For the first time in history, the Middle East hosts the Universal Exhibition – the Expo 2020 Dubai UAE, which had to be postponed for a year, due to the global health crisis caused by the coronavirus.
Open to the public since October 1st, it is estimated the presence of 25 million visitors during the 6 months of duration, which will end on March 31, 2022.
192 countries display their showcases of the future to show the world their latest advances in technology, science, art, as well as culture and customs.
With the theme “Connecting Minds and Creating the Future“, in Portuguese: Connecting Minds and Creating the Future, the pavilions were organized into 3 districts: sustainability, mobility and opportunity.
With more than 60 daily events, Expo 2020 Dubai is dedicated to finding solutions to the challenges faced by humanity, checking technological advances and debating the prospects for the future.
In addition, authorities, entrepreneurs and institutional leaders carry out a real marathon of meetings in loco to make business viable.
“Actions that consolidate the promotion of the country’s image, with business and relationship meetings allow for a more strategic and planned access to new operating markets”, says Robson Braga de Andrade, president of CNI.
Brazil will be very well represented in Dubai. The CNI (National Confederation of Industry) will take the largest business delegation to an Arab country. In all, there will be 300 representatives from 230 companies and institutions that will be able to expand the network of contacts, prospect new businesses and make investments viable.
It is a delegation with representatives from 24 UFs, from different and large sectors, 42% of which are company owners and another 34% are CEOs or presidents.
“Although Expos are events, mainly, for countries to promote their image to the world, for the private sector they represent opportunities for business, investment and closer contacts by bringing together authorities and business leaders in a single place”, explains Robson Andrade.
The mission led by the CNI will be a mix of political and institutional representation of the industry with business prospecting, and will consist of a series of events to guide the businessman on opportunities in the UAE, the social and cultural aspects to be considered in the negotiations, tips to export and import, and also how to open an operation or receive Arab investment.
Brazil is the Arab country’s main trade partner in Latin America, but there is room for growth, diversifying the bilateral trade list and expanding access to new markets from Dubai.
“The market represents an opportunity for Brazilian companies to operate throughout the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, using the UAE as a logistical hub for other countries in the region. It is a rich, developing country, with important lines of financing and subsidies for establishing new businesses”, explains Sarah Saldanha, Internationalization Manager at CNI.
The United Arab Emirates is currently one of the Arab countries with the greatest openness to the Western world. In Brazilian industry, the sector that exports the most is food, as it has adapted its practices to export food in accordance with Islamic rules.
The CNI manager explains that this opening could be an opportunity for Brazilian companies to occupy shelves with products with technology and other attributes desired by consumers in the Arab world.
“The Emirates want to look for partner-suppliers who are able, by investing in Dubai, to contribute to the diversification of exports from the UAE to the world. Thus, selling or producing goods there, especially consumer goods – such as fashion, personal care or food – allows Brazilian companies to access non-traditional markets for Brazil”, he explains.
Reference: CNN Brasil
