Use the DBMC mobile app for a smoother São Paulo visit

At the XIII International Conference on Building Materials and Components in São Paulo, learning how to use the DBMC mobile app for a better conference experience is largely a matter of preparation. Treat the mobile application as a working travel companion, combining the scientific schedule, venue information, alerts and communication tools in one place.

Before departure, use it to confirm registration details, learn the venue, bookmark sessions and identify people worth meeting. Keeping permitted notes and contacts in the app reduces the need to photograph every screen or carry a thick folder between rooms.

Australian delegates should prepare for local differences: Brazil uses the Brazilian real, São Paulo is generally 13–14 hours behind Sydney or Melbourne depending on daylight saving, and mobile data may behave differently from an Australian plan. Keep digital copies of passport and visa documents, check current customs requirements, and download essential material before relying on hotel or venue Wi-Fi.

Conference moment	Paper-based approach	App-based approach
Before travel	Carry printed papers and jot details by hand.	Save favourites, maps and contacts for offline use.
Between sessions	Search a printed programme after a room change.	See alerts, filters and a personal schedule at a glance.
After the event	Try to reconstruct notes from photographs.	Keep permitted slides, notes and new contacts together.

Set up the app before you fly

Download the DBMC app through the conference’s official channel, check that it is the correct conference edition, and sign in with the email used for registration. A mismatch in the organiser name or edition can leave you with an old programme. Allow notifications for schedule changes and venue alerts, then review camera, contacts and location permissions before granting them.

Create your attendee profile with your full name, Australian affiliation, research interests and preferred language. Check spelling carefully, since colleagues from universities, consultancies and manufacturers may search by surname or organisation. Download the programme, venue map and attendee directory when those items are offered, then test the app in airplane mode so you know what remains available without mobile data.

Build a reliable session plan

Before building a personal schedule, take a moment to review the programme and confirm session names, rooms and times. Search by theme, author or speaker, save the sessions that match your work, and use the app’s favourites rather than relying on memory. Session changes are easier to handle when the personal view updates alongside the full event schedule.

Build in travel time between buildings rather than treating every back-to-back session as possible. São Paulo traffic can turn a short walk into a longer taxi or Metro journey, and parallel themes may require a quick choice. Set a reminder for registration, lunch and the sessions you cannot afford to miss, then add the important items to your phone calendar as a backup.

Check the displayed time zone before coordinating with colleagues in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. São Paulo does not observe daylight saving; Sydney and Melbourne do, so the gap changes by an hour during parts of the year, while Brisbane remains on standard time. A quick morning check of the app prevents an Australian online meeting or travel connection from competing with a DBMC session.

Navigate São Paulo with local context

Use the venue map to save the conference address and the entrance or room you need. Save the address in Portuguese as well as English, and show the saved pin to a taxi driver or hotel receptionist if street names are unfamiliar. If sessions are spread across more than one building, identify the walking route and accessible entrance before the first meeting rather than discovering them while the session is already under way.

Arrivals through Guarulhos Airport (GRU) need extra planning. Leave time for immigration, baggage collection and the transfer into the city, since expressways can be busy at peak periods. Check current visa and entry rules for your passport, keep originals accessible, and ask a customs officer about declarations for technical samples or commercial materials. On returning to Australia, check Australian Customs requirements for those items as well.

For everyday expenses, use Brazilian reais (BRL/R$) and check the exchange rate against Australian dollars; international cards may work at larger hotels and venues, while cafés, markets and taxis can be easier with some local cash. Brazil commonly uses Type N plugs and a 127/220-volt supply, so an Australian adaptor and a suitable charger are useful. Read a restaurant bill before adding a tip, since some São Paulo venues include service.

Connect with delegates and speakers

Use the attendee directory and interest filters to find researchers, engineers and industry representatives working on similar materials, testing methods or construction challenges. A precise profile makes a message easier to answer, especially for delegates from Australian cities who want to compare local practice with Brazilian projects. Keep contact sharing deliberate: the app’s networking tools should help you follow up, not expose private information unnecessarily.

If the app provides a delegate code, QR badge or messaging function, exchange details before leaving a coffee break and state why you are making contact. A short reference to a shared session makes the approach respectful and useful. Ask before photographing posters or presentation slides, and use the app’s permitted presentation links instead of copying large amounts of copyrighted material.

Bring Australian market questions into these conversations, but leave room for local standards and conditions. The National Construction Code, AS/NZS standards and Australian procurement practices have useful parallels with building-materials research, while Brazilian requirements may differ by climate, seismic design and testing regime. Discuss recycled aggregates, low-carbon concrete, durability and fire performance as shared priorities rather than assuming one market’s rules apply everywhere.

Keep your conference information after the event

At the end of each day, mark the sessions attended, save the most useful presentation links, and record the names of people you want to follow up. If the app offers evaluations, session feedback or a certificate, complete those tasks before the conference schedule closes. A short note on what a paper changed in your practice is more valuable than a large stack of unmarked photographs.

Before leaving São Paulo, download or synchronise permitted notes and presentation materials, and export your contacts in a format you can open on another device. Check that private notes and contact details are not left visible to other delegates. After returning to Australia, send follow-up messages while the context is fresh, then file the material by theme so it is easy to use in future project work.

The practical takeaway is simple: set up the app, download the programme, choose an offline backup and check the local time before your first São Paulo session.