August 17, 2015

Medellín: One of the World’s Most Innovative Cities

Known as Colombia’s “city of eternal spring,” Medellín has gone through a remarkable transformation in the past decade and a half, becoming a microcosm of innovation and hot spot for business investment. Named the 2013 “Innovative City of the Year” by Citi, the Urban Institute and The Wall Street Journal, Medellín has shown no signs of slowing down. From a booming tech sector to innovations in urban living, Colombia’s second-largest city and industrial capital continues to draw attention from around the world, becoming a sought-after location for national and international events, meetings, fairs and seminars. Medellín Flower Festival Draws International Crowds

Last week, the city was host the 58th Medellín Flower Festival. The festival was first held in 1957 as a celebration of Colombia’s thriving flower industry. The Flower Festival today is a weeklong event featuring concerts, flower expos and more. The festival’s most iconic event is a parade, known as the Desfile de Silleteros. Following decades-long traditions, participants in the parade carry elaborate flower arrangements on their backs in silletas, a chair like object dating back to the 19th century. During this year’s parade, more than 500 silleteros participated, and the festival drew an estimated 800,000 people from around the world. In an interview with Smithsonian Magazine, one silletero who marched in the parade for the 58th time this year, described how

Silleteros march in the Desfile de Silleteros during the 58th Medellín Flower Festival. Photo Credit: Alcaldía de Medellín

Did You Know…? • Colombia is the second-

largest supplier of live flowers in the world, with the city of Medellín playing a major role.

• Colombia exports more than 500 million flowers to the United States annually, and roughly 75 percent of all cut flowers sold in United States are from Colombia.

 

“‘[f]lowers serve a great purpose. … They provide happiness and enthusiasm in the face of pain and suffering.’”

For more information on Medellín’s Flower Festival, click here.

Medellín Makes its Mark in Fashion

Just last week, the New York Times highlighted Medellín’s transformation into a “forward-looking metropolis” in an article and video interview with Colombian bloggers and founders of Sisterly Style Amelia and Elisa Ochoa. Describing Medellín’s El Poblado neighborhood, the article highlights how “[l]ocals are extremely proud of the neighborhood’s progress in bringing global style to Colombia while maintaining local flair.”

But that isn’t Medellín’s only tie to fashion. From July 28 to July 30, international buyers, fashion designers and enthusiasts gathered in Medellín for the 26th edition of Colombiamoda, or Colombia’s Fashion Week. The event is hosted by Inexmoda, an organization in Colombia dedicated to providing the tools and resources necessary to elevate all aspects of Colombia’s fashion industry supply chain – from textiles, to apparel and distribution chains – to be nationally and internationally competitive. Colombiamoda is considered the largest commercial exchange platform in Latin America.

Through its three priorities to orchestrate fashion shows, organize commercial displays and provide an arena for the exchange of knowledge between industry experts, the tradeshow attracts more than 1,700 international buyers, 6,000 national buyers and 60,000 visitors, as well as a range of premium products from over 600 exhibitors. The event included fashion shows from a variety of designers, as well as lectures and other programs.

Click here for more information about Colombiamoda and here for more information about Inexmoda and Colombia’s fashion sector.

Models wear pieces from Tous by designer Jorge Duque. Photo Credit: Inexmoda Facebook page.

Models complete their final walk at the Pepa Pombo show. Photo Credit: Inexmoda Twitter page.

Medellín: A Hub for Sustainable Development and Research As described by The Boston Globe in an article earlier this year, “Medellín has become the superstar of Latin America, a mecca for urban planning that seeks to serve all citizens… .” In an opportunity to highlight the city’s reputation for using outside-the-box approaches to urban development challenges, Medellín will host the first “Cities for Life” forum on August 31 and September 1. The event, which is supported by UN-Habitat, the World Bank and CAF Development Bank of Latin America, will bring together delegations of mayors and national and international subject matter experts from more than 70 cities from around the world. The forum will be led by Medellín Mayor Anicbal Gaviria and will focus on finding solutions to sustainability challenges through policies that revitalize urban ecosystems. On August 11, Colombian company Ruta-N announced it will partner with the University of Wisconsin to open a tropical disease laboratory in Medellín. The laboratory will focus on the study of tropical diseases such as dengue fever, chickungunya, and the flu. As part of Medellín’s larger goal of becoming a hub for science and technology research, the project will also expand its reach by seeking opportunities to work on regional priorities in public health.

Forbes Highlights PROCOLOMBIA’s Success

A recent article in Forbes discusses the strategies and triumphs of PROCOLOMBIA under the leadership of Maria Claudia Lacouture, who became president in 2010. As an entity associated with Colombia’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, PROCOLOMBIA works to promote international tourism, foreign investment and exports. As outlined by the article, the agency has taken an integrated approach, including the use of social media, to boost Colombia as both a travel destination and hot spot for international business opportunities. For more information about PROCOLOMBIA, visit http://www.procolombia.co/en.

Get to know Colombia. Learn more at www.colombiaemb.org.

Stay connected: @ColAmbPinzon or @PinzonBuenoEmb

In C ase You M issed It…

Implemented by the City Council, Medellín’s Metrocable is an innovative way to address

the challenge of connecting suburban areas.