Business Tourism at Casa Sauza

Hacienda Quinta Sauza has been, for 4 years in a row, the setting for massive events that bring thousands of people to our visitor center. The first events we held were weddings, yet when carrying out our first business tourism event, we realized that these kinds of events generate the most profits and are more straightforward to organize regarding family events.

In this blog post, you will discover if you are missing out on the opportunity to do business in this niche. I will also tell you what we did to become a part of it.

How to become a part of this new tourism trend

Our experience in organizing events dates back a few years ago. I started my tourism career in the hotel industry and stayed there for 4 years. I later continued my career in Casa Sauza, where, for 9 years now, I have been dedicated to the attention of groups, events, and, more recently, Public Relations.

Most of the groups we used to work with were universities and families that came for a tour of the distillery. Yet, in 2009, we had to face -like many other companies- an insecurity situation that dramatically reduced the number of tourists entering the country. In addition, the outbreak of influenza AH1N1 became another factor that alarmed and prevented tourists from visiting Mexico.

The whole situation negatively affected our annual visit graphs since we decreased the number of visitors annually by almost 40%. We were then forced to find different alternatives and markets to get our tourism project afloat, and that's when the ideas began to arrive, along with uncertainty, stress, and a few gray hairs too...

Considering that Tequila is a perfect setting for a so-called "Wedding Destination," we decided to explore this area in 2012. We started this adventure with a tiny stand at a well-known wedding expo. We then started investing in digital platforms and more venue advertising since our numbers were upscaling, and we had to keep up with the technology and communication trends.

Planning and developing weddings is, without a doubt, a job that requires professionals in event organization, budget planning, drafting contracts, international decoration trends, florist knowledge, knowledge of the repertoire of most listened to songs, wedding protocol, management of stress and above all a remarkable ability to communicate and interpret non-verbal language, as well as a little applied psychology.

This is how vital wedding planners are in organizing such an event, a job many brides underestimate when calculating their budget. Now, for a global company such as Casa Sauza, we also had to include other alternatives and business niches in addition to organizing weddings, allowing us to have a more significant impact in different business branches and generate greater incomes that would improve our financial reports.

Casa Sauza and Business Tourism

The first event we had in this area was 3 years ago; not only did we recover everything we had invested in it but our profits increased, plus, the indirect advertising of the destination was much more extensive than we've experienced before. It wasn't until then that we started researching this new branch of tourism, and we have genuinely been surprised by all the possibilities that it offers. We were grateful to discover that most people involved are highly organized, competitive, and objective about what they want and expect from their event.

In addition, Guadalajara has 124,000 square meters for expos, events, and convention centers, which include Expo Guadalajara, Telmex Auditorium, and PALCCO, all without counting the business rooms offered by hotels. It also has almost 24,000 hotel rooms for guests and excellent access both by land and by air to the city. One can understand why Guadalajara is among Mexico's four most important cities in terms of events and congresses. Our proximity to the city increases, without a doubt, our chances of becoming part of this business.

Currently, in Casa Sauza, to compete with other destinations in this kind of tourism, we have tasked ourselves with strategic alliances that add up to everything that Guadalajara is already doing to benefit tourism, especially this particular branch.

Thus, our alliances reach tourism associations, secretariats, companies, and corporations and aim to create a consolidated product that would offer business tourists several good quality options for their corporate events, exhibitions, and, of course, options for their leisure activities.

In addition to being one of the most critical Tequila factories in the world, with the most prolonged standing in the tequila industry, Casa Sauza is also a place that allows tourists to experience one of the most emblematic elements of Mexico, tequila, and its elaboration process.

We also have a hacienda or old mansion that dates from 1836, where we carry out different types of events such as corporate meals, closing dinners, welcoming cocktails, and product presentations, which are surrounded by the great cultural and gastronomic experience that can only be appreciated in the context of Tequila.

We have found an excellent platform for the display of our destination in the alliances we have formed. They have also provided us with promotors for our tequila company. Let's not forget all the friendships we have made along this way and those who have fallen in love with Casa Sauza since they find it authentic, competitive, and family-friendly.

Many companies that now know our brand and destination have derived from this project and included us on their "places to visit in Tequila" list, also positioning us as an option for the corporate and business tourism branch.

If you are a company looking for business event planners, we recommend you get more information about how we can help your business event succeed.