Every year the General Managers and Executive Directors of the bilateral British Chambers across Latin America (BRITLAN) gather to share ideas as how we can improve the services we offer to our members. In August for the first time this meeting was held in Lima, Peru and was attended by the British Chambers of Commerce from Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela with additional input from the British Chambers in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. It was a highly successful conference and various joint and individual projects were developed which will be put into action throughout 2008.

As well as brainstorming sessions the programme included a visit to the most important brewery in Peru, the Backus Sabmiller plant in Ate, during which our guests not only learned about the production process of the beer but also tasted the wide variety of beers that this British-South African company produces. The delegates also visited the historical British club, the Phoenix Club where they were able to try that most important Peruvian invention, the Pisco Sour.

The British Peruvian Chamber of Commerce and the British Embassy also hosted a cocktail party for the delegates which included members of the board and representatives of various important Peruvian institutions to allow them an opportunity to exchange ideas to stimulate further cultural and commercial relationships between Latin America and the UK.