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The 8CLAC was held in Medellin, Colombia, on 16-19 June 2015 under the theme "Cluster ecosystems, building regional competitiveness in Latin America".
 

Medellin has been involved in the development of the academic debate on cluster over the past 10 years, and it was selected as host city for the 5CLAC in 2010. The city is considered a national pioneer in promoting public-private projects under a cluster approach, that contributes to modernization, competitiveness and economic sustainability. 

The 8CLAC -organized by TCI Network, the Medellin's City Hall, the Medellin Chamber of Commerce and the Medellin Convention and Visitors Bureau- addressed the question of how to build regional competitiveness on a solid foundation to achieve a unique and sustainable strategic positioning at business, cluster and regional level, in a global markets context. Consolidating open cluster ecosystems, along with smart specialization strategies, is today one of the main challenges on regional development faced by Latin American regions, that were widely debated at the conference. As a Regional Conference of TCI, the 8th TCI Latin American Conference, supported the reinforcement of TCI in Latin America by promoting closer ties among cluster practitioners in the region as well as by facilitating an open exchange of experiences, results and methodologies. 

Main features of the 8th TCI Latin American Cluster Conference (8CLAC 2015) were:

1. Discussion themes representing a challenge ahead for Latin American countries:

• How to build economic systems and creates networks to develop institutions and promotes entrepreneurial dynamics under a cluster perspective?
• How to build trust and culture during the structuring process of a public-private collaborative model

2. New program features:

• Access to a greater number of Cluster tours designed with an inter-cluster collaboration concept.
• Networking booth to support the interaction with your colleagues, to identify potential business partners, share knowledge and make valuable synergies for interesting cluster projects.
• Plenary and parallel sessions with fewer speakers allowing to go into depth on each issue.
• Specific exhibition of companies that are actively working on improving regional competitiveness.

3. Strategic forum to build relationships and develop a network at international level with TCI experts and cluster practitioners.

4. Meeting point for specialized consulting firms with valuable experience in the practice of cluster development, regional competitiveness and innovation support in Latin America.

5. Opportunities to explore Medellin´s model of regional development under a cluster approach and to discover the progress of the city on issues of social and cultural development.