The U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Service Mexico is hosting a trade mission, "RepCom Mexico City 2002" to Mexico City and is expected to attract participation from approximately 50 U.S. firms, mainly small and medium size companies, interested in entering the Mexican market though agent, distributor, licensee, or joint venture arrangements with Mexican partners. The mission will include a day-long seminar on "how to do business in Mexico", with an evening networking reception, and one or two days of one-on-one appointments with potential Mexican partners.

To commemorate the 10^th anniversary of NAFTA, there will be an educational seminar for Mexican exporters, organized by the Mexican export promotion agency, Bancomext, and will be held concurrently with the U.S. exporter seminar on December 3. There will be joint seminar sessions (e.g. plenary session featuring President Fox and other dignitaries), a networking luncheon and a reception. The representatives of United States trade promotion agencies such as Export Import Bank, Trade Development Authority, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and Small Business Administration are expected to participate in the seminar and address both the Mexican and U.S. audiences.

These seminars will focus on broadening the benefits of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as well as rural and underdeveloped regions. Addressing regional imbalances, broadening the benefits of NAFTA, and open trading systems are priorities of both the U.S. Government and the Fox Administration. The seminars will bolster Mexican and U.S. rural community efforts to promote regional economic development and will give participants improved training, tools, and contacts. To reflect the need to focus on Mexico’s underdeveloped South/Southeast, several of the participants will be from the nine states in the Plan Puebla Panama: Campeche, Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz, and Yucatan. The mission will also support U.S.-Mexican efforts on the Partnership for Prosperity and the key themes of public-private partnerships and SMEs. The Partnership for Prosperity action plan was signed by President George W. Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox on May 22, 2002, during the United Nations Financing for Development Conference in Monterrey, Mexico. The Partnership seeks to leverage private resources to promote economic growth in less developed regions of Mexico. Several U.S. States and rural communities are planning to send delegates to participate in this unique event.

Mexico is the second largest export market for the United States after Canada. U.S. exports to Mexico totaled $102 billion in 2001, with substantial sales in virtually every product sector in which the United States is globally competitive. U.S. exports to Mexico have registered annual growth of more than ten percent in five of the last six years, peaking in 2000 with a phenomenal 28 percent increase. Although the Mexican economy cooled in tandem with the United States during 2001, prospects are favorable for a renewal in growth in the latter half of 2002. Over the longer term, export opportunities are expected to be excellent given Mexico’s tremendous social and physical infrastructure needs, the growth of a consumer society, the boom in manufacturing created by NAFTA and the proximity of the U.S. market.

The overall objective is to match U.S. and Mexican companies in an effort to create new agent, distributor, licensee, or joint venture relationships that will result in increased U.S. exports. The seminar component is intended to educate new to market companies on market trends and opportunities, financing, legal issues, border customs issues, e-commerce opportunities, and cultural considerations in doing business.

Mission participants will arrive in Mexico City on December 2, 2002. The seminar program and networking reception will be held on December 3. One-on-one appointments will be held on December 4 and 5.

Event participants will be recruited by the U.S. Commercial Service in accordance with the objectives of the mission statement. Any company that is interested in participating and that meets the U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC) participation guidelines (see next paragraph) is eligible to participate, subject to CS Mexico’s determination that there is a market for their product or service in Mexico. CS Mexico does not anticipate turning away any firms due to over-subscription. Event participation is not limited to any particular commercial or industrial sector(s).

As per USDOC participation guidelines, U.S. companies wishing to participate in the event must certify that their goods and services are either manufactured or produced in the United States, or if manufactured or produced outside, they must certify that the goods and services are marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and that the final product has at least 51 percent U.S. content.

Recruitment of U.S. firms will be conducted in an open and public manner, including promotion through the U.S. Commercial Service network and direct contact with trade associations throughout the United States. This event will be listed in the Federal Register and on International Trade Administration’s home page: www.ita.doc.gov/doctm/tmcal.html

Any partisan political activities (including political contributions) of a U.S. firm are entirely irrelevant to the event selection process.

The cost for the seminar and one-day of appointments will be $1,000. The cost for the seminar and two-days of appointments will be $1,600. The fee does not include airfare, hotels, meals or other personal expenses. The deadline for event registration and receipt of payment is October 26, 2002.

Bryan Larson
U.S. Commercial Service Mexico City
PO Box 9000
Brownsville, TX 78520-0900

Tel: 011-52-55-5140-2612
e-mail: bryan.larson@mail.doc.gov

April Redmon (Western Hemisphere Team Representative)
Senior International Trade Specialist
Export Assistance Center
1401 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1225
Arlington, VA 22209

Tel: 703-524-2885
e-mail: April.Redmon@mail.doc.gov