The New York of South America
São Paulo—the continent’s largest and richest city—is as well designed for meetings as it is entertainment.
By Hunter Holcombe
THE FIRST DAY YOU ARRIVE IN THE MASSIVE, UNWIELDY MEGALOPOLIS THAT IS SÃO PAULO, it’s understandable to feel a bit intimidated. Peek out your hotel window, and see what looks like five or six mini-cities—clusters of shiny, new skyscrapers joined by low-rise neighborhoods and leafy public parks. Unless you know what to look for, there are no landmarks to give you bearing—you’re treading water in a sea of Brazilian cosmopolitanism.
Once you scratch the surface, however, you will discover an enthralling city brimming with cultural and gastronomical delights, as well as a state-of-the-art events infrastructure that never ceases to impress foreign meeting planners.
“The professionalism of the people working in this industry is a surprise to many coming from outside Brazil,” said Juan Pablo de Vera, president of Reed Exhibitions Alcantara Machado, one of the world’s largest event management companies. “And there are a lot of attractions that can give your group a unique opportunity to experience the city, such as sports or cultural attractions. This is why São Paulo is the largest center for events in South America.”
As Brazil’s financial industry headquarters—not to mention the largest and richest city on the continent—São Paulo is often called the New York of South America. The comparison is not a stretch at all, and the many similar qualities are some of the best ways for groups to digest the unique city culture.
For one: The gastronomic options are unparalleled. The wide swath of ethnic heritage in the city—from Portuguese to Italian to Japanese—makes for a mixing bowl of global cuisine and culinary fusions found nowhere else in the world. On top of this, São Paulo’s riches have lured dozens of foreign chefs with world-class reputations.
“For groups, I would say the best things to experience are our famous restaurants and incredibly diverse gastronomy,” said Annie Morrissey, president of the São Paulo CVB.
The city’s dynamic heritage also creates an atmosphere that appeals to visitors. Morrissey, herself a transplant from England, explains that the mix of races and cultural backgrounds here equates to a population that is tolerant of and welcoming to foreigners.
“You immediately feel at home, because of the comfortable diversity,” she said. “That’s nice [for visitors], so you don’t feel like a fish out of water.”
Even São Paulo’s neighbor to the north, Rio de Janeiro, helps give this city its unique identity. With its bikini-clad beaches, laid-back lifestyle and affinity for plastic surgery, Rio is Brazil’s Los Angeles. São Paulo plays as hard as it works, and the energy level here runs strong all day and night.
Attendees won’t run out of things to do. But, with horrendous traffic and an intimidating size, it’s important to plan things out well in advance. Consider the five options below—each a New York parallel as well as a perfect way for groups to absorb the city’s unique identity.
Cuisine
While New York is renowned for on-the-go pizza and bagel shops, cuisine from every corner of the world and a high concentration of fine dining, São Paulo matches it with fresh-fruit stands, churrascarias serving delicious barbecued meat and lunch diners selling vast varieties of food by weight. With immigrants from all over the world, the city is brimming with cuisine from such places as Northern Africa, the Middle East and Thailand, as well as some of the best Italian and Japanese chefs outside of their home countries.
When it comes to fine dining, the famous Italian restaurant Fasano is one of the best in the world, while celebrity chef Alex Atala creates exotic Brazilian dishes using herbs from the Amazon at his hot spot, D.O.M.
High-profile Transportation
In New York, the best way to turn heads is to cruise around town in a big, black stretch limo. In São Paulo, well, you would be just another one of the millions stuck in traffic. Why not fly over it all instead?
With more than 70,000 helicopter flights per year in the city center, São Paulo has the largest number of these nimble transporters of any city in the world, and it has become the preferred method of travel for business executives and celebrities alike. With so many landing pads near the city’s major hotel, business and entertainment districts, chartering a helicopter for a small VIP group can be as practical and time-saving as it is memorable.
High-profile Shopping
Paulistas say that if you can’t find it in São Paulo, you can’t find it in Brazil. It doesn’t take long to see their point. Just as New York—from its diamond districts to Chanel to FAO Schwartz—is the shopping apex of North America, anyone with money in South America heads to São Paulo. If your group members are at all inclined to flex the power of their credit cards at flashy malls, international fashion boutiques and impressive jewelry stores, it’s easy to point them in the right direction. The major shopping destinations, such as the Jardim district and the Shopping Morumbi mall, are close to the hotel and entertainment districts.
Sports
Spend any time in New York and you are bound to come across your fair share of Yankee baseball and Giants football fanatics. But even the energy of a home game win doesn’t come close to the near-religious devotion of São Paulo soccer fans—virtually everyone in the city. And, though New York’s sports rivalry with Boston is legendary, experience a game between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and you would think the cities were at war.
For visitors, a game at one of the city’s six major stadiums would be an unforgettable group experience, but it’s important to arrange for safe seating in a relatively neutral part of the stadium. At the massive Morumbi stadium, which will open the 2014 World Cup, groups can reserve a private suite with excellent views, a bar and, most importantly, a buffer from the highly enthusiastic, firework-toting crowd.
Culture
São Paulo boasts a thriving arts scene, with 88 museums, countless art galleries and music venues for every genre imaginable—classical to opera to Brazil’s iconic samba. One of the top attractions for groups is the beautiful Modern Art Museum, designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. For another interesting New York parallel, head over to the Banespa Building, modeled after the Empire State Building, with an observation deck offering excellent city views. One+
HUNTER HOLCOMBE is a freelance writer living in Buenos Aires.