Project will have lectures, panels and networking with experts

The International Congress of the Brazilian Association of the Textile and Clothing Industry (Abit) will take place between October 30th and 31st, and will feature lectures, panels and networking with national and foreign experts.

At the event, industrial, regulatory and global policies and the effects on trade will be debated, in addition to consumer megatrends, innovation, technology and new business models, sustainable development, profile of the new consumer; and how to transform uncertainties into opportunities.

Over the two days of the event, the former director general of the World Trade Organization, Roberto Azevedo, the person responsible for the Fashion, Beauty, Sports, Health, Toys, Entertainment and Mercado Livre categories, Anna Araripe, and the COO of the Arezzo&Co Group, Cassiano Lemos.

In addition to them, the associate and trade policy advisor at Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, David Olave, and the director of Productive Development, Innovation and Foreign Trade at BNDES, José Gordon, will also attend.

The programs will take place between 8am and 6:30pm, at Senai Cimatec, located on Avenida Orlando Gomes.

Mediation: Fernando V. Pimentel (Abit)

08:00 – 08:30: Accreditation

08:30 – 09:30: Official Opening

09:30 – 10:00: Presentation Bahia Textile Study – Sector Potentials

Marcelo Villin Prado, director of Iemi, and Vladson Menezes, superintendent of Fieb.

10:00 – 11:00: Opening Lecture | New World Reality and its Impacts

The opening lecture of this edition, aimed at discussing Brazil-World connections, will provide an overview of the new global reality and its impacts, seeking to answer the following questions:

What changes are occurring in the geopolitical context? What are the main trends that challenge Brazil and the world? What are the developments for international trade and the supply chain? Who is winning and who could lose with this new international reality? How do such scenarios and trends impact Brazilian industry?

After the lecture, there will be a question and answer session with Roberto Azevedo, the Ambassador who will lead the conversation.

11:00 – 12:30: Panel 1 | Exploring International Markets

This panel will seek to highlight the main international markets for the Brazilian textile and clothing industry, the opportunities and challenges presented in these locations and what strategies are adopted to position themselves in these markets.

After the lecture, there will be a question and answer session with Manoela Amaro (Blanc), Mariana Pavan and Michel Piroutek (Euromonitor).

12:30 – 2:00 pm: Lunch and Networking

14:00 – 15:30: Panel 2 | Global Regulatory Policies – Impacts on trade

When it comes to international trade, the rules of the game established by countries in terms of foreign trade policies and regulations are decisive factors in restricting or expanding trade exchanges.

From the perspective of defense or attack, the panel will address the insertion of Brazilian industry in international trade, the challenges of global sourcing, the importance of trade agreements, the problems faced by the textile and clothing sector in relation to irregularities in imports and how other countries have implemented policies to address the issue.

After the lecture, there will be a question and answer session with Renata Amano (Bratac), Marcella Cortez (Farm), David F. Olave (Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg) and Mário Jorge Machado (Euratex).

15:30 – 16:00: Coffee break

16:00 – 17:30: Panel 3 | Industrial Policy as a Key Factor for Competitiveness

A country’s industrial policy is a strategic industrial development plan that brings together the public and private sectors in building a vision of the future for the industry and a project to achieve it.

Such vision and project consider, among other factors, the objectives and goals to be pursued, considering the opportunities that present themselves, the existing obstacles and the means to overcome them. In this panel we will discuss the current policy for resuming Brazilian industry, which, in addition to overcoming old obstacles, such as those of the Brazil Cost, is guided by international megatrends related to digitalization and sustainability; supporting the development of science, technology and innovation and expanding opportunities to increase production, exports and the competitiveness of Brazilian companies in global value chains.

After the lecture, there will be a question and answer session with José Gordon (BNDES), Rafael Lucchesi (CNI), and Verena Hitner Barros (CNDI).

17:30 – 19:00: Celebration Cocktail

Mediation: Fernando V. Pimentel – Abit

09:00 – 10:30: Opening lecture | Consumer Megatrends and their Impact on the Business World

In the opening lecture of this second day of the ABIT 2024 International Congress, consumer megatrends and their impacts on the business world will be addressed, seeking to answer the following questions:

What global macro forces and trends are impacting consumer behavior? How should the ways people live and consume change in the next decade? What tends to remain constant? How is the future of consumption shaping up?

Understanding these trends and their impacts is essential for companies that want to remain competitive and relevant in the next decade.

After the talk, there will be a question and answer session with Camila Toledo (Fashion Snoops).

10:30 – 12:00: Panel 4 | Innovation, Technology and New Business Models

How has innovation and technology been transforming business models and can help Brazilian industry improve its positioning in the international market?

What are the barriers and possible strategies to increase the adoption of innovation and technology in the Brazilian T&C industry?

After the talk, there will be a question and answer session with Anna Araripe (Mercado Livre), Cassiano Lemos (Arezzo&CO) and Cecília Rapassi (Gouvêa Fashion Business).

12:00 – 14:00: Lunch and Networking

14:00 – 15:30: Panel 5 | Sustainable Development as a strategic driver for competitiveness

Climate change, correct use of natural resources, waste management and preservation of biodiversity are some of the challenges that are increasingly facing the world.

Regulations to address such challenges drive market dynamics and have the power to change business models and relationships along the value chain. How is the Brazilian textile and clothing industry perceived and placed in this scenario? What strategies are Brazilian companies adopting to face this reality? What good environmental, social and governance management practices are being implemented and can be taken as strategic paths towards sustainable development?

After the lecture, there will be a question and answer session with Lars Fogh Mortensen (EU Institution), Leandro Ito (C&A), Paulo Costa (Nova Kaeru), Sissi Alves da Silva (MDIC) and Viviane Cecilia Lunelli (Lunelli).

15:30 – 16:00: Coffee break

16:00 – 17:30: Panel 6 | The New Consumer: Opportunities and Challenges

The quest to satisfy consumers’ desires, in connection with their expectations, values ​​and “spirit of the time”, is a challenge that presents itself in an even more complex and decisive way for businesses today.

The use of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence to understand and anticipate needs and desires; the adoption of multiple channels to contemplate non-linear consumption experiences; the strategy of establishing new connections and at the same time investing in deep relationships with your target; wearable technologies and the well-being of users, trends and pending issues related to sustainable consumption are some challenges that arise for companies that want growth and loyalty from their customers/consumers, in the national and international market.

After the talk, there will be a question and answer session with Edwina Kulego (Informa Markets Fashion), Martha Torres (McKinsey), Pedro Fernandes (McKinsey) and Rogério Guimarães (Lupo).

17:30 – 18:30: Closing Lecture | Future Anxiety: How to prepare by transforming uncertainties into opportunities

We are living in a time of poly-crises and poly-technologies crossing our daily lives and our businesses. AI, climate change, global conflicts, new generations and social networks are bringing a lot of uncertainty about the future and generating a global anxiety crisis.

This talk explores the positive side of these transformations and presents the future as an inexhaustible source of opportunities for innovation and growth, bringing important concepts and new mindsets to the entire corporate world from now on, such as Leader Loneliness, Anti-Fragile Strategy, Coopetition , Bioeconomy and mental health care. A provocation with new perspectives on everything that companies, small, medium or large, cannot fail to know in the coming years

After the talk, there will be a question and answer session with Daniela Klaiman (Future).