LONDON--The Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro has called in Grayling to help showcase its appeal as an investment destination during the 2012 London Olympics.

The city is hoping to use its status as the host city of the next Olympic Games in 2016 to position itself as a springboard for MNC expansion into Latin America.

Rio Negocios, the city’s investment promotion agency, selected Grayling following a competitive review in London that attracted interest from several agencies.

The campaign is expected to focus on two elements. The first is Casa Brasil, Rio’s official presence at the London 2012 Olympic Games, which will be used for a series of B2B events targeting key industries: creative, life sciences, IT, infrastructure, energy and financial services. The second is a European roadshow in conjunction with Rio 2016 Olympic sponsors.

The city and state of Rio de Janeiro is expected to attract as much as $102bn between 2011 and 2013, including investments from such companies as GE, L’Oreal, Baker Hughes and EMC, marking a 70 percent increase on the period between 2010 and 2012.

In particular, Rio wants to make clear the commercial benefits that will arise out of the 2016 Olympics and other upcoming sporting events, including the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Billions of dollars are already invested in infrastructure projects, such as new energy plants, ports and refineries, and strong economic growth is expected over the next four years.

While the programme is taking place in Europe, Rio is aiming for international outreach. Target markets include the UK, France, Germany, the US, China, Japan and the Gulf.

The campaign is expected to run until September this year.

Rio Negocios representatives did not respond to request for comment as this story went live, while Grayling declined to comment.