Advisory for organising Trade Exhibitons/Participating in Trade Fairs in Brazil

TRADE ADVISORY / LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES:

Various trade promtion options along with typical costs are listed at: TPO

Indian companies and Export Promotion Councils planning to mount delegations to Brazil / seek BSMs are advised to instead participate in structured and sectoral fairs in Brazil, as that is much more effective in meeting the right clientele.

Brazil hosts hundreds of fairs in various sectors every year; lists / details of the Trade Fairs are at the links listed below. The first 2 links are of the Brazilian Ministry of Commerce and are the most reliable; in addition, the second site can be searched by sector, state, dates and/or name of the fair. The third site gives information about major fairs in English.  
http://www.brasilglobalnet.gov.br/arquivos/Publicacoes/CalendarioFeiras2012_I.pdf
http://www.mdic.gov.br/sitio/sistema/expofeira/calFeirasExposicoes/feiExposicoes_P.php?ano=2011
http://www.biztradeshows.com/brazil/

A selection of trade fairs prepared by this Consulate is at:
http://www.database.indiaconsulate.org.br/indiacon/exhibitions_list.asp

Participation in exhibition is possible only if one begins preparation in the right earnestness and with adequate notice:

-The period to book exhibition space may run anything from a number of months to a year or more depending upon how popular the exhibition.  If any company in India is unable to participate in a particular year for want of stall space, it should immediately start preparing for participation in the next available edition of the exhibition.

-The list of exhibitors from India should be finalized early as per the datelines mentioned by the fair organizers and any exhibits that need to be sent in advance (generally by two months by ship and at least a month by air) for display in the fair should be coordinated through the official clearing agency of the fair. The same advise may be followed for construction of booths,  hiring of interpreters, hotels and transport arrangement and necessary coordination should be done with the fair’s  official organizers.

-Publicity material and brochures should be in Portuguese for wider reach. 

-It is important to note that the fairs have website and catalogues on which the list of exhibitors is displayed. This is free publicity to  the participating company and an advantage of participating in the structured fair. Many fairs also have magazines that are published before the event and these magazines may also carry articles about the participating companies. If the list of participants is finalized only few days before the event and not sent to the organizers on time, theparticipating companies lose out on these opportunities of publicity within the framework of the fair itself. 

-Once companies from India decide to participate in an exhibition in Brazil, they could also consider publicizing their presence in the exhibition through a special magazine or promotional material that is generally printed and distributed by the organizers of the exhibition among the corresponding Brazilian industry members. In addition, exhibiting Indian companies may also try  contacting potential partners in Brazil well ahead of their arrival here, encouraging them to visit their stalls in the exhibition.

-It is not advisable to carry samples as checked-in baggage as its clearance through Brazilian customs becomes difficult; carrying them as hand baggage even if successful results in small quantity of samples inadequate to fill the exhibition space. Carrying of the  samples should be accompanied with proper documentation mentioning weight, price etc. Last minute decision to participate in the fairs results in inadequate returns as the exhibitors can't get their samples and have empty stalls. Samples are Not-allwed-for-Sale and need to be carried in limited quantities; failure to take back the samples as the exhibitor departs Brazil have in the past caused unpleasant incidents at the Customs. For informal guidelines on samples, please see: samples. 

In view of incidents of thefts, all Indian participants to the Trade Fairs, Expositions and Shows are advised to keep only certified copy of their travel documents and minmum necessary cash etc in their personal possession (while keeping the original documents and other valuables in safe deposite locker at hotel).  For logistical convenience, the accommodation should preferably be arranged at hotels closest to the venue of the Fairs.

If visiting any other city in Brazil, while arriving first in Sao Paulo, then the immigration will have to be done here and baggage collected and re-booked in the connecting flight. For this reason and given complications of language / airport, all travelers passing through Sao Paulo to any other city in Brazil / other countries in the region are advised to have connecting flight at least with 5 hour gap to ensure smooth transit.