Today, over 700 companies from Costa Rica and 47 other countries inaugurated the 24th edition of BTM where they will be searching for new business deals

• 200 of the Costa Rican companies are from regions outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) and 132 have never exported.

SAN JOSÉ, September 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After two years of being staged virtually, Tuesday, September 27 saw the official opening of the 24th edition of the largest business roundtable in Costa Rica and Central America: Buyers Trade Mission – BTM – 2022. This year, the event – organized by Costa Rica's external commerce promoter (PROCOMER) – will be attended by around 600 Costa Rican exporters and 374 buyers from 47 countries. Additionally, almost 4,000 business meetings have been scheduled.

The goal of BTM, which is taking place at Costa Rica's Convention Center, is to promote exports and link the agricultural and specialized industrial sectors with the services of micro, small, medium, and large-sized Costa Rican enterprises, making it a global showcase for these Costa Rican sectors.

The inauguration was attended by the president of the Republic, Rodrigo Chaves, the Minister of Foreign Trade and President of the Board of Directors of PROCOMER, Manuel Tovar, the General Manager of PROCOMER, Pedro Beirute, ministers and presidents of other portfolios, embassy and consulate staff, and strategic alliances, among others.

"Never has a commercial event been more emotive or charming than this business expo, the largest in all of Central America. Because Buyers Trade Mission is more, so much more, than an event attended by exporters and buyers. In the coming days, while they make business deals, define commercial strategies, or agree on the logistics for delivering products to their customers, I would like them to think about this: by buying those flowers, those fruits, that coffee, those medical devices, they are not only buying a product, they are also investing in the education, health and prosperity of Costa Ricans," said Rodrigo Chaves President of the Republic.

"Costa Rica is a country that is open for business, and the 24th edition of BTM is proof of that. In the coming days, many buyers from various countries will experience what it is to do business in Costa Rica: a place where every dollar invested is converted into sustainable productivity. Costa Rica has a robust commercial platform that consists of 16 bilateral and regional commercial agreements providing us with preferential access to and predictability of trade flows with over 50 partners, which cover two thirds of the global GDP and more than 2.5 billion people," added Manuel Tovar, Minister of Foreign Trade and President of the Board of Directors of PROCOMER.

For his part, Pedro Beirute, General Manager of PROCOMER, added that "As a service institution in the export sector and generator of development for Costa Rica, the goal that drives us towards the future is focused on the axes of innovation, inclusion, and sustainability. By means of the exports focused on these axes, we will be able to bring wellbeing to everyone in our country, wellbeing that translates into the generation of more business, more quality jobs, and a better quality of life for the people in all communities."

Beirute mentioned that, apart from being a return to face-to-face business after two years of virtual business, this edition of BTM includes another important element: the high participation of regional companies. "There are 200 companies from various regions outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM), regions from which 33% of goods exported from the country originate and which will generate more and better opportunities for the country," he said.

BTM 2022 brings together 599 Costa Rican companies, of which 80% are SMEs and 132 have never exported. Of the 200 companies outside the GAM, 41 belong to the Huetar Norte region, 34 to Pococi, 27 to the Huetar Caribe region, 27 to the Brunca region, 27 to the region of Occidente, 24 to the Chorotega region, and 20 to Pacifico Central. 

60% of the buyers are from new companies that have never done business with Costa Rican exporters. Additionally, of the total participants, 33% are from North America, 29% from Central America and the Caribbean, 19% from Europe and the Middle East, 12% from Asia, and 7% from South America.

As with previous years, at this edition of BTM, there will be exhibition showcases for national products, and the dynamic of the business meetings will be the same: Costa Rican exporters have 25 minutes to present their product, prices, and logistics aspects, among others things. Subsequently, PROCOMER will start its follow-up process to finalize any business opportunities that are generated.

Also, the so-called "Inverse Missions" will take place in parallel. These initiatives consist of visits from buyers from advanced industry and education services to Costa Rican companies and universities to find out about their facilities and capabilities and to analyze the potential of doing business and/or forming alliances.

SOURCE PROCOMER