OWIT-Toronto women’s trade mission delegation to Monterrey, Mexico with Canadian Ambassador Rischynski and Consul General Desjardins.

OWIT-Toronto organized a women’s trade mission to Monterrey, Mexico, in October 2008 that opened the door to excellent business and government contacts for participants and helped drive attendees to  OWIT’s International Conference. The two-day trade mission program was supported by Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs & International Trade (DFAIT), Export Development Canada (EDC), and was held in conjunction with OWIT International’s 17th Annual World Conference. Other OWIT chapters may want to consider organizing similar trade missions in the future.

Background
OWIT-Toronto’s decision to lead a trade mission to Monterrey was precipitated by three factors.

1. At the International Board Meeting held in 2007, several board members found Monterrey to have a very welcoming business environment.
2. OWIT’s International Conference provided an additional incentive for participants to visit Monterrey.
3. Access to the services of Trade Partners, a Toronto-based company run by OWIT member and a founder of OWIT-Monterrey Alma Farias, that specializes in business matchmaking between Canadian and Latin American companies.

Program
The two-day trade mission program offered in Monterrey included briefing and networking sessions with the Canadian Consulate in Monterrey and Canada’s Ambassador to Mexico, three business matching meetings per participant with Mexican companies and organizations, and other networking and educational sessions. OWIT members attending the trade mission could choose to attend both the conference and trade mission for a total fee of $1,100, or the trade mission only for a fee of $750.

Results
The trade mission to Monterrey was very successful and helped bring attendees to the international conference as well. The delegation included participants plus sponsor and partner representatives, some of whom even participated in the OWIT Conference as speakers or delegates. Each participant had three introductions to business contacts in Mexico, and all were extremely pleased with the high quality of connections made. Over 100 business and government guests attended a networking session at the Canadian Consul General’s residence, providing participants with unprecedented exposure to high level contacts.

Key Success Factors
The success of the trade mission was made possible by:

• Effective business matching by Trade Partners.
• Professional marketing and promotion.
• High level networking sessions, with key business and government representatives from both Canada and Mexico.
• Support of the Canadian government at both local and national levels.
• Collaboration with OWIT International and the local Chamber of Commerce and a Mexican business association.

Feedback from the Participants

• “Both the business matching and networking events were very high level and exceeded my expectations.  I had very interesting meetings with local people and also with key officials from the federal government.” Mary Anderson, President, I.E.Canada
• “I was set up with the right potential partners and now hope to hook up with a company that can expand my business offering. There was also great value in meeting other women looking to expand their markets.” Carol Beaul, President, IntelliTrade Inc.

For more information on OWIT-Toronto’s trade mission to Mexico, contact: Alma Farias at afarias@tradepartners.ca. Gail Morris at gmorris@tradepartners.ca, or Susan Baka at sbaka@baycomm.ca.