Business meetings between Brazilian designers and guest importers took place at the Raiz Project booth aiming to encourage exports during the High Design Home & Office Expo, held from 8-10 August in São Paulo. The initiative, promoted by the Furniture Industry Association of Bento Gonçalves (Sindmóveis) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), exploits the potential of the Brazilian designer's service in regions of commercial interest, especially the American and European markets.

Agents from the United States, Canada and England were invited to these negotiations with a special interest in Brazilian design, thus establishing the first contact for future negotiations of the studios in those countries. They are distributors and retail networks that had the chance to see the designer work of member studios of the project and exhibitors at the fair. More than 60 meetings were held during the two-day event.

Designer Marta Manente, from Studio Marta Manente, was surprised by the effectiveness of the business meetings - which, according to her, were the best ever promoted by the Raiz Project. This is due to the guest importers’ profile and the type of furniture they were looking for. In the meetings with Marta, foreign agents showed special interest in her pieces featuring fine upholstery, linen, and especially Brazilian those made from woods with certified origin. "It was the beginning of very interesting negotiations with England and the United States," she says.

The Raiz Project devises positioning strategies for the sector in the foreign market, enhances the use of contacts and commercial intelligence reports for the designers, promotes greater exchange of information and experiences between companies, and conducts the promotion development and the entry of these professionals into the priority markets offering them individual support.