What can you tell us about the Colombian market?
Colombia has such an attractive business environment. In 2013, the growth of its economy has reached 4.3% of its GDP. If we consider that in its state policy is focusing on innovation for the transformation of products and services generating value-added and skilled employment, I believe that we have a great opportunity there. In addition, Colombian government has included innovation in their National Development Plan. Colombia is a country which is embedded in the global economy and market and has about 8 FTAs which allows access to 1.5 billion consumers. These free trade agreements set Colombia as an exporting platform and that's where I think TISA should focus efforts in coming years. If we analyze the market variables, TISA’s opportunity can be found both at the local market as well as at external requirements which can be satisfied through partnerships with Colombian companies.
Is it a stable market for business? Are there any potential for trade between the two countries?
I’m not the only one who says this. According to Doing Business 2013 from the World Bank, Colombia is the third most business friendly and the most reformer country in Latin America. Its economy demonstrates it. Its inflation round about 1.8% per year and this is an essential aspect if we are thinking about long-term projects and developments. I believe in the idea of opening offices and / or Argentinian delegations abroad driven by CESSI within its Development Plan Foreign Markets (which has the idea to internationalize Argentinian companies). If we can be consistent and constant, I have no doubt that supplementation is going to happen as a natural action. From its launch in Colombia in May 2013 to date, the Argentinian IT Network has positioned Argentinian companies in the Colombian market and has generated several associations.
In our case, TISA has reached a commercial agreement with INTER-TELCO, a company located at Medellin. We have found in INTER-TELCO a very interesting company specialized in Video Analysis Solutions in real time and they have found in TISA the possibility to enhance its offering.
You have been present at the Mission to Colombia where the Argentinian IT Network was launched. Do you feel that the introduced ideas were well accepted?
The launch of the International Argentinian IT Network of Colombia took place in May 2013. This entrepreneurship was not only supported by the CESSI, but it was also essential the work carried out by the Argentinian Chancery and the Argentinian Embassy in Colombia.
The IT Network was introduced at a big event and was widely spread both at press and local media with the presence of FedeSoft (the Chamber that grouped the Software companies in Colombia).
The launch, based on the analysis of all Argentinian companies which belongs to the Argentinian IT Network of Colombia composed by eleven companies of the highest level, was very successful.
Since TISA has lots of expertise in solutions for the Oil & Gas Industry, we have focused our discussion on the knowledge of these solutions.
Our success case was implemented for the Harris County Police in the city of Houston, Texas. I'm talking about BeenMissing, whose solution is to help in the search for missing people and which had a lot of impact on everyone present.
TISA was invited to meet Zone Franca Santander in Bucaramanga in November and there I have found an excellent infrastructure of communications and I have also perceived a great opportunity in that location.
When the IT Network decided to have presence again in May 2014, the companies that make up the Argentinian IT Network of Colombia agreed that our visit should give the opportunity to show the Value Offer of the Network. At that time, being a company in constant motion, TISA decided to take solutions for Digital Marketing. It was so our presentation was based on augmented reality developments, in conjunction with solutions for Kinect.
Both solutions for Augmented Reality as Kimbox Live, where music is created with body motion, had a lot of acceptance and active participation in networking and the lunch offered by the IT Network.
Was TISA benefited with the new alliances (from the Argentinian IT Network) in Colombia?
Today is too early to make an analysis on the benefit of the alliances having the IT Network as a backup.
I believe that the association is the key.
To the extent that the IT Network has institutional presence either in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali or Bucaramanga with concrete and continuity actions, I have no doubt it will be beneficial for all the companies belonging to the network.
Today we are invited to participate in many events and this is possible due to all the actions that we have been programming.
The real benefit came with the understanding that the Argentinian and Colombian companies are not competitors, but we complement each other reaching a value offering for the much more attractive market because we are the sum of specific knowledge and experiences implemented in companies.
How it came to contact the most important shopping center of Colombia to introduce EmotionAR?
Andino Mall, is one of the shopping referent of the Colombian market.
Today Digital Marketing solutions are compatible and are perfectly aligned to any company whether products or services are sold.
Nowadays, the way to communicate and how to do it has changed a lot due to the consumer has a lot of online information to analyze before making a decision. We could say that we are dealing with smart consumers.
Communicating products and services requires creativity and technology aligned to the new times.
Our solutions aim to cover that entire spectrum.
It is really a gamble that TISA carries out and we firmly believe in the quality and innovation of our solutions.
With the Andino Mall we have had some contact of interest from them and during our next visit we will be talking not only Emotionar, but a solution that TISA has developed exclusively for Shopping and / or Malls having a Smartphone as a device.
What are the next steps that TISA plans to perform in Colombia?
In principle, the actions regarding the presence of TISA in Colombia, either in Bogota, Medellin or Cali, will be aligned with the actions to be carried out by the Argentinian IT Network in Colombia.
We planned to make a presence in Bogotá for late October 2014.
The idea is to generate a seminar about a specific topic and convene to Colombian companies interested in the subject.
In parallel to strengthen the event, the idea is to bring a specialist Speaker on the subject who can cause convocation besides the interest.
TISA will continue promoting Emotionar since we have sown expectations that this kind of solution is innovative.
Nowadays TISA Software, our subsidiary in USA, has several successfully implemented cases and that is our covering letter and we hope that interest perceived by Colombian companies in this kind of solutions be reflected with some immediate implementation.
Daniel Palmieri - President for TISA Argentia
