Competitiveness, Training and Trade

Mission Details:

Manitoba Trade and Investment was invited to participate in Canada Week for a commercial and cultural mission, organized by the Canadian Consulate in Guadalajara and Monterrey. The Mexico mission took place in Monterrey on Feb 12 -14, 2007 and in Guadalajara Feb 14 -17, 2007. Manitoba Trade invited interested Manitoba companies to participate in this mission, in whole or in part.

The Honourable Scott Smith, Minister of Competitiveness, Training and Trade, led this mission to Mexico and his involvement attracted more attention to the Manitoba group. Minister Smith has established a good working relationship with important stakeholders in both Nuevo Leon and Jalisco, Mexico which puts participating Manitoba companies at an advantage.

In order to help Manitoba companies reach their objectives in Mexico, the following activities were considered:

• One on one meetings with local businesses, industry representatives and government officials
• Networking events with local companies, industry representatives and government officials
• Visits to local companies and industry centers
• Presentations on current projects in the region
• Market briefing by industry experts

These activities enabled companies to meet the key stakeholders in the visited regions, expanding their networking base as well as gaining first-hand market intelligence that could be crucial for decision making processes. In consultation with our partners, the Canadian Consulates in Guadalajara and Monterrey, it was determined some of the areas of opportunities in the considered regions in Mexico. Please see the attached market overview.

Background documents for viewing and/or download:

• Jalisco Electronics Industry (884 KB.pdf)
• Information and Communications Technology and New Media - States of Jalisco and Nuevo Leon (1009 KB .pdf)
• Canada Week in Guadalajara & Monterrey (1294 KB.ppt)
• Guadalajara Map - Métropoli de la electrónica (Large 687 KB .jpg)
• Guadalajara Map - Métropoli de la electrónica (Smaller 179 KB .jpg)
• Guadalajara Travel Guide
• Monterrey Travel Guide
• Map of Mexico

If Mexico is one of your active markets or a potential interest, it is a priority for us to know your market objectives and design an agenda that will help you achieve them. The potential meetings with local businesses in Mexico can have a variety of results; from transactional operations, where simple sell-buy connections are made, to partnerships that can serve as a means to common ends, such as exploring, or expanding into the US market. The competitive forces in today’s global economy have pushed companies to shift their perceptions from seeing a similar company as competition to seeing it as a partner to join forces with. Contact:

Alberto Velasco, International Business Development Mexico & Chile
Manitoba Trade and Investment
Tel: (204) 945-2917
Email: alberto.velasco@gov.mb.ca