Aquatech Mexico 2025: UMEK's Key To Unlocking The Mexican Water Market

On August 28, 2025, the three of us flew from Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, to Mexico City. After a 7-hour flight, we arrived at 6 PM. We had the opportunity to visit here to meet clients and participate in Aquatech Mexico.

Mexico City is a blend of ancient Aztec civilization, Spanish colonial history, and modern business vitality. Situated on a plateau at 2,240 meters above sea level, this city is not only the political, economic, and cultural center of Mexico but is also increasingly becoming a significant business hub in Latin America.

Arrival in Mexico City:

The plane landed at Mexico City International Airport. Located in a valley in the south-central highlands of Mexico, the city is densely populated, with over 22 million people including its metropolitan area, making it one of the most populous regions in the Americas. We stayed at a hotel in Polanco, often referred to as Mexico City's "upscale neighborhood." From our room window, we could see the National Museum of Anthropology, the largest museum in Latin America.

Before coming to Mexico, a friend reminded me to drink plenty of water to alleviate potential altitude sickness, joking, "The water resource issues here are serious, but personal drinking water problems can still be solved." This remark unintentionally highlighted the background for one of our key business activities—the water treatment exhibition. Mexico has long faced challenges regarding water sources and quality, and the government places high importance on water treatment technology and water resource management.

About Renting a Car: Renting a car at Mexico City airport is convenient. The airport counters handle inquiries and quotes. Once you decide, you take a shuttle bus to the parking lot office to select a vehicle. Just remember to bring your driver's license and credit card.

Aquatech Mexico 2025

Aquatech Mexico is the largest process, drinking, and wastewater exhibition in Mexico and Latin America. The 2025 edition was held from September 2nd to 4th at Centro Citibanamex in Mexico City. The exhibition aims to address key challenges in water management across the Americas, providing a three-day platform for exchange and business development for professionals, experts, and investors in the water technology industry. We spent all three days inside the exhibition hall. Walking through the hall, you could see all aspects of the water treatment industry—from pumps, valves, and pipes to advanced treatment technologies like UV technology, reverse osmosis, membrane separation, as well as point-of-use water purification devices.

One exhibitor told us: "Mexico faces severe water resource challenges. The National Water Plan specifically emphasizes ensuring access to water and sanitation for vulnerable groups while focusing on sustainable development." This provides broad cooperation opportunities for foreign water technology companies. At the exhibition, we engaged with several local Mexican water treatment companies. It's noteworthy that Mexico City is the economic, financial, and commercial center of Mexico, concentrating half of the country's industry, commerce, services, and financial institutions. This makes it a crucial gateway for entering the Mexican and broader Latin American markets.

Through communication with clients, we also learned that the Mexican market is price-sensitive but values long-term cooperative relationships more. Reliable product quality and after-sales service are more important than low prices. This made us realize that building trust is key to doing business here.

Visiting Local Clients: Delving into Mexican Business Culture

Besides attending the exhibition, we also visited clients in four cities: Mexico City, Veracruz, Guadalajara, and finally, Mérida. In conversations with clients, we clearly experienced the typical characteristics of Mexican businesspeople: friendly and relationship-focused. They first take time to learn about your family and hobbies before gradually steering the conversation toward business topics. This emphasis on interpersonal relationships is common in Mexican business culture. Our clients discussed with us Mexico's infrastructure, culture, healthcare, schools, and daily life. Regarding transportation, a client mentioned that traffic congestion is indeed a problem—the city has been ranked as one of the most congested globally. Therefore, it's essential to allocate sufficient travel time when scheduling business activities in Mexico City.

Mexican businesspeople are adept at assessing a partner's reliability in a relaxed atmosphere. They need to know you are a long-term partner, not just a one-time transaction. Their emphasis on after-sales service response time often outweighs the initial price. This is one reason why building business relationships with Mexicans and other South Americans can take time. However, once the first cooperation is achieved, they often express trust and sincerity by referring clients from other industries. In Mexico, business relationships are like their famous tequila—they require time to mature, but once established, they become rich and enduring.

Local Cultural Experience:

This time, we visited the Zócalo (Plaza de la Constitución) - the national heart of Mexico. As the political and cultural core of the nation, it's an essential visit for understanding Mexico's journey from ancient civilization to a modern state. The Zócalo area is safe during the daytime, with a significant police presence, but it's still advisable to leave valuables at the hotel and carry only a small bag with you. Impromptu performances by Aztec dancers wearing feathered headdresses and seed-made anklets are common sights in the plaza.

This two-week in-depth business trip to Mexico has concluded. Through this itinerary, we not only conducted on-the-ground market visits and had face-to-face communication with partners but also personally experienced Mexican business culture and gained first-hand research information on the Mexican water treatment market. We gained a deeper understanding of local water quality, client needs, product layout, and more. We will use this deep dive as a starting point to accelerate future cooperation and jointly explore the Mexican water market with precise solutions and products. We look forward to connecting with more partners in the Mexican water treatment industry