CINTERMEX

HISTORY


The Monterrey Foundry [Fundidora Monterrey] closed down in the 1980’s leaving a 114 hectare area in the center of the city available for any project. But, which? The State Government requested that this space be donated for the construction of an ecological park and the President of Mexico at the time, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, granted the request.

This was the beginning of the Fundidora Park Fund to create a general concept on how to use this space. The Fundidora Park project was the ideal opportunity to create a Tradeshow center. The CAINTRA [Chamber of the Transformation Industry] that was in charge of the project, had to find a way to attract private investors.

The first draft of Cintermex was contemplated in the layout of the Fundidora Park project, which was submitted in 1987 by the architect Eduardo Terrazas to the Governor, Jorge Treviño, who immediately took an interest in the project and asked for the building’s formal design.

The first definite proposal was submitted in mid 1988 to the CEO of Grupo CYDSA, Fernando Sada Malacara, the chairman of CAINTRA at the time. After studying the design, which included 37,000 meters of construction, representatives of the 10 largest corporations in the city decided to back up CAINTRA in this endeavor.

A lack of capital held back the project as Sada Malacara’s term as head of CAINTRA came to an end. The new chairman, Othón Ruiz Montemayor, in looking for a way to subsidize the project, places it in the hands of Carlos Salazar, a specialist in foreign trade, and together they develop a new plan.
                                                                                                                           

Contrary to what could be expected of a low-budget project, Carlos Salazar’s idea was to make it even bigger getting the necessary funds by selling permanent office space and adding a convention center to give added value to the entire project. The idea worked – not only did it make financing the project possible it also made it more attractive. Jorge Fernández Treviño joined in to make it more competitive on an international scale. The idea was to promote the center as a place for doing better business. Thus the name CINTERMEX was born in Carlos Salazar’s office.

Finally, in November 1989, the first stone of the building was placed in a ceremony presided over by the Secretary of Commerce and Industrial Development, Jaime Serra Puche. Othón Ruiz enthusiastically announced that the project would be completed in April 1991, which meant starting the construction in February 1990 and finishing it in just 14 months. Cintermex’s official opening date was set for April 25th, when the Mexican Association of the Construction Industry would hold its annual meeting as the inaugural event from April 25 to 29.

On December 6, Antonio Elosúa joins the project as construction coordinator and construction starts as scheduled in February 1990 without a definite model. A six-pillar support system was used for added spaciousness in the exposition area making it very convenient for ample exhibition stands and easy-flowing visitor traffic.