October brought a lot of talk regarding relationships between Arizona and Mexico this year. The Arizona-Mexico Commission, together with Greenberg Traurig LLP hosted a forum event entitled “Doing Business In Mexico” on the morning of October 6, with the purposes of discussing trade, economics, and business investments between the neighboring state and country.

A crowd began to gather around 7:30 am in order to be seated for the first topic, an overview of the financial and business culture between Arizona and Mexico. The next speaker gave a summary of legal reforms concerning the two areas, followed by a speech on export and compliance issues from the Arizona Commerce Authority. Alliance Bank of Arizona also lent a speaker to the forum on the topic of cross border lending and financing for exports. ProMexico also attended the forum with a public overview of the economy in Mexico and it’s main industries, as well as challenges and opportunities for foreign investors in Mexico.

The Forum ended with an open panel discussion and questions and answer period regarding the three main industries linking Arizona with Mexico – Real Estate / Hospitality, Technology, and Infrastructure. This forum was attended only by those who reserved seats in advance, and was moderated by Ray Schey of Phoenix Business Journal.

Greenberg Traurig L.L.P., co-host of the event, already has over 30 offices worldwide, with interests not only in Mexico and Latin America, but also in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The Arizona-Mexico Commission is a non profit organization focused on strengthening economic prosperity and improving quality of life in Arizona through positive collaborations. Annually, it hosts the AMC Summit, a gathering of senior government officials and decision makers with the purpose of cooperation on all levels of infrastructure. The Arizona-Mexico Commission was founded in 1959 and is supported by multiple sponsors. Learn more about the Arizona-Mexico Commission online at www.azmc.org.