Undeterred by global events, 19 plucky Brits set off to Brazil for the M&T Expo show, organised by the Brazilian trade association SOBRATEMA and exhibition organisers Alcantara Marchado. Substantial CEA space rate discounts and the Trade Partners UK SESA funding of up to £3,500 made the British Group the largest international presence at the show.

Although 2001 was the fourth edition of M&T Expo, this year saw the first official British Group. Most companies were located in the British Pavilion in the main hall, with JCB flying the flag in the outside area. A full list of the British exhibitors can be found in www.coneq.org.uk  Look in Exhibitions.

Fuelled by reports of an armed robbery and car jacking on leaving the airport in São Paulo, most exhibitors elected to stay at the British Embassy recommended hotel - the heavily discounted room rates may also have played a part! The Paulista Plaza provided an excellent base and was also used by the other national groups. The CEA and British Embassy arranged for coach transfers to and from the exhibition, a welcome change from the kamikaze taxi drivers.

The night before the exhibition the British Embassy in Brasilia, together with the Consulate in São Paulo, arranged a reception for British Group exhibitors, to which local contractors, distributors and media were invited. The next morning the Consulate hosted a briefing by local experts on the benefits and pitfalls of doing business in Brazil.

British Group Information Centre at M & T Expo

The exhibition was larger than anticipated with international pavilions from Germany, Spain, Italy, France, the UK and a curtailed USA group, due to recent events. The standard of visitors to the exhibition was generally good, many being decision makers. Most exhibitors reported a reasonable to high level of interest in their products. The main hurdle to overcome in conducting business in Brazil is the excessive cost of exporting. In addition to high freight costs, due largely to enormous customs import duties, companies wishing to set up production in Brazil face exceptionally high social costs in employing labour. If Brazil seriously wants to attract British companies then changes will have to be made. Customs clearance charges as high as £1,300 were levied just to import a box of company literature for the exhibition. The rules on the temporary and permanent import of stand supplies and graphics, etc, were also imposed with draconian force, making the organisation of an exhibition stand a costly exercise.

The CEA British Information Centre provided a display and information point for a further nine companies in addition to distributing general industry information and the Business Tracker CD-ROM. It was staffed by Rob and Joanna Oliver and Sharna Gollogly, together with the invaluable services of volunteer Rick Law. The interpreters were provided by a friend of Sharna’s, Moises Assayag, who supplied excellent staff at a very reasonable rate.

Most exhibitors regarded the exhibition as a worthwhile exercise, but it will be in the medium to long-term before the benefits of attending can really be assessed.

South-East Asia's most important trade fair covering all areas of the construction equipment and machinery sectors, building equipment and supplies. International pavilions from the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, China, Korea and Finland will join the exhibitors from Singapore and other Asean countries. Fifteen companies make up the British Group.

There is still a chance to take advantage of the CEA’s Enhanced Display Package, offering graphic display, literature distribution, enquiry and sales lead taking service, post-event report and sales leads database for only £175 + VAT (members), £225 + VAT (non-members). Contact the CEA exhibitions team WITHOUT DELAY.

We are still waiting for a decision from Trade Partners UK on the shows they will support in 2002/2003. The CEA has submitted requests for SESA funding for:

Bauma China - Shanghai 6-9 November 2002

Intermat - Paris, France 13-18 May 2003

The Intermat organisers are now contacting previous exhibitors to assess interest for 2003.

The CEA had an information stand at this exhibition as part of the Construction Products Association British Pavilion. 16 CEA member companies sent literature, taking advantage of the free display opportunity.