Global Services Companies gather at the Outsource2LAC seminar in Guatemala

More than 400 companies from the global services industry gathered at the main outsourcing and offshoring event in Latin America and the Caribbean - “Outsource2LAC” – to explore opportunities for expanding their businesses around the world.

“Over the years the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have been positioning themselves as providers of world-class outsourcing and offshoring,” said Fabrizio Opertti, head of the Trade and Investment Unit at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). “These gatherings are important tools for the region to maximize its potential and become one of the world’s top destination for global services" he said.

The two-day event was organized by the IDB through its platform ConnectAmericas.com, the first business-oriented social network in the Americas. The seminar was also supported by the Guatemalan FinanceMinistry, the investment promotion agency Invest in Guatemala, the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (AGEXPORT) and the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP).

The global services sector provides major benefits for the economies of Latin America and the Caribbean, through the creation of high value-added jobs, technology transfer, an increase in flows of foreign direct investment and the diversification of export supplies. In the case of animation services and video games, for instance, it is estimated that global demand will double between 2010 and 2016, generating around $250 billion in revenue. Central America already has a place in this niche, as is the case of the Guatemalan company Studio C, a participant in Outsource2LAC that exhibited its success in digital animation and its experience in penetrating international markets.

Outsource2LAC 2014 also offered participants the chance to get to know the latest trends in the global services sector, from cutting edge digital platforms and the outsourcing of medical and legal procedures to the role of human capital as an essential factor in increasing competitiveness.

Through ConnectAmericas.com, the IADB also facilitated business meetings for participants through a system of personalized matchmaking that allowed them to meet with potential buyers, investors and strategic partners.