Rio de Janeiro (13 June 2014) – The statements below were received by the João Saldanha Open Media Centre (OMC) team at the Copacabana Fort in Rio de Janeiro, and are for use in news reporting.  Please attribute any quotes to Maurício Borges, President of Apex-Brasil.

OMC: Apex-Brasil is bringing foreign entrepreneurs and investors to Brazil for a large-scale promotional activity during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. What was their receptiveness to this initiative?

President of Apex-Brasil, Maurício Borges: Their receptiveness was the best we could expect. I believe that when an entrepreneur arrives in Brazil, they have two positive surprises: One of them is to see Brazilian companies with technology, know-how, quality and lots of creativity. This signals an opportunity for them. Another surprise is that, when they get here, they also finds a very warm environment and a surprising receptivity and qualified structure. These are the two good surprises for entrepreneurs reaching Brazil. There are over 2,300 entrepreneurs, plus those that are already here and those to arrive throughout the World Cup. Here they find extremely high-quality corporations. Many of them were not acquainted with Brazilian technology, with Brazilian know-how, with our creativity. One example is Stefanini, our largest company in this area of information technology. 

OMC – How is it that large events contribute to increase Brazilian exports?

President of Apex, Maurício Borges – These events indeed have great appeal, opportunities that attract the attention of the whole globe, with the floodlights of the international media and the interest of several businesspersons. This is a unique moment to bring entrepreneurs who otherwise not come to Brazil, here to see the possibilities that we offer. Brazil is the second largest cosmetics market in the world, and the top global market for several products, such as footwear and food. Brazil is indeed a large market and when entrepreneurs come and see our country with the many opportunities it offers and all of its technology, they are surprised. It is indeed an extremely opportune moment and we could not have attracted the attention of the world in that magnitude had it not been for such a large-scale event as the World Cup. 

OMC: What is the expected result of the promotional business activities in Brazil during the World Cup in terms of figures, based on the experience of the Confederations Cup?

President of Apex-Brasil, Maurício Borges: We expect to generate approximately US$ 6 billion in business over the next 12 months. This includes exports of Brazilian products plus investments attracted into Brazil. These results depend on the business opportunities resulting from the meetings that take place after each match. During the Confederations Cup in 2013, we were able to generate US$ 3 billion in exports and investment opportunities and we will double that figure during the World Cup.

OMC: Which sectors of the economy will benefit the most from this Apex-Brasil initiative?

President of Apex-Brasil, Maurício Borges: The sectors that are engaged include housing and civil construction, information technology and the food industry. We have over 70 sectors actively participating and they will benefit directly and concretely from this initiative. There are several sectors of the economy involved in this.

For additional information please see:
www.copa2014.gov.br/OMC (Portuguese)
www.copa2014.gov.br/es/OMC (Spanish)
www.copa2014.gov.br/en/OMC (English)

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