Our history

Due to the need to create an electrical network for Bogotá and thanks to the rapid urban development of the capital, through its Board of Directors, the CCB promoted the implementation of the first incandescent light bulbs that illuminated the streets of Bogotá, a fact that would lead to the foundation of the Electric Energy Company. 

In order to provide a better quality of life for the city's population in terms of sanitation, the CCB supported the creation of Bogota's Aqueduct. 

At that time Colombia was experiencing a great commercial development, which required improving and streamlining tax and customs procedures for the transit of goods from the ports of the north coast to Bogota, at which time the Bogota Chamber of Commerce became the spokesperson of the business community to achieve this goal. 

In 1931, Law 28 began to speak specifically of "affiliates", differentiating them from "matriculates". The Affiliates Department of the CCB was created.

At the end of the 1960s, Bogota and the region were poised to position themselves as the main axis of the country's economy, thanks to the inauguration of El Dorado Airport; the CCB was a key player in this project, since it fostered a favorable environment for its execution and thus boosted the productivity and competitiveness of the environment.

 In the framework of its 100th anniversary, the CCB reaffirmed its mission to strengthen and empower the private sector of Bogota and the Region, by providing the Police with equipment and vehicles that provided citizen security. 

With the objective of generating a more natural and healthy environment for the population of Bogota, in the mid-1980s the Bogota Chamber of Commerce implemented the 'Green Leaves' program, with the aim of planting trees in the capital; this paved the way for the creation of the Corporación Ambiental Empresarial (CAEM), which is currently a subsidiary of the CCB. 

At the beginning of the last decade of the century and with the objective of strengthening the business ecosystem of Bogota, the CCB acquired Corferias, one of the most important convention centers and fairgrounds in Latin America, which has become a transforming and projection axis for the national economy. 

With the arrival of the new century, the CCB's scope of action was broadened and it became an ally of the emerging cultural industries. As a result of the above, the Bogotá International Art Fair (ARTBO), the Audiovisual Market (BAM), the Bogotá Music Market (BOmm) and the Bogotá Fashion Week (BFW) were created; an important bet on this sector and all the new talents that came into the scene. 

As a contribution to the growth and consolidation of Bogota as a cultural and events center, the CCB delivered Ágora International Convention Center; a venue with capacity for more than 4,000 people, which, together with Corferias, will position the Colombian capital as a development hub and an attractive destination for the business and congress tourism industry. 

On October 6, 2023, we celebrate 145 years of service to the entrepreneurs and business people of Bogota and the region, maintaining our commitment to support their business initiatives and desire to promote a better quality of life, from the strengthening, training and consolidation of new business and commercial growth opportunities for small, medium and large companies.