São Paulo – A mission of businessmen from the Federation of Industries of the State of Santa Catarina (Fiesc) will travel to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from November 1st to 10th. The group will see the projects for the FIFA World Cup, which Qatar will host in 2022, as well as civil construction fair Big 5, in Dubai, and construction sites in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. They will participate in seminars “Qatar: a country in transformation – host to the 2022 World Cup,” in Doha, and “Trade & Invest in Brazil Seminar,” in Dubai. The meeting in the Emirates is organized for the first time by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and Corporate Publishing International (CPI), which publishes magazine Trade and Export.
According to the Arab Brazilian Chamber CEO Michel Alaby, the visit is an opportunity for them to see local construction methods. “They will witness the reality of those markets, the methods for selling real estate, the technology used at constructions. Their structure is unlike Brazil’s. They use a different type of concrete, their contracts are different than ours, the municipality has many requirements, but they can be solved online. This Fiesc mission is positive because it can influence the work of these professionals in Brazil,” said Alaby.
Businessman and Fiesc mission leader Marco Antonio Corsini said this is the organization’s seventh time organizing the trip, which will be a “recycling” opportunity to all participants. “These visits will elicit a global view of what is best in civil construction, be it technology-wise, material-wise, construction-wise, and regarding the quality of their construction sites. This will provide industry businessmen with a new perspective, improving our techniques and perfecting our work,” he said.
Corsini also said some companies which sent representatives to past editions of the mission to the Middle East are already putting what they learned to use.
Brazil in business
The seminar which the mission businessmen will attend in Doha next Saturday (3rd) will address the changes Qatar is going through in order to host the 2022 World Cup. The country will receive new hotels and invest in infrastructure.
In turn, the seminar organized by the Arab Brazilian Chamber and CPI will be held next Tuesday (6th). A total of 150 people are expected, including the Fiesc mission members. At the event, seven speakers will present information about business opportunities in Brazil.
The opening address will be given by Dubai Exports CEO Saed Al Awadi, and the Brazilian ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, João de Mendonça Lima. Alaby will give the talk “Why Brazil?”, explaining where the main investment opportunities in the country are. “I am going to discuss the companies which are already here, and what are Brazil’s needs, such as port and airport infrastructure improvement. This event is also an opportunity for participants to get in touch with local businessmen,” said Alaby.
The global trade manager for large corporations at HSBC United Arab Emirates, David McGee, will address the Brazilian business environment, and the Middle East and North Africa representative at the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brazil), Sidney Alves Costa, will give the address “Investment opportunities in Brazil – where to look?”.
The seminar will also include the talks “The route to Brazil,” by Emirates SkyCargo’s commercial cargo operations vice president for Europe and the Americas, Robert Siegel, and “Doing business in Brazil,” from the Bank of Brazil representative to the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and India, Carlos Machado.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
