Events
Following 7.5 growth in GDP last year, the most important country in South America is now the world's seventh largest economy - and further growth in the order of 4.5% is predicted for 2011. The persisting boom has attracted numerous investments. Shortly before he left office, ex-President Lula da Silva signed off on an infrastructure programme with a total volume of USD 70 billion – this money is to be invested in, among other things, ports, roads and electricity. The two planned sporting mega-events - the 2014 Soccer World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics - call for further investment. In the coming years, the total investment volume for Olympic city Rio de Janeiro alone is estimated at EUR 35 billion. In addition, logistics solutions and concepts for the organisation and staging of major events will be essential. Last but not least, German companies can use their experience and expertise to play a part in these investment projects.
Germany and Brazil enjoy a tradition of close economic ties. Brazil is Germany's second most important trading partner on the American continent, and German companies export goods worth around USD 9 billion to Brazil each year. These exports mainly consist of auto parts, basic chemicals, motor vehicles and machinery, and logistics plays a key role in linking the two markets. Alongside Sao Paulo, the biggest German industrial location outside Germany, the state of Rio de Janeiro - Brazil's second largest economic region - has significant growth potential, particularly with regard to investments in the expansion of the ports and the diversification of the industrial structure.
The goal of the third German-Brazilian Logistics Conference is to continue andexpand the successful cooperation with the German-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Rio de Janeiro and to identify new cooperation options within the framework of the forthcoming sporting mega-events and the resulting need to expand the regional infrastructure. Scheduled to take place directly after the German-Brazilian Business Days (from September 18-20, 2011 in Rio de Janeiro), the conference will be looking at logistics-specific themes in more detail and greater depth. The conference acts as a platform for the exchange of ideas between companies, politicians, scientists and logistics experts from industry, trade and the service sector. Speakers from well-known companies (global players and SMEs) in Brazil and Germany, most of them with longstanding experience in the South American market, will be showcasing examples of successful completed projects and outlining the latest developments; politicians will be presenting their infrastructure development plans and the specialists from the Chamber of Foreign Trade will be sharing their market know-how and expertise.
