The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Rio de Janeiro promoted, together with other German Chambers, on April 27th, the "2nd International Networking Event for the Oil and Gas Industry". The event took place during the trade show in Hannover (Germany), which is the world's largest trade fair with focus on innovation and industry 4.0. High-level speakers from multinational companies such as Halliburton, Baker Hughes, OneSubsea, Wintershall and ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) participated at the event, as well as Uwe Beckmeyer, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Economy and Energy of Germany, and Hauke Schlegel, Executive Director of the Shipbuliding and Offshore Division of the German Engineering Association VDMA.

The event was attended by about 90 participants, mainly representatives of German high-tech companies and suppliers of the oil, gas and shipbuilding sector. One of the issues discussed at the symposium was the potential of the Brazilian market for foreign investors.

Christian Kiesl, CEO of Halliburton Germany, pointed out that this type of event with the exchange of information and networking is very interesting, mainly in times of global uncertainty. "We are very pleased to have been able to present Halliburton and our projects at this event. The organization of the symposium was excellent, the number of participants exceeded our expectations and the networking was very fruitful "added Kiesl.

According to Thomas Olsinger, Marketing and Sales Manager of the German Chamber in Rio de Janeiro, the best time for foreign companies to enter the Brazilian market is right now. "We have to look at the brazilian market potential in medium terms. From our point of view, this market has the potential to attract investment from all over the world. In addition, the current exchange rate is clearly in favor of foreign investors". Dr. Dalia Samra-Rothe, Deputy CEO of the German Chamber of the United Arab Emirates and co-organizer of the symposium, added that the planning for the "3rd International Symposium on Oil & Gas Market" already begun. The next symposium is scheduled to be held on April 26th, 2017 at the Hannover trade show.

One of the main goals of the German Chamber in 2017 is to ensure the presence of a representative of Petrobras as one of the speakers. "From our point of view, Petrobras as one of the biggest players of the Oil & Gas market worldwide has to be present face-to-face to high-tech suppliers at this importante trade show. In this regard, we will focus all our efforts to assist and collaborate," concluded Olsinger.

During the event, the German Chamber also launched the publication "Doing Business in the Oil & Gas Sector: Opportunities for German companies worldwide". All participants received a copy of the booklet, which is a practical handbook for foreign companies and investors, focused on the Brazilian market. In addition, the German Chambers in Houston (USA), Mexico, Norway, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates participated with chapters regarding the Oil & Gas markets at their respective countries.

Key partners of this publication are FIRJAN (Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro), Apex-Brazil, the magazine TN Petróleo and GTAI, a German Trade and Invest Agency. In addition, the companies MAN Diesel & Turbo, Wintershall, Raytheon, Reed Exhibitions, Hamburg Messe and Alliance for Integrity are partners of this booklet.

The publication is distributed free of charge as an electronic version by the German Chamber Rio de Janeiro. Contact: Thomas Olsinger (thomas@ahk.com.br).