The 16th Annual NAFTA Institute “Supplier Meet the Buyer” Trade Conference attracted record crowds to Sunland Park, New Mexico on June 11-12. The event, held at the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino, began with business-to-business roundtables between over 250 suppliers and buyers from 43 maquiladoras such as Foxconn, Delphi, Bombardier, Toro, Sumitomo, ADC Telecommunications and Electrolux. An additional 300 small businesses attended the event to promote their products in the small business B2B sessions and to learn about cross-border trade.

On the following day, attendees heard from experts on a variety of issues ranging from border security to rail shipping to financing issues. There were also presentations regarding Foxconn’s San Jeronimo project, Union Pacific’s Santa Teresa rail relocation project, and the Punta Colonet port project.

The annual event is organized by the International Business Accelerator (IBA). Additional event hosts for 2009 included the New Mexico Economic Development Department Office of Mexican Affairs, The North American Institute (NAMI), the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance, Gobierno Municipal De Juarez, Western New Mexico University and the New Mexico Small Business Development Center (NMSBDC).

See related articles from the Las Cruces Sun-News, El Paso Times, New Mexico Business Journal .