Tourvest Event Activation Management (T.E.A.M), the sports event business management unit of Tourvest Inbound Operations (TIO), has opened an office in Brazil ahead of the country’s hosting of the Confederations Cup and Soccer World Cup in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Discussing the future of T.E.A.M, TIO ceo, Martin Wiest, says the company’s involvement in the World Cup has resulted in an in-depth understanding of the sports event destination management segment which can be applied to similar events internationally. Wiest adds that TIO has also gained a broad network of customers as a result of its role in South Africa’s World Cup. “We’ve discovered that many of the decision makers that have played a part in this year’s World Cup are the same people involved in Brazil’s World Cup in 2014. Our goal is to do a great job here, which will prove to these key decision makers that we’ll be capable of doing exactly the same in Brazil.” In addition, the many lessons learnt along the way while preparing for South Africa’s World Cup, are likely to be applicable within the Brazilian context, says Philip Bourdin, md of T.E.A.M. The fact that Brazil is a long haul destination for most of the world outside of South America, as well as accommodation scarcity in certain host cities, are just two of the similarities that can be found between the World Cup host countries. “Having found solutions to most of these problems in South Africa, we feel confident that our expertise will be of use in Brazil in 2014,” says Bourdin. The Brazil office will afford T.E.A.M the opportunity to play a significant role in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games to be held in 2016.