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Both authorities carried out the handover of the event, which next year will take place in Atlanta, United States. The Deputy Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Pier Carlo Padoan, who also took part in the closing ceremony, expressed his optimism that the region will soon overcome the crisis.

The Chilean Minister of Economy, Hugo Lavados, who led the III Americas Competitiveness Forum in Santiago, closed the last day of the meeting that gathered together more than 600 guests from the countries of the region.

During the closing ceremony, with the participation of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, the Deputy Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Pier Carlo Padoan, and the mayor of Atlanta Shirley Franklin, Minister Lavados thanked the support of President Michelle Bachelet and her administration on the deployment of the meeting that took place in Chile.
In his speech, Lavados said that after two days of debating on how to generate better competitiveness instances in the region “everyone, private and public representatives, have pending work to do to meet the challenges posed in this meeting.” 

During the closing ceremony, the Minister announced that the next version of the forum will take place during the Fall of 2010 in the northern hemisphere.  “It is an honor for me to announce that the Secretary of Commerce of the United States Gary Locke will host the fourth version of the Americas Competitiveness Forum.”

Meanwhile, Locke praised President Bachelet in his closing speech.  “She is a defender of the ideals of competitiveness, openness and innovation, and you, Minister Lavados, have done an excellent job.”
The U.S. Secretary of Commerce made a call on the attendees to participate in the next version of the forum in Atlanta and urge the regional authorities present at the forum to organize future competitiveness meetings.