The activity, organized by Codeproval and ProChile, took place on August 25 and 26 with speakers who included leading representatives of the public and private sectors.

The first session of the XI Business Meeting of the South, organized in the city of Valdivia by the Development Corporation of the Los Ríos Region (Codeproval) and ProChile, focused on trade and international business and the new challenges they pose for the Region.

The inaugural seminar was opened by Pablo Hoffmann, President of Codeproval, who spoke about local challenges as regards internationalization. Also speaking at the seminar, ProChile’s Deputy National Director, Marcela Aravena, drew attention to innovation in the Region’s products and services, assuring the audience that “ProChile is a strategic ally for entrepreneurs.”

Representing InvestChile, Rosita Feijoó, who heads its Regional Plan, talked about the new institutional framework of the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency whose legal mandate includes providing support for the investment promotion requirements of the country’s different regions. She also explained details of the joint work being undertaken by InvestChile and the Regional Government.

“Foreign investment is one of the pillars of the country’s economic development strategy and, in this sense, the regions have a key role to play in the identification of opportunities to attract capital that contributes to local production linkages,” pointed out Feijoó.

She also highlighted the benefits of foreign direct investment (FDI) as not only contributing capital but also technologies, management capabilities and the opening of new markets. In the case of InvestChile’s Regional Plan, she indicated that there has been a “change of approach” which implies that it will be working together with each region to identify concrete opportunities and priorities.

“This Plan should be viewed as a tool designed to achieve the objectives of the Regional Development Strategy as regards the development of human capital and the production structure and the region’s international insertion,” she explained.

The activity culminated with presentations by ProChile’s representatives in Mexico, Panama, Uruguay and the city of Chicago in the United States. They provided information about the principal opportunities in each of these markets and the way business is done there, setting out the cultural differences and similarities and inviting those attending the seminar to seek support for the export of their products.

The second session of the Business Meeting of the South took place today, Friday August 26, and was addressed by the Governor of the Los Ríos Region, Egon Montecinos, as well as other representatives of the public sector and of the private sector.