Mission Statement
Trade Mission to Brazil in conjunction with
Trade Winds Forum – The Americas
April 25-30, 2010

I. MISSION DESCRIPTION

The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service is organizing a trade mission to Brazil, April 29-30, 2010, in conjunction with the Trade Winds Forum – The Americas business forum in São Paulo, Brazil, April 25-28, 2010.

The 2010 Trade Winds Forum – The Americas program will include a pan - American (North, Central and South) business forum and pre-arranged consultations with 14 U.S. Commercial Service Senior Commercial Officers representing commercial markets throughout the Americas. The Trade Mission to Brazil will add another dimension to the event by providing clients with the opportunity to conduct business-to-business meeting with firms in Brazil.  It will be open to U.S. companies from a cross section of industries with growing potential in Brazil, including, but not limited to, best prospects such as energy (mining, oil and gas, electric power generation, renewable), defense and aerospace, telecommunications and information technology, environmental technologies, medical equipment, safety and security equipment, automotive parts and service equipment, and logistics and transportation.

The combination of the Trade Winds Forum – The Americas business forum and the multi-sector trade mission in Brazil will provide participants with substantive knowledge and strategies for entering or expanding their business in the South American market and Brazil specifically.

II. COMMERCIAL SETTING

Brazil is the largest country and economy in South America, with approximately 189 million inhabitants. With a total area that is just slightly smaller than the continental United States, Brazil shares borders with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador. Brazil enjoys a growing middle class, increasing internal demand for goods and services, and apparent protection from the more dramatic effects of the economic downturns experienced by many other countries. Brazil’s GNP (purchasing power parity) reached a historical US$ 1.665 trillion in 2008, and per capita nominal GDP grew 5.1% to Brazilian Real $15,240, or roughly US$ 6,750.

During the past decade, the country has maintained sound macroeconomic policies to control inflation without sacrificing economic growth. This kept the inflation rate to 5.8% in 2008, and unemployment at 7.89%, an overall decrease as formal jobs have replaced informal employment. Interest rates, though high compared to rest of the world, are near their historical low of the last decade at the Central Bank rate of 11.25% (March 2009). In 2008, the bilateral trade relationship between Brazil and the United States hit record levels, reaching US$ 53 billion, with U.S. exports at US$ 25.6 billion, and imports from Brazil at US$ 27.4 billion. Other main trading partners are China, Argentina, and Germany.  

Strong global demand for commodities, along with prudent fiscal policies and a burgeoning middle class helped fuel Brazil’s economic growth. Since the onset of the global financial crisis in September 2008, Brazil's currency and its stock market (Bovespa) have significantly lost value, falling by 41% in 2008. Brazil also incurred a current account deficit in 2008 as world demand and prices for commodities dropped in the second half of 2008.

III. MISSION GOALS

The goal of the mission is to help participating U.S. companies find potential partners, agents, distributors, and joint venture partners in Brazil, laying the foundation for successful long-term ventures. The delegation will have access to Senior Commercial Officers and locally engaged Commercial Specialists during the mission, learn about the expansive business opportunities in Brazil, and gain first-hand market exposure. U.S. delegation members already doing business in Brazil will have opportunities to further advance business relationships and transactions in that market.

IV. MISSION SCENARIO

The mission will include pre-screened individual appointments with potential business partners; industry and country market briefings; logistical support; networking with leading industry and government officials; and full Business Forum registration for the Trade Winds Forum – The Americas, April 25-30, 2010, including Business Forum materials and admission to all Business Forum sessions and networking events.

U.S. delegation members will arrive in São Paulo on or before April 25, 2010, to attend the opening ceremony of the Trade Winds Forum – The Americas. The final day of the Forum, April 28, 2010, will be devoted to market briefings and consultations with Western Hemisphere-based Senior Commercial Officers. On April 29-30, 2010, mission participants will take part in business-to-business meetings in one of five select markets in Brazil:  São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte and Recife.  Selection of specific markets for the business-to-business meetings will be based on the recommendations of Commercial Service staff in Brazil in consultation with mission participants. Mission participants seeking business-to-business meetings in additional markets may use the Commercial Service Gold Key Service for an additional fee.  

V.     MISSION TIMETABLE

April 25, 2010         Arrive São Paulo, Brazil
                                Trade Winds Forum – The Americasregistration

April 26, 2010         Trade Winds Forum – The Americas Business Forum

April 27, 2010         Trade Winds Forum – The Americas pre-arranged consultations with U.S. Commercial Service Senior Commercial Officers

April 28, 2010         Trade Winds Forum – The Americas concludes at noon

April 29-30, 2010   Trade Mission featuring one-on-one business appointments with pre-screened private-sector companies in select Brazil cities, as noted above.

VI.    PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

All parties interested in participating in the Commercial Service Trade Mission to Brazil must complete and submit an application package for consideration by the Department of Commerce. All applicants will be evaluated on their ability to meet certain conditions and best satisfy the selection criteria as outlined below. A maximum of 50 companies will be selected to participate in the mission from the applicant pool on a first come, first served basis. U.S. companies already doing business with Brazil as well as U.S. companies seeking to enter Brazil for the first time may apply.

Fees and Expenses:

After a company has been selected to participate on the mission, a payment to the Department of Commerce in the form of a participation fee is required. The participation fee will be $1,950 for a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)* and $2,850 for large firms. This fee includes the Trade Winds Forum – The Americas Business Forum registration fee of $850. The fee for each additional firm representative (large firm or SME) participating in the mission is $850. Expenses for travel, lodging, most meals, and incidentals (e.g., local transportation) will be the responsibility of each mission participant.

Conditions for Participation:

• An applicant must submit a completed and signed mission application and supplemental application materials, including adequate information on the company’s products and/or services, primary market objectives, and goals for participation. If the Department of Commerce receives an incomplete application, the Department may reject the application, request additional information, or take the lack of information into account when evaluating the applications.
• Each applicant must also certify that the products and services it seeks to export through the mission are either produced in the United States, or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have at least 51 percent U.S. content of the value of the finished product or service.

Selection Criteria for Participation:  Selection will be based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of a company’s business line to trade mission goals.
• Company’s potential for business in Brazil.

Referrals from political organizations and any documents containing references to partisan political activities (including political contributions) will be removed from an applicant’s submission and not considered during the selection process.

VII.  TIMEFRAME FOR RECRUITMENT AND APPLICATIONS

Mission recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner, including publication in the Federal Register, posting on the Commerce Department trade mission calendar – www.ita.doc.gov/doctm/tmcal.html – and other Internet web sites, press releases to the general and trade media, direct mail and broadcast fax, notices by industry trade associations and other multiplier groups, and announcements at industry meetings, symposia, conferences, and trade shows. 

Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude no later than March 30, 2010.  Applications received after March 30, 2010, will be considered only if space and scheduling constraints permit.

U.S. Contact Information:                                   Brazil Contact Information:

Bill Burwell, Director                                              Danny Devito / Scott Shaw
U.S. Export Assistance Center – Baltimore             U.S. Commercial Service – Brazil
Bill.Burwell@mail.doc.gov                                      Rua Henri Dunant, 700 – Chacara Santo Antonio
Tel:  410-962-3097 / Cell: 443-271-8796              São Paulo – SP – 04709 – 110
Fax:  410-962-4529                                               Tel:  11-5186-7390 / Fax:  11-5186-7399

Debora Sykes, ITS
U.S. Export Assistant Center – Trenton
Debora.Sykes@mail.doc.gov
Tel:  856-722-1032 / Cell:  609-571-7525
Fax:  856-722-0716