Medellín: One of the World`s Most Innovative Cities

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
th
Silleteros march in the Desfile de Silleteros during the 58 Medellín Flower
Festival. Photo Credit: Alcaldía de Medellín
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
Did You Know…?
•
Colombia is the secondlargest 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.
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.
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.
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-thebox 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
Implemented by the City Council, Medellín’s
science and technology research, the project will also expand
Metrocable is an innovative way to address
the challenge of connecting suburban areas.
its reach by seeking opportunities to work on regional priorities
in public health.
In C a se Y o u M issed It…
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