LAMPA 2013 Highly successful commercial meetings between Brazil and Curaçao

From September 12th through 15th, 2013, a group of high level entrepreneurs and officials of various municipalities from Brazil visited Curaçao to attend the Latin American Marketing Personality Awards of 2013 (LAMPA 2013). Curaçao was selected by the Global Council of Sales & Marketing (GCSM) to host the presentation that was expertly organized by the GCSM/LAMPA team and led by Mr. Agostinho Turbian.

Text Sita Finessi- Kimatrai And The Curaçao Chamber Of Commerce And Industry

Curaçao showed itself from its best side: the auditorium of the Chamber of Commerce was beautifully arranged, Steven Damiana, Manager of Investment and Trade Promotion of the Curaçao Chamber of Commerce, was a perfect Master of Ceremonies and the overall atmosphere during the many events of the four day visit was superb.

Awards
At this event, awards were granted to three of the nominees: Mrs. Luiza Helena Trajano of Magazine Luisa, who has more than 730 shops in Brazil and more than 23,000 employees; Mrs. Chieko Aoki of Blue Tree Hotels, a hotel brand with over 4,600 rooms in 18 cities in Brazil; and the highest award to Mr. José Roberto Maluf, president of magazines such as America Economía, Rolling Stone, and Caras Brazil.

Besides the Brazilian and other Latin American personalities, five local personalities were honored by LAMPA and GCSM: Minister of Economic Development, Mr. Stanley Palm; President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mr. Willem (Billy) Jonckheer; President of the Curaçao Tourism Department Foundation (CTDF), Mr. Tarzeno Cirkens; Director of Curaçao Technology Exchange (CTEX), Mr. Anthony de Lima; Director of the Curaçao Tourism Board, Mr. Hugo Clarinda; and Mr. Steven Martina for his role as ex-Minister of Economic Development.

Brazil-Curaçao Chamber of Commerce
Since many representatives from prominent Brazilian businesses would be in attendance, organizers took the opportunity to introduce the newly established Brazil-Curaçao Chamber of Commerce. Final legalities to launch this new consortium took place on September 13th, where letters of intent by our Minister of Economic Affairs, His Excellency Stanley Palm, and Brazilian entrepreneurs who are interested in doing business with Curaçao were signed. Afterwards, the delegation of nominees and high-level entrepreneurs had the opportunity to mingle with local entrepreneurs with similar interests to stimulate continued business relationships between the two countries. During this event, Mr. Palm and His Excellency Jose Jardim, our Minister of Finance, gave a speech about the history, current status and follow-ups in the Brazilian market with regard to the financial sector of Curaçao. Mr. Jardim presented a clear picture of the many possibilities that our International Financial Services industry offers and was complimented by General de Moura Azevedo, advisor to various Brazilian companies, not only on having made the case for Brazilian industry to use Curaçao as a base for its worldwide expansion, but also on having done so in perfect Portuguese. The General himself gave an impressive speech on the recent investments of the Brazilian government in the aeronautical sector of his country’s economy.

Remote storage
Another highlight was the CTEX presentation on Saturday at the Sta. Barbara Resort Hotel by Anthony de Lima. From the many pertinent and interesting questions asked, it was clear that the Brazilians who attended the presentation were well informed on the advantages of the remote storage of sensitive information and were actively engaged in finding the right solution for their various businesses. The presentation ended with a tour of the data center, which is being built in Mahuma. Before the group left for the tour, Mr. de Lima’s magnanimous gift of two servers to Eduardo Setton, Secretary for Science and Innovation Technology of the Government of Alagoas, brought him a big round of applause.

These events have been realized through constant efforts of Curaçao in the Brazilian market in recent years. By expanding contacts and maintaining close cooperation with various stakeholders, we increase the chances for Curaçao to expand its business opportunities in the Brazilian market and beyond.

If you would like more information regarding the Brazilian companies that attended this event and do business in the sector in which you operate, please contact the Curaçao Chamber of Commerce at businessinfo@curacao-chamber.cw.