Developing a market outside of North America requires vision, leadership and persistence. It also requires partners who can show you the way, helping to localize your story and execute your live communications programs flawlessly.  In our experience, having partners with people and offices on the ground in various regions makes all the difference in the world ... but so does familiarizing yourself with some of the basics of survival ("You get what you inspect, not what you expect." -- nod to Ben Einer, our president of International).

Exhibitor Magazine's annual International Exhibiting Guide is a great resource for some fast facts and trustworthy tips, graciously shared by an informal network of colleagues and industry peers. Of course you can take the time to read up the many popular and emerging markets, but Latin America is hot on our minds (with Brazil at the top of the list)... so here is a profile of exhibiting in a BRIC nation (Sao Paulo, Brazil) from this year's guide:

 

http://www.exhibitoronline.com/exhibitormagazine/international%20exhibiting%20guide/saopaulo.asp

And here is a little extra perspective on Brazil as an emerging market, straight from our Exhibitor2011 session, "Globetrotting Your Brand":

 

* Recovered quickly from financial crisis, poised for significant growth

* Services more than two-thirds of GDP: Telecommunications, Mail, Banking, Energy, Computing

* Expanding middle class driving growth in domestic demand

* Social ties and business practices that challenge most American compliance departments