São Paulo – The Brazilian Health Devices project will have its first-ever online business-to-business (B2B) event from August 10 to 20. The project is carried out in partnership by the Brazilian Medical, Dental, Hospital and Laboratory Equipment Manufacturers Association (Abimo) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil).
The Online Buyers’ Project will feature 28 Brazilian suppliers of medical, hospital, laboratory and rehabilitation products. Sixteen buyers from 11 countries including Algeria and Saudi Arabia will participate. The other prospective importers are from Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Indonesia, Russia, and Iran.
The purpose of the Brazilian Health Devices project is to encourage exports of healthcare products and equipment, by pulling manufacturers together and representing them on an international level.
According to Abimo’s Projects and International Marketing manager Larissa Gomes, the Saudi Arabian buyer will be joining the B2B event for the second time. Last year, they travelled to São Paulo to participate in person (pictured above).
The online meetings have made it possible to get more potential buyers involved, Gomes explains. “We have the budget to bring about 10 to 12 buyers to one-on-one meetings. We’re working with an above-average number this year, because we’re doing the sessions online, so we’ll have 16 buyers. Since there’ll be no travel costs involved, we’ve been able to add more businesses. A hybrid one-on-one and online approach should make things much more flexible going forward,” Gomes says.
The participating Saudi importer needs disposable equipment, orthopedic and silicone implants, and medical-hospital equipment. The one from Algeria is also seeking disposables, cardiovascular implants such as valves and stents, orthopedic implants, laboratory products such as tests and reagents, sterilization equipment, and medical-hospital equipment. Gomes remarked that both Algeria and Saudi Arabia are target markets of the project.
This year should see a Brazilian Health Devices B2B event for dental product suppliers. “And depending on how this first online event goes, we might have another before the end of this year as well,” Gomes said.
The business-to-business meetings will run from August 10 to 20. “Your usual one-on-one meetings will last two days, taking place concurrently with industry shows, but since we need to factor in the time zones for each importing country, we’re working with added flexibility. We’re in the process of finishing our scheduling,” she said.
According to Gomes, whatever platforms are available in each country will be used. “There are a few countries with some restrictions in place, so we’ll ask them what app or platform they use and we adapt as we go, but it’s usually between Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Skype,” she said.
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Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
