The World Free Zones Congress 2017 is held in Cartagena de Indias
In 2017, Cartagena de Indias became the first Latin American city to host the third edition of the World Free Zones Congress 2017.
The World Free Zones Congress 2017, held from May 3 to 5, 2017 at the impressive Cartagena Convention Center, brought together more than 1,000 specialized attendees, over 300 representatives from free zones globally, more than 40 panelists and over 30 exhibitors, as well as investment funds, academics, multilateral entities, and entrepreneurs from around the world, according to information provided by the Convention Center itself on its website.
Likewise, as reported by the Portafolio newspaper, around 70 countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, China, Spain, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Mexico, Panama, Brazil, and Uruguay, had direct representation.
This congress, which originated in May 2014 in Geneva (Switzerland), is an initiative of the International World Free Zones Organization and is the most important event for the topic of free zones.
The congress aims to exchange knowledge, create networks, and promote business development through the participation of the free zones sector, as well as government organizations, user companies, and multilateral entities.
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In its third edition, held in Cartagena, the World Free Zones Congress 2017 was also a space to address topics of interest to investors promoting projects in all sectors, such as manufacturing, telecommunications services, agroindustry, shared services BPO and KPO, among others, according to information published by the National Association of Colombian Entrepreneurs (ANDI) on its official portal.
The importance of hosting an event of this magnitude was enormous for the country, as free zones are one of the most modern mechanisms available to the country in the economic sphere, generating investments of more than 50 billion pesos in the last 10 years, as stated by ANDI.
Similarly, Bruce Mac Master, president of ANDI, assured Dinero magazine that the selection of Colombia as the host country was an occasion to attract new investments, development, and employment for the country, as well as "a great opportunity to present the possibilities of establishing new companies and businesses through free zones".
In fact, the World Free Zones Congress 2017 concluded with recognition of the advantages that free zones in Colombia and around the world have in attracting investment and fostering business creation.
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As reported by Caracol Radio, Mohammed Alzarooni, president of the World Free Zones Organization; Bruce Mac Master, president of ANDI; Santiago Rojas, who at the time served as director of DIAN; and Nivea Santarelli, then president of the Board of Directors of the ANDI Free Zones Users Chamber, spoke at the closing ceremony.
The closing was a perfect occasion to highlight the good organization of the congress, which demonstrates the capacity of the 'Heroica' and the country to host events of the utmost importance for regional and global economic development.
