The City of McAllen is set to host its first international Sister Cities Trade Mission at this year’s MXLAN. This unique landmark event is scheduled for Friday May 3, 2024 at the McAllen Convention Center. Delegations from McAllen’s Mexican Sister Cities of Apodaca, Monterrey, Victoria, and Puerto Vallarta, led by government officials and business owners, will embark on a journey of discovery for trade and business prospects. They will explore McAllen's entrepreneurial opportunities, forge valuable business connections, and delve into investment landscape.

McAllen's Sister City agreements promote and support trade missions to leverage new trade leads, open partnering opportunities, and expand binational commerce, favoring a cooperative binational economy and regional development. This first-of-its-kind Trade Mission between McAllen Sister Cities is intended for them to continue to grow in partnership with McAllen and between other partnering cities.

“In McAllen, we are driven by the success of our international partnerships, and our relationships with our Sister Cities in Mexico have always been exceptional. We are thrilled to host them and facilitate the information and tools from experts to consider McAllen as their premium location for business crossovers,” said McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos.

The Trade Mission encompasses a one-day seminar featuring 15 distinguished speakers specializing in commerce, trade, logistics, import, export, and international entrepreneurship. The event includes business meetings with local partners, an international pitch contest, and networking events planned to enhance participants’ business skills in the U.S. market, expand their network, and potentially open doors to new business opportunities.

The U.S. Consul General in Matamoros, Brianna Powers, and the Consul General of Mexico in McAllen, Froylan Yescas, will be keynote speakers for the opening ceremony.

Other participants of this inaugural event are the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, McAllen Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Food & Drug Administration and Border Trade Alliance. Also, U.S. and Mexico customer brokers, public accountants, and law firms will be in attendance.  Participating Mexican agencies include the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo Leon; COMCE Noreste, COMCE Zacatecas (Mexican Business Council of Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology Northeast, Zacatecas); Secretaría de Turismo del Estado de Zacatecas (State of Zacatecas Secretary of Tourism); Hecho en Tamaulipas (Made in Tamaulipas); and Clúster Agroalimentario de Nuevo Leon (Nuevo Leon Agro-Food Cluster).

“McAllen values the importance of international relations. We have committed to our Sister Cities to work together to cross-promote our regions; contribute to the development of strategies aimed at economic development, cultural and educational programs; and support technical training, among other relevant social aspects," said McAllen City Manager, Roel "Roy" Rodriguez, P.E.

The MXLAN International Sister Cities Trade Mission is proudly sponsored by the City of McAllen; Live the McAllen Experience, McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge and McAllen Economic Development Corporation.  The event is being held concurrently with the MXLAN International Economic Summit. The International Sister Cities Trade Mission is a closed event to the public, but open to the media for coverage. For more information, visit, https://conta.cc/3U0RC4j.

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