Uruguay Week in the UK was a success

In September, Uruguay Week was held in the United Kingdom, with activities organized by the investment, export and country brand promotion agency, Uruguay XXI, the Embassy of Uruguay in the United Kingdom, the British Embassy in Montevideo and the Department of International Trade of the United Kingdom.

The activities gave continuity to the promotional events and business meetings that Uruguay has carried out in recent years in this market. The new country promotion actions included business meetings in London and Manchester, as well as two seminars in which the opportunities offered by the Latin American country in sectors such as Life Sciences, Medicinal Cannabis and Creative Industries were discussed.

In addition, the Week of Uruguay in the United Kingdom positioned the country as a gateway for business in Latin America, logistics and technology center, investment destination and reliable supplier of goods and services.

The activities culminated on Friday 20th September with the business meeting "Why Uruguay? The best partner for business in Latin America". This activity explained why the country is a strategic ally as a business center and a great destination for investments and corporate services.

The activities gave continuity to the promotional events and business meetings that Uruguay has carried out in recent years in this market. The new country promotion actions included business meetings in London and Manchester, as well as two seminars in which the opportunities offered by the Latin American country in sectors such as Life Sciences, Medicinal Cannabis and Creative Industries were discussed.

In addition, the Week of Uruguay in the United Kingdom positioned the country as a gateway for business in Latin America, logistics and technology center, investment destination and reliable supplier of goods and services.

The activities culminated on Friday 20th September with the business meeting "Why Uruguay? The best partner for business in Latin America". This activity explained why the country is a strategic ally as a business center and a great destination for investments and corporate services.

The speakers on this occasion were the Ambassador of Uruguay in the United Kingdom, Fernando López Fabregat, the Head of Innovation of Humphreys & Partners Architects, Walter Hughes, the CEO of Manos del Uruguay, Rodolfo Gioscia and Simon Gilbert, Head of Trade Policy for Mercosur of the Department of International Trade of the United Kingdom.

López Fabregat highlighted the strength of the relationship between the two countries and said that the United Kingdom shares the same principles with Uruguay in the international arena.

The CEO of Manos del Uruguay gave an account of the experiences of his organization, channeling the enormous amount of creative talent that nourishes Uruguay. "We produce very high quality handcrafted pieces, which allows us to sell to very high level companies in the United States and Europe. We have been exporting for more than 35 years and we are very interested in entering the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the director of Innovation of Humphreys & Partners Architects, detailed how the office of his multinational in Uruguay has "eclipsed others in the rest of the world" thanks to the talent of people, high education and good English, along with the overlapping time zones with the United States. "For us it has been a phenomenal experience. We continue to grow because people see the value of Uruguay, which is now basically providing services to everyone," he said.

The guests were invited with a cocktail of Uruguayan wines, recognized in the world for their character, good taste and quality, guided by the renowned Uruguayan sommelier Pablo Dotta.

On September 19 there was also an event focusing on Life Sciences and Medicinal Cannabis, which highlighted why Uruguay has become the preferred destination for companies such as AstraZeneca or European competitors such as Merck and Sanofi.

Julian Wann, the leader of AstraZeneca's Global Freight and Logistics Category, said that the stability and simplicity of working in Uruguay, compared to other countries, makes a big difference. "It has allowed us success and growth," he admitted.

Uruguay XXI Life Sciences specialist Alejandro Ortiz revealed that "to date, 26 companies have been authorized to grow non-psychoactive cannabis and there are several more projects under evaluation. Of these, 21 are dedicated to cultivation, 5 to manufacturing and 16 to scientific research projects.

Finally, Silvina Lindner, head of the Uruguayan Department of International Trade, was introduced. "There are fantastic opportunities for UK companies to enter the South American market of more than 300 million people through Uruguay," she said.

In the context of Uruguay Week in the UK, a group of designers returned to the London Design Fair for the fourth consecutive year. This time they did so with a show of their design talent with the exhibition "Poetic forms: the work of the Uruguayan poet Juana de Ibarbourou". Curated by UK-based Uruguayan designer Matteo Fogale, nine Uruguayan design and creative studios represented Ibarbourou's work in furniture, accessories and textiles, celebrating one of the country's most recognized creatives on the centenary of her first book "Las lenguas de diamante.