A fashion show, a hackathon, an environmental fair, a “foodie fest,” a binational mixology competition, a foot race, dozens of workshops and a series of keynote speakers are on the program for this year’s Tijuana Innovadora, a biennial event that aims to highlight the city’s potential and promote closer ties to San Diego.
Held for the fourth time since 2010, Tijuana Innovadora will stretch for eight days, November 3-10. For the first time, the main venue is being moved from the city’s Río Zone to the World Trade Center in eastern Tijuana.
Organizers say the central theme of this year’s conference will be the creative industries, including culinary arts, fashion, video gaming, cinema and architectural design.
“What we want to bring out is the theme of the creative industries and their importance to our region,” said Laura Araujo, director of binational affairs for Tijuana Innovadora. “It’s a new area where we can bring our communities together.”
Tijuana Innovadora was first staged in 2010, as the city was struggling to emerge from rising unemployment and drug-related violence. Spearheading the initial effort were businessman José Galicot, maquiladora executive Alejandro Bustamante and the late marketing specialist, Tomas Perrín.
From the beginning, Tijuana Innovadora has been a wide-ranging event featuring many themes and high-profile speakers. Funding for this year is about $600,000, said Galicot, who is Tijuana Innovadora’s president — a fraction of the $5 million in funding raised for the initial event, whose speakers included Mexico’s then-president, Felipe Calderón, and Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim.
This year’s scheduled speakers include José Ángel Gurría, secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; Enrique Graue, chancellor of the National Autonomous University of Mexico; and Alfonso Arau, Mexican actor and director.
