGIF
Kelly Beach, CMP, CMM, Frederick County Chamber of Commerce
Susann Behrendt, CMP, CMM, Amstar Destination Management Co.
Carol Benavidez, CMP, CMM, HelmsBriscoe
Doreen Cooke, CMP, CMM, Judicial Council of California
Tony Cummins, CMP, CMM, The Meeting Department LLC
Paula DeYoung, CMP, CMM, Grant Thornton International Ltd
Catherine Giovannelli, CMP, CMM, PharmaDerm
Trina Gremaux, CMP, CMM, Stoel Rives LLP
Mindy Gunn, CMP, CMM, Wells Fargo Bank
Heather Hartland, CMP, CMM, Colorado Convention Center
Sue Heley, CMP, CMM
Carmelina Iannarone, CMP, CMM, Melia Hotels International
Patricia Keeney, CMP, CMM, Synthes Trauma
Jennifer Kowal, CMP, CMM, Aon
Elizabeth Kretchmer CMP, CMM
Patricia Marrese CMP, CMM, New Jersey Society of CPAs
Nelson Matute, CMP, CMM, PCO Geneva
Katherine Overkamp, CMP, CMM, US Airways
Michelle Randall, CMP, CMM, National Communication Association
Kerry Rauwerdink, CMP, CMM, Maxvantage/Maritz
Dena Rose, CMP, CMM, A&M Meetings and Incentives
Katie Sacco, CMP, CMM, Dell Inc.
Chuck Schouwerwou, CMP, CMM, ConferSense Planners Inc.
Noel Supsinskas, CMP, CMM, Raymond James & Associates
Maria Young, CMP, CMM, Palladian Partners Inc.
Anita Carlyle, CMP, CMM, B.Comm, MCC - Moore Carlyle Consulting
Dorcy Bowman Rose, CMP, CMM, MBA, Rendezvous Meetings & Events
Ann Clemensen, CMM, Antian Professional Services Inc.
Tara Ennis, CMM
Shelley Fleming, CMM
Christopher Hodge, CMM, HelmsBriscoe
Rocio Juarez, CMM
Stephanie Krzywanski, CMM, JR Global Events
Marilyn Lessard, CMM, Palais des congres de Montreal
Julie Manheim, CMM, Milliman Inc.
Sharifah Masten, CMM, NATO
Mazda Miles, CMM, Perfection Events LLC
Nathalie Tavel, CMM, Association of American Medical Colleges
Ronald D. Vallan, CMM, Conference Crew LLC
Eva Williams, CMM, Alert Global Media

CMM Mexico recently wrapped up in Riviera Maya, Mexico, and was a success for attendees and staff. All that good feeling doesn't end there, though. For a group of children, CMM Mexico was a memorable event. 

"We raised more than US$1,800 to help bring out a group of orphans from Civitan Cancun to our evening activity on Tuesday, April 17, at Xcaret," said Alyssa Arnold, MPI Housing and Registration Specialist. "With the money we raised, we covered transfer, dinner, show and gratuities at Xcaret for 13 children and the three 'mothers,' and we still have $678 and 2,240 Pesos left. Civitan Cancun will continue with the follow up work to go shoe-shopping (they were in great need of shoes) with the kids and mothers and maybe to the movies. One of our attendees, Susann Behrendt, is very involved in Civitan Cancun, and with the help of the transportation company she works for, Amstar, we were able to provide them transportation."

Below are some photos from the event. 

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and the Real Estate Group RICSHER, S.A. de C.V. have opened the doors to the new Crowne Plaza Tuxpan, Mexico.

"We're very excited to open this Crowne Plaza in Tuxpan, which is a growing market with a very strong tourism projection, since it will be the closest beach destination to Mexico City when the new Autopista Mexico-Tuxpan highway is completed," said Gerardo Murray, regional vice president of sales and marketing for Mexico, IHG. "With some of the largest meeting space in the market, combined with our comprehensive meetings program, the hotel is ideal for meetings and conferences."

The Crowne Plaza Tuxpan is located on Carretera a La Barra Rd Km 6.5 in La Calzada neighborhood. The hotel is at the edge of the Tuxpan River and just five minutes from the beach. It also offers access to the commercial and industrial area and is a 40-minute drive from the El Tajin airport.

The hotel has 136 guest rooms, a Presidential Suite and one Imperial Suite. In addition, guest rooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access, voicemail, a work desk, ergonomic chair, a LCD TV with satellite, direct dial telephone, a safe, coffeemakers, hair dryer and vanity mirror.

The hotel has a club floor that offers a complimentary continental breakfast, wine and cheese during the evenings and a lounge with a large social area. Other features include a gym, an outdoor pool and a children's pool. The hotel has three restaurants: Tambuco Restaurant, which is a parrilla offering cuisine cooked over a wood fire grill and a capacity for up to 167 guests; the exclusive Tanhuijo Bar, with live music and seating for up to 120; and the pool bar Tochtli on the river's edge.

For meeting professionals, the hotel offers the Tochpan Convention Center with seven meeting rooms that have the largest capacity in the region—holding up to 1,700 people—and three boardrooms: Tampamachoco, Tenechaco and Tabuco, with a 10 to 49 person capacity. 

Air travel to Mexico from international destinations is looking up, according to the country's Secretary of Tourism. 

Secretary Gloria Guevara Manzo's office reported that in July 2010 the country saw an increase of 27.5 percent in a year-over-year comparison. The United States was the largest contributor of visitors, with Canada, Spain and France also seeing significant increases.

As the numbers of visitors has increased, so has the amount of investment from Mexico's tourism sector. Guevara Manzo said the Mexican government has invested more than US$3 billion into new tourism projects. It was also reported that from January to June 2010, more than US$1.8 billion dollars were attributed to private sector investment, of which 88.4 percent were from domestic investors and 11.6 percent from foreign investors. These resources were channeled to the development of 402 projects, with 50.4 percent located in the center of the country, 36.6 percent located in beach zones, 9.2 percent in the northern border, and 3.8 percent in the “Mayan world.” The level of private investment has seen a 29.2 percent increase over the amount recorded in the same period of 2009.

One+ sat down recently with Secretary Guevara Manzo to discuss the future of Mexican tourism and the impact on our industry. The exclusive video will be part of the One+ online experience in October. 

Mexico is reporting a 35 percent increase in international travel. In June, 818,278 travelers visited Mexico, versus 605,435 the previous year. Of those, some 573,016 travelers arrived by air from the U.S., representing a 23.7 percent growth over June 2009. Even more impressive are the 41,184 travelers who arrived from Canada—an increase of 107.4 percent. 

The increased demand has been reflected in a handful of new flights to Mexico. AeroMexico, Mexico has announced the beginning of its new Monterrey-Miami and Monterrey-Houston routes. In November, British Airways will begin operating the only direct flight between London and Cancún, and China’s Hainan Airlines will soon begin flying directly to Mexico City. 

Meanwhile, the number of available hotel rooms in Mexico has increased 4.6 percent during the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2009. According to the Datatur System, this growth was recorded in 56 of the 70 destinations monitored. Of those, room availability jumped from 310,391 to 323,916, registering an increase of 13,525 rooms available for foreign visitors.