The Venue
Rio is unique. No other city in South America - possibly the world - can match its kaleidoscopic mix of sun, sea, sand, scenery and busy cosmopolitan life. Founded by the Portuguese in the early 16th century, it is a melting pot of races, colours and creeds, steeped in history.
Modern Rio has many contrasting faces, but is never dull. Brazil's second largest city is home to over ten million of the country's 156 million inhabitants - and a year-long procession of hundreds of thousands of visitors from every part of the world.
Its tourist attractions are legendary, but there is another, altogether more serious side to Rio. As Brazil and its South American trading partners take a growing part in global affairs, the city's well developed tourist infrastructure is proving its worth in new ways. Rio is one of the southern hemisphere's fastest-growing business and convention capitals.
It was the particular focus of attention in 1992 when the United Nations chose it as the site of one of the decade's most important events - the Conference on Environment and Development, attended by more than 100 government leaders and heads of state and no fewer than 15,000 delegates.
Rio the business city is a continental gateway to and from large parts of North America, Middle East, Africa and Europe. Over 70% of Brazil's exports are shipped from here, and its international airport has direct scheduled connections to over seventy cities around the world.
The return of Americas TELECOM to Rio has been influenced by the high quality of accommodation and key services necessary for the smooth running of a major international event of this kind. The Exhibition and Forum will take place at the Riocentro convention centre in Barra da Tijuca, a prosperous residential suburb located about twenty minutes from the city centre.
The site is the largest in the region, located in an attractive landscaped park between surrounding hills and the sea. The layout and dimensions of the exhi-bition halls offer unlimited scope for effective presentation. The support facilities are comprehensive and efficient. The Americas TELECOM 96 Forum will take place in the adjacent Congress Hall which has accommodation for over 2,500 delegates, and state-of-the-art audio-visual, translation and press facilities.
The count-down has begun for the event which will bring the telecommunications world together at the Riocentro for an intensive business week. Despite the schedule, few visitors will be able to ignore the surroundings. Rio's beauty is reborn each morning as the sun rises and slants across the breathtaking landscape of this remarkable city nestled between mountains and the sea. Local people call it Cidade Maravilhosa - the Marvellous City - a fitting title for an extraordinary place.