Found at: http://www.competitiveness.org/article/articleprint/927/-1/8/

Chihuahua 3CLAC, one step forward in the agenda of competitiveness in Latin America

Article by Alonso Ramos Vaca, TCI Director
The 3rd Latin American Cluster Conference, 3CLAC, took place in Chihuahua, Mexico, the last week of May 2008. It was an event that fully met its objectives of advancing the cluster agenda in Latin America by promoting closer ties among cluster practitioners in the region as well as by facilitating an open exchange of experiences, results and methodologies. There were over 150 participants from 17 countries and over 55 presentations.

The program included visits to three clusters (Aerospace, Dairy Products and Auto parts Design) and two full days of plenary and breakout sessions covering a wide range of topics. Aside from the cluster concept, a dominant theme in most sessions was the importance of Innovation as a means for improving regional and country competitiveness. Additional details of the program and all the materials presented will be openly available for at least a year at the Conference web site: www.clusterslatinoamerica2008.com

There were two innovative features that complemented the traditional framework of a Regional Cluster Conference. One of them was the participation as honorary guests of three leading regions in Spain: the Basque Country, Catalunya and Galicia. These regions not only share culture and history with Latin America but also serve as examples and reference models for cluster economic development policies and strategies.

Another relevant feature was the organization of complementary programs for some speakers and delegations, most notably a 11-strong delegation from the Interamerican Development Bank, with the objective of maximizing the impact of their participation.

In summary, 3CLAC represents an important step in furthering the cluster concept in Latinamerica. It has greatly stimulated the interest and has renewed the regional dialogue on the concept. A revealing indicator is the expressed interest of 4 regions to host the 4CLAC next year. Hope to see you there!

Alonso Ramos Vaca
Member of TCI Board of Directors