Imagine a maker of work uniforms in Caruaru, in the state of Pernambuco (an example), that sells well to local companies and wants to reach buyers in other regions. The owner heard about business rounds, opened a search engine and found everything at once: news about an event that already happened, a closed sign-up page, an invitation to a fair in another state. Before signing up for anything, it pays to know what you expect from a round and where your network is already strong. The Networking Diagnostic shows in a few minutes which channels you use today and which ones you have dropped, and that helps you decide where to look.
This guide answers a practical question: where to join a business round in Brazil. It does not include a calendar, because dates change every year and each organization announces its own. It shows who usually organizes rounds, how you hear about sign-ups and how to choose between the options. If you are new to the format, first read the guide on how a business round works.
Start with Sebrae and your state's federations
The best-known in-person rounds in Brazil come from organizations that support businesses. They have the contact base, the venue and the relationship with the buying companies in the region. So the first step is to look at who is already active in your state.
Sebrae
Sebrae, Brazil's small business support agency, has a unit in every state, and each unit sets its own program. That means a Sebrae round in Santa Catarina does not necessarily show up on the Sebrae page for Bahia. On the Sebrae website, find the page for your state's unit and also follow its social media and mailing list. The regional offices, in smaller cities, offer in-person service and can tell you what is coming up. To see how these meetings are usually set up, read our guide to Sebrae business rounds (in Portuguese).
Industry federations
Every Brazilian state has its own federation of industries, a business body that represents manufacturers, and many of them promote meetings between manufacturers and buyers, sometimes together with Sebrae or with large companies that want to develop local suppliers. If you sell to industry, or you are a manufacturer, follow the federation's events page and newsletter. The employer unions in your sector, linked to the federation, also share these opportunities with their members.
Ask your city's trade association and CDL
Commercial and business associations, along with CDLs (Câmaras de Dirigentes Lojistas, local retailers' chambers), exist in many Brazilian cities. They bring together local retail, services and industry, and many of them organize business meetings between members. Their reach is smaller than a state body's, but the conversations tend to be with people from your region, which makes delivery, visits and long-term relationships easier.
Finding out is straightforward:
- Newsletter and groups: ask to join the association's mailing list or announcement group, even before you become a member.
- Events calendar: check the events page on the organization's website and its social media.
- Talk to the staff: call and ask whether a round is planned and whether it is open to non-members.
- Sector groups: many associations have groups by sector or for young business owners that hold smaller meetings.
Some rounds are for members only, and others open seats to the public. Also ask whether there is a fee and when sign-ups close. If your company is not a member yet, a round can be a good reason to get to know the association from the inside.
Check the program of your sector's trade fairs
Many trade fairs include a business round in their program, run by the fair organizer, a sector association or Sebrae. The round usually takes place in an area separate from the booths, with scheduled time slots, and it lets you talk to buyers without relying on whoever walks down the aisle.
The thing to watch is the deadline. Sign-ups for the round almost always close before the fair opens, because the organizers need to build the schedule in advance. If you discover the round on the day of the event, you are usually too late. So:
- List the fairs that matter for your sector and note the time of year they happen.
- Subscribe to each fair's newsletter.
- Look for the program or business section on the fair's website.
- Put the opening and closing dates for round sign-ups on your calendar.
Remember that a fair costs more than the registration: travel, lodging and days away from the business. Add this up before you decide.
To sell abroad, look to ApexBrasil and chambers of commerce
If your goal is to export, the path is different. ApexBrasil, the federal agency that promotes Brazilian exports and investment, supports Brazilian companies taking part in fairs abroad and promotes meetings with foreign buyers, some of them held in Brazil itself. It also runs preparation programs for companies that do not export yet, and those are a good place to start if that is your case.
Bilateral chambers of commerce, which bring together companies from Brazil and another country, are the other door. They organize trade missions, meetings with importers and business events between companies from both sides. Membership is not always required to take part, but it often gets you the announcements first. Either way, preparation matters more here: material in another language, an export price and the capacity to meet the volume requested.
Include online rounds in your search
Online rounds remove two limits of in-person ones: distance and dates. Instead of waiting for the yearly fair or the round in your city, you join from your own office, by video call, and talk to companies from any state. For a small company with a lean team, that swaps days of travel for a few hours on the calendar.
On RodadaDeNegocios.org, each conversation is one to one, by video call inside the platform, with a fixed length and automatic room changes, so nobody has to send a link. You describe in your profile what you offer and what you are looking for, and the platform suggests conversations with those looking for what you offer, without repeat conversations. Pairs are formed at the scheduled time, among those present, and the screen shows the name, the company and the reason for the match when each conversation opens. At the end of each conversation, each side marks whether there was interest, and contact details are only shared when both mark it. To compare the two formats calmly, see business round or trade fair: when to use each.
How to choose between the options
You do not have to stick to one channel. The most common approach is to combine one or two in-person sources with online rounds throughout the year. The table helps you compare.
| Where | How you hear about it | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Sebrae | Website, social media and emails from the state unit | Whether the round fits your sector and when sign-ups close |
| Industry federation | The federation's events page and newsletter | Who the buyers are and whether membership is required |
| Trade association and CDL | Newsletter, groups and talking to the staff | Whether it is open to non-members and whether there is a fee |
| Trade fair | The fair's program and newsletter | Sign-up deadline and travel cost |
| ApexBrasil and chambers of commerce | The agency's website and the chamber's announcements | Whether your company is ready to export |
| Online round | The platform's calendar | Whether the audience matches what you sell |
Three questions help you decide. Who do you want to meet: a large buyer, a supplier, a partner or a distributor? Where are those companies: in your city, in your state or spread across the country? How much time and money can you invest to get to each conversation? The format matters too. A round with an anchor company suits those who want to sell to one large buyer; a multi-sector round suits those who sell to many sectors. The guide to types of business rounds explains each format.
To compare the cost of each path, use the Cost per Meeting Calculator. It puts trade fairs, prospecting with a sales rep, ads and business rounds side by side and shows what it costs to get to one conversation in each. Sometimes the channel that looks cheap turns out expensive once you add up your team's time.
Where to start
Open three fronts this week: join the mailing list of the Sebrae unit in your state, ask your city's trade association whether a round is planned and write down the deadlines of your sector's fairs. While the in-person dates are still ahead, an online round lets you practice your pitch and talk to companies from other regions. Once you sign up, the guide on how to take part in a business round walks you through it, from profile to follow-up.
Your company's first online business round is on us: all you need is an active Brazilian CNPJ (the Brazilian company registration number), once per CNPJ, and contact details are only shared when both sides mark interest. See the upcoming business rounds and pick your first one to start your search without leaving the office.