The next Ibero-American Country Brand Forum will be hosted by Peru.

Uruguay hosted the IX Ibero-American Country Brand Forum, which was attended by national authorities and more than 30 representatives from Ibero-America. The activity brought together global trends in branding and country positioning and allowed members of the Ibero-American Country Brand Council (CIMAP) to share management experiences.

On the last day of activities, CIMAP members unanimously voted Peru as the host of the next forum, while the pre-forum will be held in Guatemala. Both events will be held in the first half of 2023.

Uruguay, which was the creator and organizer in 2013 of the first regional forum of this type and this year returned to host coinciding with its presidency of CIMAP for the period 2021 - 2022, will cede the presidency of the council to Peru, while the secretariat will pass from

Chile to Guatemala.
The opening of the forum took place at the Executive Tower and was attended by the vice-president of Uruguay, Beatriz Argimón, who underscored the country's systematic work in favor of building its brand.

The meeting, which among other authorities was attended by the Secretary of the Presidency, Álvaro Delgado, and the Minister of Tourism, Tabaré Viera, was the setting for the presentation of the Uruguay.uy portal and the new process of licensing the Uruguay Country Brand for companies of national products and services.

The second day of activities moved from Montevideo to Punta del Este, one of the country's flagship tourist centers. It was a closed session with technicians and specialists from the country and regional brands in Ibero-America, who took advantage of the opportunity to share and discuss their management strategies and best practices.

There, the investment, export and country image promotion institute, Uruguay XXI, together with LSQA, presented the new Country Brand licensing based on the pillars of leadership and management, sustainability, origin and export.

Chile and Uruguay presented their sectoral brands
Uruguay shared its experience and its strategy of sectoral brands under the umbrella of the country brand, while the trans-Andean country commented on how the Fundación Imagen de Chile supports its productive sectors in order to strengthen their international positioning, work that is carried out through the design and implementation of sectoral brands that are representative of national productive sectors that contribute to Chile's image abroad.

Success stories

During the meeting, Costa Rica presented how they managed to incorporate the brand identity in the passport, a work made possible thanks to the joint intervention of several government actors. Colombia showed how they implemented the sale of merchandising with the brand identity and with local design and labor.

Finally, El Salvador presented the Surf City destination brand and how they managed to position the country through their destination brand, while Paraguay and Argentina showed the evolution of their brands over time.

The session culminated with a tour of some of Punta del Este's most colorful settings, allowing visitors to get to know part of the country's cultural proposal, such as the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Atchugarry (MACA), an iconic space for Uruguayan culture, as well as an immense attraction for tourism, both for its architectural value and for the important art exhibitions it displays.
This colossal artistic space, which combines the talent of the award-winning Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott with that of the prestigious Uruguayan sculptor Pablo Atchugarry, has positioned Punta de Este as a cultural tourist destination. Located on the ample grounds of the Pablo Atchugarry Foundation in Manantiales (Punta del Este), the MACA stands with two adjoining buildings of elegant pink eucalyptus wood design and more than 5,000 square meters of exhibition space. It offers four exhibition halls, a multifunctional room, cafeteria and store.

The Oceánica Winery was another of the highlights of the tour. Its vineyards are located seven kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean, where all winemaking processes are handmade and environmentally friendly.

The Uruguayan wine industry has managed to capture the attention of the most demanding palates, with tannat as its flagship variety. Uruguay is among the top four wine producers on the continent, boasts numerous international awards and is the first country with its entire viticulture mapped out.