Dubai – Brazilian businessmen were pleased with the first day of the Big 5 Show, a trade fair for the construction industry that started Monday (22nd) in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. A total of 15 companies are exhibiting at the Brazilian stand, organized by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex).
"I was very surprised, a whole bunch of people came looking for building material," said Helder Nico, of granite manufacturing and sales company Pietá Mineração. According to a statement issued by the fair’s organizing company DMG Events, its vice-president, Simon Mellor, claimed that after a difficult 18-month period, the Middle Eastern market has returned to being robust and strong.
Pietá’s space at the fair received visitors from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Dubai, Oman, Jordan and China. The company, which is based in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo, exports granite slabs to China, where they are processed and re-exported. "[Production] costs in Brazil are very high right now," said Helder.
Leonardo Tatagiba, the director of Zucchi, which processes and sells granites considered "exotic," also claimed that the public has shown interest in their products. His objective at the fair is to showcase items not yet available on the market. The company’s stones feature colours and textures that differ from those of traditional granites.
"We pique people’s interests in the exotic," claimed Tatagiba. According to him, several visitors have expressed intentions of purchase and requested quotations.
The same applies to Frederico Luis Chrestesen, the director of Antigua, which makes handcrafted ceramic tiles. "They have enjoyed my product, the specifications attract attention," he said. The company’s ceramics have different colours, patterns, shapes and reliefs. "They enjoy that which is different," added the businessman, who had already attended a previous edition of the Big 5.
Chrestesen explains that five years ago, 90% of the company’s production used to be exported, and now that rate has dropped to 20%. "The Brazilian market is going strong," he claimed. According to him, the crisis ended up working to his advantage in this edition of the Big 5, because competitors of his from Italy and Spain did not turn up. "It was a chance to get here and set ourselves apart," he finished off.
The fair was inaugurated this Monday morning by the emir of Dubai, Mohammed Bin Rachid Al Maktoum, who is also the vice-president and prime minister of the Emirates. It will continue until the 25th.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum