Present for the visit were NGV Global Chair Gabriele Gozzi, Deputy Chair Alicia Milner and Executive Director Brett Jarman. Hosts for the visit were NGV Communications directors Claudio Kohan and Alejandro Gardella.

The tour included a visit to Centro Banamex, venue for the three-day conference and three-day exhibition and associated meetings to be held from November 6 to 10 this year. The delegation was unanimous in their approval of the venue, built less than 10 years ago with all the facilities expected of an international conference & exhibition center.

The delegation also signed off on three different hotels with the Sheraton Maria Isabel being designated as the headquarters hotel. The historic Castello de Chapultepec will also provide a conference highlight as the setting for an unforgettable evening that will begin with a bilingual tour guide through the rooms of this architectural monument, followed by a cocktail with live classical music, all of this prior to a gala dinner on the opening night of the conference.

Aside from confirming the suitability of facilities and infrastructure, the delegation also had a chance to become familiar with the status of the Mexican NGV market. A dinner with event sponsors gave clear signs that the industry is ready for international attention.

Gabriele Gozzi summed up the visit stating that the potential of the Mexican market is exciting. “With already 1,500 NGVs in Mexico City alone and almost 3,000 units and 8 stations throughout the country, the potential for NGVs in Mexico is extraordinary”.

Alicia Milner, also Chair of NGV Global’s Events Committee echoed this sentiment. “This is our third event in Latin America in the past eight years but our first in a new market here. Local industry members already have a sophisticated view of the NGV sector and I'm sure that the international industry will recognize the potential for natural gas vehicles to improve air quality here in Mexico as they have done in many other countries around the world”.