Over 3,000 Business Meetings Mark the Start of BTM 2024

• More than 40% of the national companies participating are from regions outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM), and 68% are SMEs.
• Costa Rica Trade & Investment Summit 2025, the country's new business event, was launched during BTM.

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, Sept. 11, 2024 /CNW/ -- This morning, the 26th edition of the Buyers Trade Mission (BTM), the most important business matchmaking event in Central America, organized by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (PROCOMER), kicked off. Over 500 national exporters and 300 international buyers are expected to complete more than 3,000 business meetings on September 11 and 12 at the Costa Rica Convention Center.

BTM 2024, organized by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (PROCOMER), aims to generate business and forge strategic alliances by facilitating connections between local companies from sectors such as agriculture, food, industry, and services with buyers from over 40 countries, including the United States, Germany, Turkey, Greece, China, Chile, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada, among others.

Manuel Tovar, Chairman of PROCOMER's Board and Minister of Foreign Trade, stated, "Costa Rica is a country open to trade, driving opportunities through trade agreements that currently give us access to two-thirds of the world's GDP. These instruments, along with events like BTM, create more business, jobs, and development for the country."

Laura López, CEO of PROCOMER, added, "BTM 2024 is a clear example of how sustainability shapes business and strengthens our exports. PROCOMER's goal with these events is to connect our exporters with international buyers, generate business, and expand the positive impact of our exports across the country, fostering well-being that also boosts the growth of SMEs and communities outside the Greater Metropolitan Area."

Of the national companies participating in the event, more than 40% come from regions outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM), and 68% are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), highlighting the country's focus on SME growth as an economic driver.

Additionally, as part of BTM, specialized talks and field tours, known as "reverse missions," will be held in sectors such as agriculture, advanced manufacturing, and creative industries, where international buyers will have the opportunity to see firsthand the country's capabilities and export offerings.

"We are reinventing ourselves": Costa Rica Trade & Investment Summit 2025

During her presentation at BTM 2024, Laura López launched the new platform that will replace the Buyers Trade Mission and revolutionize the way business is conducted: Costa Rica Trade & Investment Summit 2025, which integrates the promotion of exports and foreign direct investment (FDI) into a single event.

"PROCOMER is reinventing, innovating, and adapting to global needs and the needs of our export and investment sectors. For this reason, and always aiming to position Costa Rica as a prime business partner, we decided to merge the promotion of exports and FDI into one event, turning the country into a global business hub," López added.

According to the CEO of PROCOMER, Costa Rica Trade & Investment Summit 2025 will take place in September 2025 and will bring together over 400 investors and buyers from 45 countries, 1,000 exporters, multinationals, and suppliers, in more than 3,200 business meetings.

SOURCE PROCOMER

Ofelia Fernández [email protected] or Fabiola Solano, [email protected]