Marina Sarruf
São Paulo – Transnational 2004, a foreign trade fair to go on until Friday (20) at Expo Transamérica, in São Paulo, the most industrial city in Brazil, begins today (18). The event is turned to businessmen who operate on the foreign market as importers or exporters, and who need services so as to sell their products to other countries or bring them to Brazil.
The state Science, Technology, Economic Development, and Tourism secretary, João Carlos Meirelles, should participate in the fair opening, scheduled for 01:00 pm.
According to Ricardo Demasi, the Transnational commercial director, the fair should include 120 exhibitors. A total of 30,000 admittance badges have been issued to visitors. "We are trying to maintain a qualified public, as we did last year," he stated.
In 2003, the first edition of the event received 17,000 visitors, being 72% managers or higher. Only people who have been invited or people who have credentials may enter the fair.
At the fair, various kinds of service providers may be found, including logistics companies, customs brokers, transport companies, port representatives, banks, and insurance companies. "It will be like a service shopping centre that will help companies start or expand their global position," explained the director.
Among the companies exhibiting are Cisa, Coimex, SAB Company, and Target Trade, four of the largest foreign trade companies based in the country, the product transport division includes airlines like Gol and TAM, Itajaí, Rio Grande, and Santos ports, as well as banks like Bank Boston and the Brazilian Association of International Transport Companies (Abreti).
Apart from the over one hundred export service providers, organizations present include seven chambers of commerce, the Arab, German, British, Spanish, French, Italian, and Chinese. They will be assisting those interested in doing business with their countries.
The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB) is going to have a 12 square metres stand at the fair, and an employee from the marketing area and another from the foreign trade area will be present. They are going to provide information to those who are interested in doing business with the region and want to know a little more about the Arab market.
Roundtable
Another event to take place in parallel to the fair will be the Transnational Foreign Trade Forum, which will bring together companies from various sectors. During the tree days there will be talks about tools companies can use to solve problems in their foreign trade flow. At the event the current situation of the world market will also be discussed, and there will be talks by companies that have been successful in export.
As an example, designer Etel Carmana, from company Etel Interiores, is going to describe the trajectory of the company that uses wood from the Amazon, extracted in a sustainable manner, for the development of furniture with a Brazilian design.
Another three examples are Andréa Kohlraush, international business manager at Bibi Calçados, Elizabeth Carvalhaes, governmental affairs director at Volkswagen Brazil, and José Pena Garcia, chief-economist of Bank Boston. All of them will have a space to talk a little about their export experiences.
The forum should show the importance of adding value to exported products so as to increase foreign trade revenues. With this objective in mind, the last day of the fair will include a roundtable. Those included in the roundtable are going to discuss the logistics infrastructure and the difficulties companies face to reach their delivery times and ship their products.
Service
Transnational 2004
Date: August 18 – 20
Time: 01:00 pm to 09:00 pm
Location: Expo Transamérica
Address: av. Dr. Mário Villas Boas Rodrigues, 387 – Santo Amaro – São Paulo
Information: (+55 11) 3849 3940
www.transnacional.com.br
