Brazilian Mobility Conference Filled With Energy, Passion, and People

The jam-packed opening of PARAR’s mobility conference got off to a rollicking start with a Coldplay cover band making sure everyone was in a great mood. The wrap-around HD screens made sure everyone had a great view of the mainstage.

I recently attended the three-day Welcome Tomorrow 2018 (WTM18) conference in Brazil developed by NAFA’s partner, Instituto PARAR (PARAR). Here’s a brief recap of my experience.

I landed in Brazil on a gray, somewhat chilly Sunday morning, a bit disappointed the weather wasn’t cooperating with my expectation of warmth during this four-day trip away from the cold Northeast. It was an overnight flight from Newark, NJ to Sao Paolo, so I was able to get enough sleep that I wanted to hit the ground running. Then I had my first experience with traffic in Brazil, and I realized I wasn’t going to be “running” anywhere. I saw more cars and motorcycles on the highway that early Sunday morning than I do on my weekday commute to work in Central New Jersey…and that’s saying something.

Brazil’s traffic situation, the lack of adequate highway systems, and the high population make it the perfect place to have a conference on mobility. After all, what better place to talk about alternative means of getting from here to there than a country where it takes two-and-a-half hours to go 25 miles from the airport?

But the WTM18 conference was about much more than just new ways of getting from here to there. As PARAR’s Content Coordinator Pedro Conte pointed out, the group’s website notes that “PARAR was born to connect the corporate world with entrepreneurs, disruptive companies, revolutionary cities, mobility startups and innovative projects that have a social impact.” WTM18, therefore, focused on not only new developments transforming the way people move, but especially on how the new technologies and the new economies are questioning how we live our lives.

The heart and soul behind WTM18, Flavio Tavares, Director of Sales & Marketing for GolStat, said it best: “We believe that the world without mobility goes much further than wasting time in commutes: it takes away the right to live with quality. That is why our purpose is to lead professionals, companies, and cities to rethink the tomorrow and to contribute solutions that bring more life to people’s time. The whole purpose of this conference is to make life better for everyone.”

WTM18 had several separate event “tracks” or themes. The first, “Space Content,” featured lectures, panels, and talk-show-like debates on technology, smart cities, the future of labor leadership, and safe and intelligent mobility. More than 1,000 people crammed into this room each day, and the energy was palpable.

The “Tomorrow is Now,” track, which took place in a beautiful modern performance theatre, featured sessions on the Brazilian auto market, OEM outlooks, and automotive innovations.

The “Mobility for All” track was geared especially for corporate fleet and mobility managers and featured discussions and presentations on new rental models, direct-to-consumer models, decreasing traffic fatalities, and insurance liability issues.

The “Fleet LatAm” track was designed with “inspiring the fleet and mobility manager in Latin America” in mind. Session topics in this track included key drivers for growth in the LatAm market, harmonizing fleet policies, and growth opportunities in Argentina.

WTM18 also featured a fun-filled exhibit hall of technologies and innovations from well-established companies and start-ups alike.

In short, the WTM18 agenda included sessions on all of the things we here in North America typically talk about when we discuss “mobility,” such as autonomous vehicles, new modes of transportation and delivery, and new opportunities and challenges for “the last mile” of transport. But WTM18 took a much broader and deeper look at mobility – precisely because of the circumstances in Brazil – to look at mobility from the perspective of work/life balance, lifestyle decision-making, and finding more value in life.

Regardless of the topic being discussed in any track, the one constant throughout WTM18 was the passion speakers and participants had for the subject of mobility. It was clear to me that, as the saying goes, necessity was the mother of invention, and our partners and friends in Brazil are leading the way.

Congratulations to Pedro, Flavio, and everyone at Instituto PARAR and GolStat for creating an outstanding event! It was an honor to be your guest, and I look forward to attending again next year, perhaps with a large North American delegation!

Sincerely,

Phil