The World Congress on Desalination and Water Reuse is a highlight of the brazilian tourism industry’s major award
A process that began in 2010 culminated in attracting the World Congress on Desalination and Water Reuse to São Paulo and led to the “Silver Alligator” (Jacaré de Prata) Prize at the Caio 2015 Awards, held at the Center Norte Exhibition Center. The São Paulo Convention & Visitors Bureau (SPCVB) played a key role and geared its utmost efforts to bringing this event to São Paulo from the very outset: the raison d’être of this not-for-profit is to attract domestic and international events to São Paulo, thus enhancing the flow of visitors to the city. Two other important destinations disputed the hosting of the event–to be held in the second half of 2017 in São Paulo: Kuwait (United Arab Emirates) and Busan (South Korea).
Emilio Gabbrielli, Chairman of IDA, International Desalination Association and Water Reuse, says that the prize was well-deserved. “I believe they got it right when they awarded the Caio to SPCVB: after all the IDA World Congress, to be held in Brazil, is extremely important both to Brazil and to all of Latin America. Until this edition, the event had not been held in the continent. Desalination and water reuse are essential if we are to ensure the supply of fresh water in a world where quality water is increasingly at a premium. The Congress will be essential to enable the exchange of experiences and information,” he said.
“Winning this Congress goes to show how São Paulo has a natural calling to be a host city for associational international events, which are extremely important in the world of science and technology, and are responsible for disseminating developments, studies and research in a range of areas of knowledge–above at a time where water scarcity is affecting many places in Brazil and all around the world. The award underscores the importance of the event not only in its core theme, but also for tourism in São Paulo overall, by attracting new visitors and leveraging the destination’s economy,” says Toni Sando, Executive President of SPCVB.
The Caio Prize, the industry’s most important, was created in 1999 in order to encourage, acknowledge and value the work of the individuals and companies that work in Brazil’s Event Industry, providing them with recognition in the industry itself as well as in the media.
