Vox populi

Latin Trade, Feb, 2005 by Greg Brown

It's interesting putting out this issue, our third annual Best of Latin America edition. People always ask: How do you pick the best? The simple answer is, we don't. You do. We put together a comprehensive poll, conducted online, of our readership. This year, we added some fun categories--like Best Cruise Line, Best Beach and Best Resort--but the workhorse favorites are still here. If you live and work in the region, as many of us do, it helps to get the inside information on the best places to stay, meet, eat and relax during what can be a grueling way of life. Our readers live on the planes and sleep in the five-stars, so making that lifestyle a little more comfortable, a little more predictable and maybe a little more fun matters.

Disagree with our results? We'd love to hear about it. Send me an e-mail. I'll read them all, and I'll make sure you know when we get our next survey up and running, during the summer next year.

We're back, too, with our annual look at the best corporate managers. This time around, we asked the experts--again, not us, but executive recruiters who have a keen eye out for talent--for some names of Latin America's best managers for the coming growth cycle. As economies around the world start to heat up, the temptation to grow by buying or spending will be high. But real growth comes with discipline, knowing which opportunities matter and which will be boondoggles. Anybody can grow in a boom. Here we present the select few who can grow while keeping costs in line.

We end this issue with our first-ever photo contest, a cheeky shot from Rio. Congratulations to our winner, Flavio Naidin, and thanks to all the folks who sent in entries this year; they were really fun to see. We'll be back asking for more soon.

Greg Brown

gbrown@latintrade.com