Research and analysis

Mexico: A GREAT week to grow in Mexico

Published 14 November 2014

This research and analysis was withdrawn on

This publication was archived on 4 July 2016

This article is no longer current. Please refer to Overseas Business Risk – Mexico

This publication was archived on 4 July 2016

This article is no longer current. Please refer to Overseas Business Risk – Mexico

Summary

Sir John Sorrell leads largest ever UK delegation to Mexico for GREAT Week, focusing on Airports, Music, Design and Art. 11 day programme showcases enormous business opportunities in Mexico, and introduces a range of innovative UK companies to the market. Global audience from GREAT Week events totals over 7.5 million people, with outstanding feedback received from delegates, and Business Wins already being reported. Highlights film available online.

Detail

Sir John Sorrell, Business Ambassador for the Creative Industries, led the UK delegation for the second Mexico GREAT Week from 9 to 19 October. Expanding on last year’s event, the GREAT Week featured 70 UK companies and more than 40 events, focused on Airports, Music, Design and Art. A highlights film from the week is available online:

Sir John and Lady Frances Sorrell

Sir John and Lady Frances Sorrell gave speeches at nine events during the GREAT Week, including the launch of Design Week Mexico, the GREAT Week reception at the Residence, and Anáhuac University’s Annual Congress of Design. The pair championed the UK’s Creative Industries passionately at every opportunity, and commented on how struck they were by the potential in the Mexican Creative Industries sector, and the opportunities that exist to grow UK involvement – especially as part of the ‘Year of the UK in Mexico’ 2015.

Airports

Led by the British Aviation Group, airports delegates had the chance to promote the UK’s leading capabilities in airport design, construction, operation, security and associated industries. The group held meetings with Mexican decision makers including Aeroméxico, the country’s largest airline; ASUR, a leading airports operator; and the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Mexico’s airports sector has been under the spotlight recently following the announcement that a British/Mexican collaboration (Foster + Partners and FR-EE) will design Mexico City’s £7.7 billion new international airport. The large number of airport attendees on GREAT Week – most of whom were recruited following the announcement of the project – demonstrated the high level of interest that exists in the Mexican airports sector at present, and in the new Mexico City airport in particular.

Music

The UK delegation of record-label owners, distributors, agents, publishers, managers and digital-music providers benefitted from the insight that GREAT Week offered into the many aspects of the flourishing Mexican music industry. Delegates got an overview of the sector from the Head of Google Play Latin America, toured concert venues throughout Mexico City, and networked at the Corona Capital music festival where the UK had a stand (the only country ever awarded this privilege). On show was a GREAT-branded Routemaster bus, and from a GREAT-branded stand the BBC played excerpts from Doctor Who, London Underground displayed iconic merchandise and UK company ShakeAway sold milkshakes.

Corona Capital was a fantastic reminder of just how popular British music and culture are here in Mexico. In total 58 artists played over the weekend, with 29% from the UK including Massive Attack, Damon Albarn, Metronomy and Sam Smith – all of whom attracted huge crowds.

Design

The delegation of British designers took part in the sixth edition of Design Week Mexico - an initiative inspired by the London Design Festival which Sir John Sorrell founded in 2003. This year the programme had a strong British flavour, given the UK’s position as country of honour. A university roundtable gave students the chance to hear the delegates’ perspective on design, as well as a talk from Sir John and Lady Frances on the future direction of the sector.

One of the highlights of the Week was the spectacular Design House - a previously abandoned building which 15 international designers and architects, including Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Tom Dixon from the UK, regenerated as part of a public exhibition showcasing the best of international art and design. UK design and GREAT branding were also on display in one of 19 shipping containers which formed part of a popular public exhibition in one of the capital’s city parks.

As part of the Week the Ambassador took part in a ‘Google Hangout’ Fashion show with Mexican-born UK fashion designer Fhernando Colunga - founder of COLUNGA London. The online event was broadcast to more than 3 million people worldwide – during which the AmbassadorI was able to announce that an image featuring COLUNGA’s work had been approved as the latest in the Government’s global GREAT campaign.

Art

The delegation of British artists, galleries and universities undertook a packed programme of events looking at Mexico’s vibrant Creative Industries sector – accompanied throughout by Sir John and Lady Frances. The programme included the Mexico Affordable Art Fair, where the UK stand showcased the work of 20 artists who made sales in excess of £34,000.

Art (and design) delegates also travelled to Guadalajara to learn about the burgeoning creative industries opportunities in Mexico’s second city. The university representatives on the mission - led by the British Council - attended recruitment fairs whilst in Guadalajara, drumming up plenty of interest for creative industry course providers in the UK.

Media coverage

Media coverage was extensive and very positive, including interviews with Bloomberg TV, the internet broadcast with Google, a column in one of the major national newspapers, and an hour-long interview on national radio. Initial results are very positive totalling an advertising value equivalent of approximately £55,000 and overall our activities during the Week helped reach an estimated 7.5 million people.

Social-media engagement was especially high, with the Embassy Twitter accounts, @ukinmexico and @uktimexico, along with the #LoveUKMX hashtag, helping to reach 18.7 million online users. Damon Albarn and Kasabian also posted tweets using #MusicisGREAT and #GREATWeeks. An online competition run by the Embassy to win a guitar signed by Sting provided additional publicity for GREAT Week.

Comment

Our plans for this year’s event were ambitious and paid off, with a bigger delegation, more events and greater media coverage than ever before. Feedback from delegates has been excellent, with delegates having reported on their feedback forms that they expect to win £6.94m of new business as a result of attending the GREAT Week – the highest of any GREAT Week so far. We have already recorded a Business Win from the Week; and one of the design attendees has received a request to train staff at a Mexican textile company. Sir John and Lady Frances Sorrell’s involvement gave the Week a substantial boost. The Week was a further reminder of the exceptionally high regard in which the UK is held in Mexico, especially around Creative Industries. The challenge now, and into the Joint Year of 2015, will be to support UK companies to convert that goodwill and opportunity into firm Business Wins.

Disclaimer

The purpose of the FCO Country Update(s) for Business (”the Report”) prepared by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is to provide information and related comment to help recipients form their own judgments about making business decisions as to whether to invest or operate in a particular country. The Report’s contents were believed (at the time that the Report was prepared) to be reliable, but no representations or warranties, express or implied, are made or given by UKTI or its parent Departments (the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)) as to the accuracy of the Report, its completeness or its suitability for any purpose. In particular, none of the Report’s contents should be construed as advice or solicitation to purchase or sell securities, commodities or any other form of financial instrument. No liability is accepted by UKTI, the FCO or BIS for any loss or damage (whether consequential or otherwise) which may arise out of or in connection with the Report.