During the last four years, ACI Medellín showed good results which positively impacted the internationalization of the city, the attraction of foreign investment, and international cooperation.

Between 2016 and 2019, ACI Medellín reported the highest indicators in terms of international cooperation and foreign investment in the history of the Agency.

Foreign investment

Between 2016 and 2019 the Agency attracted a foreign investment amount of USD1.2 48 million from national and foreign companies in the United States, Spain, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Brazil, Netherlands, Mexico, Italy, Taiwan, France, Denmark, Argentina, Panama, Japan, Australia, Finland, China, Uruguay, Guatemala, Chile, El Salvador, Venezuela and Puerto Rico, an unprecedented figure in the management of the city, since in four years the investment was boosted at a level that exceeded expectations, and that compared with the goals set in previous years corresponds to 53% of what has been achieved throughout the history of ACI Medellín.

These results reflected in the creation of jobs and improving the quality of life of citizens.

This investor confidence led companies interested in expanding their operations in the territory to create the capacity of the city to invest for the first time, and in several cases reinvest their capital, materializing between 2016 and 2019 the management of 118 investments and reinvestments in the infrastructure and real state, manufacturing, industries 4.0, aerospace and life sciences sectors, generating 16,247 jobs during the four-year period.

The events “Why Medellín?” became a strategy for international relations to expose the investment climate, the strengths of the city, and the achievements in the process of internationalization. These are determining factors for decision-making businessmen and which make Medellín one of the most attractive destinations for foreign direct investment in Latin America. Between 2016 and 2019, Medellín held 29 events “Why Medellin?” In 26 cities in 14 countries (Uruguay, Brazil, Turkey, New Zealand, Australia, Venezuela, Argentina, U.S., Spain, Mexico, Peru, Chile, China).

International cooperation

It is a fact that Medellín generates great interest for the development of new opportunities for cooperation, mainly from those countries looking for an ally in the implementation and development of programs and projects on peacebuilding, security and coexistence, economic and social development, education, culture, and urban planning, mobility, and environment. Proof of this is the USD37.3 million in international cooperation managed by the city in the last four years. Achieving the highest cooperation amount in history for USD12.5 million destined for sustainable mobility granted by the government of South Korea.

International representatives from more than 60 countries visited the city to learn about its transformation and exchange knowledge.

In these four years of the government plan “Medellín Counts on you” 2016 – 2019, the city impacted 81 projects with technical cooperation and positioned itself as a reliable city for the development of South-South cooperation projects, achieving the transfer of knowledge of 25 projects with countries such as Granada, Chile, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Burma, Costa Rica, Brazil, Honduras, Saint Lucia, Guyana, Argentina, Mexico, and South Korea.

Medellín participates in nine international networks through which it strengthens its management and positioning in the world.

The Sos Paisa program was born as another strategy of international cooperation to connect the Paisas living abroad to their home city. It invites them to become ambassadors of Medellín to the world and to contribute to the promotion of social development. The Network’s results have grown gradually in the last four years with 57 contributions of Paisas and 24 meetings in 13 countries.

Relationship and international communication

The constant arrival of international representatives and delegates has stimulated the image of the city and its recognition as a source of best practices to replicate in the world. Between 2016 and 2019, 4,722 delegates from the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, Chile, and France arrived in Medellín, and the most interesting topics for them were environment, mobility, urban transformation, economic development, and investment.

Likewise, 160 delegations from various cities in Colombia visited ACI Medellín to know, learn and replicate the Agency’s management model.

During the last four years, the Agency has worked for a continuous relationship with foreign journalists who arrive in the city to learn more about its transformation. Therefore, between 2016 and 2019, ACI Medellín received 1,065 international journalists, achieving the publication of 230 articles in the international media.

“The image of Medellín around the world has changed and the work of ACI Medellín was the key to achieve it. Our work set bridges, opened doors, and supported the investors and donors so that they adapt to the city, and develop programs and projects that benefit the entire population,” said Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, executive director.

Medellín’s Secretariat of Culture will host the second version of the Art and Culture Market, Expocultura Referentes 2019, between April 25 and 28 at the Botanical Garden Joaquín Antonio Uribe. It will help local artists and cultural managers to project themselves in the national and international scope through the exchange of experiences, processes and business models.

255 artists, 44 of them international, will participate in 134 cultural samples. La Caixa de España and Carulla de Catalunya Foundations headline the guest list.

Guests from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela along with their Colombian colleagues, elected through public call, will participate in dancing activities, music shows, visual arts, theater, social impact, and audiovisual presentations, as well as business conferences, and the awards ceremony.

This year’s edition highlights the presence of dancer Fernando Montaño, the only Colombian member of the Royal Ballet of London, who will share his knowledge through a workshop at the University of Antioquia.

In the same way, Expocultura 2019 is decorated with the participation of María Concepción Ramírez from the Cultural Festival of San Luis Potosí (Mexico); Natalia Souza from Itaú Cultural (Brazil), Antonella Broglia from the Ashoka Foundation (Spain) and TEDx Europe; and Xavier García Puerto, of the REC International Film Festival of Tarragona (Spain) of the Black Night Film Festival (Estonia).

The Art and Culture Market, Expocultura Referentes 2019, positions Medellín as a city of artists, as well as strengthening its management as a leading city in the Orange Economy in Colombia.

For registration and for more information, click on the link:  www.expocultura.com.co