The first Virtual Trade Mission, which featured upcoming business opportunities in Brazil, was conducted on September 17, 2009.
The VTM program included: welcomes by APTA and FTA, an overview of public transportation in Brazil by the U.S. Commercial officer in Brazil, speakers representing the Ministry of Transport in Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte discussing major public transport projects, a discussion of overcoming trade barriers by a Brazilian attorney specializing in trade issues, a presentation by the World Bank on tracking international tenders, and questions and answers.
By the day of this Webinar, more than 100 people had signed up. There were 74 people who actually participated.
A follow-up survey was sent to all participants. The survey showed, based on a 24% response rate, that as a result of the VTM interest in doing business in Brazil had increased significantly, that the speakers provided valuable information and that all survey respondents wanted FTA/APTA/U.S. Commercial Services to offer additional VTM’s.
