GGI LA Regional Conference in Mexico CityGGI NA Regional Conference, Beverly Hills
“The meeting in Mexico City was amazing – not only the familial atmosphere, hugs and laughter, but also the intense collaboration. We all left the conference filled with wonderful memories, invigorated relations, enriching experiences and many projects to jointly work on. We feel that we are really strong together.”
This year’s GGI Latin American Regional Conference was a great success, with participants from 16 countries in the region, who met in Mexico’s bustling capital to network, exchange knowledge, experiences, ideas and views.
On Thursday afternoon, the GGI International Taxation Practice Group (ITPG) meeting kept all participants updated on different tax topics presented by Camilo Torres Romero (Tower Consulting Worldwide S.A.S., Colombia), Juan Farias (Mowery & Schoenfeld LLC, USA), and Jose Carreras (INTEGROUP, Tax, Legal & Audit, Mexico).
During our Welcome Cocktail Reception, the joy of being reunited once again was palpable.
A full conference day on Friday kept participants busy, starting with a presentation by our keynote speaker, Alejandro Ruiz Robles, who spoke on the future of investing in the Latin American region. We continued the day with presentations of member strategies for the next five years in the region. The topic arose from our last meeting in Panama in 2022, and nine firms presented their proposals. The day concluded with a great dinner at the Rosa Negra Restaurant in the exclusive neighbourhood of Polanco.
On Saturday, six more firms presented their proposals and by midday we closed the conference with a summary of conclusions and a huge debate, as is usual in the region.
We have drafted a paper with eleven To-Do's to ensure the conference was sustainable and not just a one-weekend gathering. We have already created working groups and will work on our jointly defined projects. It was energising to see the creative and strategic spirit amongst all our engaged and motivated members. We all look forward to continuing to create new business opportunities and working closely together.
Main To-Do's:
Set up training webinars of general topics to the members of the region.
Develop a platform to keep members updated about new referral possibilities.
Define common marketing strategies within the region.
Follow up on the importance of carrying out collaborative quality control of the firms, including discussion on implementing qualification of ISO 9001- 2015 to all members.
The conference ended on Saturday night with a magnificent dinner in the best Mexican style with music and typical dances in the relaxed and fun environment of the El Lugar del Mariachi Restaurant, a great wrap-up to a magnificent three-day event.
Located in Mexico City’s most exclusive neighbourhood, our centrally-located conference hotel, Hyatt Regency Mexico City, was a stone’s throw away from Mexico's largest museum, the National Museum of Anthropology, Chapultepec Park, and other iconic landmarks. For us it was the perfect place to meet professionally, and also allowed us to explore the city’s authentic art, shops, restaurants and famous sights. We all left Mexico City with memorable and enriching experiences, and look forward to working jointly and meeting again at the next GGI Conference.
Just over 130 participants, mainly from North America, but also from Austria, Costa Rica, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Northern Ireland, Romania, Switzerland, and the UK, gathered at the iconic Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel, in Beverly Hills for an unforgettable weekend full of business opportunities, intense exchanges, laughter, and of course, fun.
Kicking off with the networking lunch of the Women of GGI Special Interest Group on Thursday, one could tell that this was going to be a very special and memorable event.
Not only did the GGI International Taxation Practice Group (ITPG) meet that afternoon, we also had a session of the Global Political Economy & International Relations – Understanding the International Economic Order Special Interest Group run by Claudio G. Cocca, Chairman and Founder of GGI. The North American Benchmarking Sessions for both law firms and CPA firms were also run during this afternoon.
A mere five minutes' walk away from the hotel, host firm Ervin Cohen & Jessup held a stunning red carpet Oscars-themed Pre-Cocktail Reception, and this is where we also ended up holding the “Understanding GGI” session for new members and candidate firms.
It was really a pleasure to have Ervin Cohen & Jessup and Prager Metis International host this event. Randy Leff and David Neste were involved in every step of the planning process, from suggesting venues (such as the a.o.c. Wine Bar and the Jonathan Beach Club) for our social events as well as menus to highlight the local cuisine – showcasing the best that California has to offer.
Keynote speaker Daniel Stover brought absolute clarity to stages of leadership consciousness, and how firm leaders could steel themselves while developing the next generation of leadership. Together with Jules Elving, Dan also ran a workshop on Saturday which looked at giving and receiving feedback in professional service firms. With so many takeaways, GGI members left the workshop with many tools in their back pockets to bring back to their workplaces.
Prof William Deverell’s talk explored a different sense of California, in the history of the US and the world, by investigating the velocity of change that California represents and that it has fostered from the mid-19th century forward.
During the expert group meetings and workshops, as well as the GCG M&A Dealmakers Meeting, that ran during Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, GGI members focused on sharing best practices, while developing connections and opportunities with one another.
When the sun finally set at the Closing Dinner at the Jonathan Beach Club on the Santa Monica Beach, we were sad to have to say adieu until the next event but certainly we all took home with us some wonderful memories of our brief time in Beverly Hills.
