UFI's business development manager Nick Dugdale-Moore says Brazil is facing a crisis, but its trade fair backing is a sign of good things to come.
OK things are not looking great in Brazil right now. Yesterday protesters took to the streets across the country calling for change and for President Rousseff to resign.
Numbers had grown since similar protests last year (O Globo estimated the number of protesters yesterday at 3.5 million, up from 1 million last year) and it is clear that there needs to be political change in the country before the country can back on a sound economic footing.
So although we may not be at the bottom and there may be more scandals to come - I would not bet against Brazil. And some argue this could even be a good time to be looking at new business opportunities there.
It is against this backdrop that a few weeks ago the leaders of the Brazilian exhibition industry gathered at the annual ESFE conference which took place at the World Trade Center Sao Paulo and was organised by Grupo Radar.
In the panel entitled "Why trade fairs are important in times of crisis" the speakers discussed how the crisis was affecting their businesses, and lessons they learned which help them react and prosper in these difficult times.
Led by Grupo Radar's Octavio Neto the speakers included:
- Ligia Amorim, managing director, Nuernberg Messe Brasil & vice-chair, UFI's LatAm Chapter
- Juan Pablo de Vera, president, Reed Exhibitions Alcantara Machado
- Jean-Francois Quentin, president, UBM Brazil
- Damien Timperio, managing director Sao Paulo Expo
- Paulo Ventura, director, Expo Center Norte
- Marcelo Vital Brazil, president, UBRAFE
Unable to attend as ESFE clashed with our Open Seminar in Asia, UFI managing director sent a video message to be played during the panel, in which he spelt out four reasons the exhibition industry in Brazil should remain optimistic and look beyond the current difficult times:
1) Research from AMR's Globex report shows that the exhibitions market as a share of GDP is lower in Brazil than the international industry average – so there is space to grow faster then other markets when the recovery kicks in.
2) As prices have dropped, investing into Brazil is becoming a more attractive option again for international players who are looking to grow their presence in the region.
3) Many countries that experience crises are obliged to look hard at their shows and their businesses - cut costs, improve margins, make their shows more professional, improve relationships with visitors and exhibitors. This means they come out the other side of the crisis leaner, tougher, more professional and more profitable
4) Brazil may be down right now, but it will certainly be back. People are often surprised by the speed of a recovery after such crises, and I am sure Brazil will be no different
See more pictures from ESFE 2016 here
Watch the video presentation of the panel session (in Portuguese) here
Download the list of UFI members in Brazil (and the rest of the world)
For more information about our plans for Brazil and Latin America see www.UFI.org or contact nick@ufi.org
