Success story - Interview with Sébastien Brunet, Managing Director, GL Events Live

"GL events, an expert in the field of event site management and theorganisation of major eventswas founded in France in 1978. I joined the company in 2006, just before it set up in Rio. Having worked for a long time in Chile and Argentina, my 'South American' profile was very welcome at a time when the company was looking to expand on that continent. Even before we knew that Brazil would be hosting major events such as the Pope's visit, the Football World Cup and the Olympic Games, GL events had won a major contract with Brazil. call for tenders for the management of Rio Exhibition Centrethe Riocentro. This concession runs for 50 years, until 2056! On the strength of this success, we have opened a hotel Mercure with the Accor group in 2014. We also acquired a major trade show organiser in Brazil.

All in all, we now have 600 employees in the country, including only around ten expatriates. Naturally, given the intense growth of our Brazilian business, I moved to Rio in 2012. Since then, the company has made a name for itself in Sao Paulowhere it won the concession for theformer Agricultural Showground which we are in the process of modernising. In all, the site will soon have 90 000 m² exhibition space and a 10,000 m² convention centre. This year, in the run-up to the Rio Olympic Games, we are helping the organising committee by contributing our know-how as service providers for the reception and installation of temporary equipment. Where do we go from here? As well as Chile and Peru, where we've already opened subsidiaries, we're thinking about Colombia, Argentina and Mexico. The potential is colossal... "