Centro Citibanamex

The Centro Citibanamex is more commonly referred to by its old name, the Centro Banamex. It’s pretty easily the biggest meeting and convention center in the City. As the photo above shows, it’s within the even larger Hipódromo Las Américas racetrack complex. It’s been the site of more than 12,000 events since it opened in 2002. The center is uniquely responsible for visits to Mexico City by tens of thousands of visitors every year.

Expo Halls: The center has 34,000 square meters of column-free exhibition space. This can be broken down into four independent halls. There are an additional 25 multi-purpose rooms with capacity for between 5,000 and 10,000 people.

The Centro Citibanamex:

• Is the site of 790 events per year on average.
• Attendance is estimated at 2 million visitors per year.
• The largest event in its history was the 2008 XVII International AIDS Conference which hosted 24,000 delegates
• An average of 698,406 exhibition booths are installed per year
• During the 2020-21 the center served as a hospital for more than a year.
• 854 beds supplemented those available in Mexico City.

The center is probably today even better known than the giant racetrack right outside. These grounds are also shared with the Mexican Olympic Committee, which runs a small museum. There are also several casinos, a small children’s theme park, and a military hospital.

Annually, the most talked-about event, in Mexico City at least, is probably the Zona Maco contemporary art fair. This was held each February (but was held at smaller venues during the pandemic). For international visitors, it’s an easy place to find and is an integral part of the City and City life. It’s just west of the Polanco neighborhood and accessible to visitors from across the region.