Study Abroad - Mexico City (Day 4)

Day 4 provided the unique opportunity to meet and hear from two major executives in Mexico: Mr. Enrique Calderon Fernandez of Grupo Posadas and Mr. Xavier Lopez Ancona of Kidzania.

Mr. Fernandez is marketing and sales manager of Grupo Posadas. Grupo Posadas is similar to Starwood Hotels in that it is an “umbrella” for numerous hotel operations. Unlike Starwood Hotels, Grupo Posadas concentrates its hotel operations in Mexico and South America. The hotels under Grupo Posadas’ “umbrella” include Fiesta Americana, Fiesta Inn, Aqua, Cesar Business, Cesar Park, and others. Mr. Fernandez’s presentation was particularly interesting because it provided a perspective of hotel operations that I had not previously been exposed to in my education, with a particular focus on the marketing strategies employed by hotels to engage travelers of all demographics. It was clear that Grupo Posadas is a world class operation. The website to Grupo Posadas is http://www.posadas.com/portal/landingpage/WebsitePosadas/index_en.htm

In the afternoon, we had an opportunity to visit Kidzania in Mexico City (Santa Fe Mall). Launched in 1999 by Mr. Aconia, Kidzania was “the representation of a typical city at a child’s scale and was divided in three main areas: airport, suburbs, and main city.” La Ciudad de Los Ninos case, Page 6. In Kidzania, children are given the opportunity “to play being grown-ups” and “imitate what adults do, from the most complex profession such as that of a doctor in medicine to the most simple task like sweeping or cleaning, . . . to the scale of a child.” Id., Page 2. Sponsors, who provided financing for Kidzania, set up the pavilions and created a tremendous sense of realism for the children. For the sponsors, it provided a “marketing medium in which children lived amazing experiences linked to each sponsor.” Id., Page 5.

After the reading the referenced case, it was truly amazing to see Kidzania in practice. It was a tremendous success as seen by the long lines to enter on a Thursday (numerous school trips) and the smiles on the children’s faces.

Following our tour of Kidzania, Mr. Aconia made a presentation to us regarding Kidzania, with a specific focus on the concept, the business model employed, the financing and pricing strategy, the results to date, and the expansion plans. It was an amazing experience to hear from an individual who started with an interesting and exciting concept and carried it out to fruition and great success. He was truly an inspiration. The Kidzania website is http://www.kidzania.com/