Medellín, the capital of Antioquia, Colombia, is a major industrial hub known for its competitive infrastructure and high quality of life, housing over 20% of the country's largest companies. The region excels in various sectors including agribusiness, manufacturing, energy, and healthcare, contributing significantly to national exports and employment. Notably recognized as the most innovative city worldwide in 2013, Medellín continues to develop initiatives in technology and tourism, positioning itself as a center for international events.

1. MEDELLÍN
Antioquia is a department of Colombia, whose capital is Medellin. It is the second
most industrialized region of the country and main exporter of non-traditional
products, providing a high potential for investment in agro-industrial and
manufacturing sectors. Its way to the Caribbean Sea gives it not only national but
international competitiveness.
Its capital, Medellin, is the second most important city in Colombia. Its
architecture, urban planning and the continuity of its policies of social and
economic development, has made it a city with a competitive infrastructure and
the highest levels of quality of life in the country.
Medellin is a dynamic center of commerce, industry and technology. 20% of the
country's largest companies are located in the city; some of them are international
multilatina companies with a great international projection.
In 2013 Medellin was recognized by the Wall Street Journal, Citi Group, and the
Urban Land Institute as the most innovative city in the world and by 2021 is
projected as the innovation capital of Latin America through its Medellinnovation
district.
The city has a modern urban public transport system comprising metro, metrocable
Metroplús and tram (under construction); and it has 2 airports: José María Córdova
International, located in the municipality of Rio Negro, which is connected with
the major cities of the United States and with strategic hubs in Central and South
America through 10 international air routes; and Olaya Herrera aimed at regional
and domestic flights.

2. Potencial sectors
Agribusiness Sector
 Cocoa
Antioquia has 471,456 suitable hectares for cocoa crops, mainly in the
municipalities of Caucasia, Puerto Berrío and Turbo.
Antioquia is home to the National Company of Chocolates, main buyer of cocoa in
Colombia; is part of the Group Nutresa who is the largest Latin American food
industry group.
 Horticulture
The department has different climatic zones ranging from 1 to more than 4000
meters above sea level, with 35,654 km2 of its territory in warm weather, 15,854
km2 in mild weather and 10,302 km2 in cold weather, allowing the cultivation of
different products (Avocado, Pineapple, Mango and others)
Antioquia has 1.4 million suitable hectares for horticultural development projects:
 "Hass" avocado crops Development for gourmet oil extraction and
processing of pulps.
 Citrus crops processing for the extraction of pulps, juices and
concentrates for both domestic consumption and export.
The department is the largest exporter of processed food in the country, with
exports exceeding U.S. $ 1,000 million in 2014.

3. MANUFACTURING SECTOR
 Textile and Fashion
One of the strategic clusters of the city is the Textile / Making, Design and Fashion.
Medellin has a long tradition in this industry that generates about 30% of total
employment. The sector exported 484 million in 2013, accounting for 48.7 of the total
sector in Colombia.
Medellín has become a city of world-class fairs and fashion events, performing
Colombiatex and Colombiamoda.The first one, closed in 2014 with business
expectations for around USD267 million and the second, the same year, around of
USD308 million.
In Medellin, brands like Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne,
Nautica, Oscar de la Renta, Dockers, Timberland, Hush Pupies, Hanes, among
others are made. Likewise, among those produced under license are Diesel,
Fiorucci, Americanino, Naf, Esprit, Girbaud, Levis and Used Jeans Company.
 Construction
The Construction sector accounts for more than 8% of GDP of Antioquia, with a
base of more than 11,400 companies and over USD12,500 million of assets.
Medellin has the construction cluster, consisting of the most relevant sector
entities such as CAMACOL, Real Estate Association of Medellin and Antioquia,
Colombian Chamber of Infrastructure, among others.
The sector contributed with the 6.8% of employment in the city between October
and December 2014.
According to DANE, the total area of culminated works in the metropolitan area of
Medellín and Rionegro was 3,155,532 in 2014. This shows an increase of 8.5% over
the same period last year.

4. Medellin it´s home to the company Cementos Argos, the country's leading cement
company with operating incomes of USD2,908 million in 2014.
 Automotive
Antioquia exported USD637 million in motor vehicles in 2013, with an increase of
118% compared to 2012.
Since 2013, in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley, the business network
for the manufacture of high technology was formed. This alliance brings together
6 of the country's leading companies in these sectors with domestic sales
accounting for 30% of home appliances, 16% of cars, 73% of motorcycles and 23%
of elevators in the country. They generate 9120 direct jobs and their economic
activities account for 8% of Metropolitan GDP.
The network works in attracting national and international suppliers and
technologies of interest to make the supply chain more competitive
 Energy
In Antioquia, about 30% of the country's electricity is generated and the 55% of
total generation is managed. Here stand companies like EPM (property of the
municipality of Medellin), ISAGEN and ISA.
Medellin and Antioquia have an Energy Cluster consisting of 1.641 enterprises
(1608 are small and medium) which total assets of U.S. $ 26.052 million and exports
of $138 million in 2013.Relating to exports, 78% corresponds to electric power and
22% to computers and devices.
In Antioquia, the country's largest hydroelectric power plant is constructed,
Hidroituango. It will cost $ 5.000 million and will provide 17% of the national power
grid.

5.  Aircraft.
Avianca, Colombia's leading airline, will build an aeronautical center for
maintenance, repair and operation of aircraft near Jose Maria Cordova Airport in
Rionegro. With the project, the company hopes to be a source of technical
knowledge and a benchmark of quality in the processes of aeronautical engineering
in the region.
Aeronautical cluster: in order to provide local solutions for the aviation and
aerospace sector, a group of 16 companies came together to form the Aviation
Cluster. The aim of the cluster is to unite capacities to respond to the needs of
the aviation industry, not only military, but civil. It covers the aeronautical and
metalworking sectors and the information and communications technologies- ICT.
Jose Maria Cordova Airport in Rionegro, which serves the city of Medellín, is the
headquarters of the F-AIR COLOMBIA, main event specialized in the aviation
industry.
SERVICES SECTOR
 Cinema
First film commission in the country that offers a one stop shop for advice on
procedures and production permits. It also has an image bank to assess possible
locations for filming, directory of technical personnel required in production, and
additional incentives to return 15% in logistics and movie expenses generated in
the city.
 Software and IT Services
Medellin is the only city in the country with a Science, Technology and Innovation
public policy with a budget USD$ 240 million to run until 2021, focused on the ICT,
Energy and Health sectors.

6. It is the only city in the country that plans to develop a technology district called
Medellinnovation, and that has a public corporation (Ruta N) running a municipal
innovation policy.
In the vicinity of the district, in the building of Ruta N, companies like Hewlett-
Packard are currently located with one of its global service centers; Holcim with
their transactional services regional center; and the Purdue University (Indiana,
USA) will open its first office in Latin America.
Ruta N, with the support of the ACI -Agency for Cooperation and Investment of
Medellin and the Metropolitan Area- develops the "Landing" strategy. This strategy
provides conditions that facilitate the start of operations and integration into the
local innovation ecosystem to domestic and foreign companies in the health,
energy and ICT sectors wishing to settle in the building of Ruta N. Among the
companies participating in this strategy are Globant, Pipeline Studios, Algar
Technology, Isoco, Blokwise among others.
One of the strategic cluster of the city is the Information and Communication
Technologies -ICT that has 2,779 registered companies. One of the most important
companies is UNE, first broadband provider in the country with access to its 4
major submarine cables (Maya1, Arcos, Sam1 and CFX).
 Health - Medical and Dental Services
Medellin Health City is the city brand created by the Cluster of Medical and Dental
Services that identifies both medical and dental services and procedures in the
city. The cluster consists of a network of clinics and hospitals with more than 2300
beds, 88 operating rooms, and 1,035 medical specialists and subspecialists. In
dentistry services, has over 140 dental specialists.
According to the Cluster of Medical and Dental Services, medical services in Medellín
cost 20, 30 or 50 percent lower than in the United States depending on specialty or type
of intervention.

7. The city has two special free zones of health from companies in the cluster: San
Vicente de Paul University Hospital-Rio Negro- and Soma Clinic-Sabaneta.
In the last three years, to the 7 institutions of the city belonging to “Health Without
Borders” entered USD26 million for 14,600 outpatient care, a figure that seeks to
be increased 10% in 2017.
In the ranking of best clinics and hospitals in Latin America of American Economy
(2014), the city has one located in the top ten (Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe) and
six located in the top 47 medical centers.
In 2011, Medellin received the international award for leadership in health care
and medical tourism, awarded by the Medical Tourism Association (Chicago, USA)
 Biotechnology
The main universities in the city created the Biointropic alliance since 2008, entity
whose proposal is to identify, develop, integrate, implement and accelerate
innovations that add value and provide commercial application to biodiversity and
biotechnology in the region.
According to the World Wild Foundation, Urabá, one of the 9 regions of Antioquia,
is located in one of the mega-diverse areas of the world. Its geographical location
generates a concentration of ecological processes of continental range that
generate unique biodiversity conditions and a geostrategic position in commercial
terms.
 Hospitality and Tourism Infrastructure
The city has 5,662 rooms / 9.169 beds. By 2016, 7 projects of new hotels totaling
775 additional rooms.

8. The reception in the last five years of events such as the General Assembly of the
Organization of the American States (OAS), the Assembly of the Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB), the Latin American Congress of Culture, the Seventh
World Urban Forum of UN-Habitat, the completion of the fourth Global Forum of
the Bicycle in 2015 and the Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
This notes the positioning of the city as a center of international events.
According to the report of the International Congress and Convention Association
(ICCA), Medellin is ranked 73 in the world ranking of 371 cities with high capacity
for events.
Every year various festivals that enrich its cultural tourism are organized in the
city, such as the International Festival Altavoz, the second most important in the
country in the rock genre; Feria de las Flores, (Flower Festival) which in 2013 was
attended by about 6,800 foreign and 10,600 Colombians from other cities; Festival
of Performing Arts, where, in 2013, 143 artistic performances were held;
International Clown & Mime Festival with 16 years of experience; International
Poetry Festival in 2006 was awarded with an alternative Nobel Prize; Festival of
Lights, that every year in the month of December brings all the Christmas events
held in the city; Festival of Books and Culture, ranked as one of the four best in
Latin America, among others.