Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom

Category: Seminars & Workshops

“Using social media data for business growth” seminar

On the 23^rd May 2018 we teamed up with social media marketing software provider and Chamber member Audiense to hold a seminar on how social media can contribute to business growth and development. This greatly popular seminar, which welcomed participants from both member and non-member companies and representing a variety of sectors, demonstrated the great value of social media to all businesses.

The talk was led by Carlos Serra, Chief Operating Officer of Audiense. He began by explaining very briefly what the presentation would cover, including the key difference between engagement vs. presence on social media, the various social selling pillars and invaluable advice on how to successfully manipulate data received from social channels.

An important tip that Carlos highlighted was that of the basic social stack, in which he included 4 stages which utilise different (and mostly free) platforms: monitoring (using HootSuite and Ritetag), publishing content (using Buffer and Bitly), market research (using Facebook and Audiense) and promoting content to the right audience by use of Twitter advertisements and LinkedIn; for example. He recommended the use of RiteTag for instant hashtag suggestions for images and texts, which are based on real time hashtag engagement.

He went on to describe a new approach to influencer marketing. This process has four key stages: to IDENTIFY the relevant domain and its audience, SEGMENT the audience in to smaller communities, ENGAGE at scale organically through advertising to create awareness and to go on to build an ‘influencer panel’ to UNDERSTAND the content and behaviours to tailor companies’ messages and develop campaigns.

The presentation was both highly engaging and insightful, and throughout Carlos used the example of the social media channels of Forma 5; another member of the Chamber. He used their feeds to exemplify the hidden data which should be used to underpin company’s social media strategies, and more importantly, where to find this (mentioning Facebook ads and Twitter lists).

The event was well received by all who attended, who enjoyed the opportunity to be actively engaged in the seminar. Following Carlos’ presentation, participants were able to ask any questions they had to clarify any doubts and to receive extra advice. After this, everyone had the chance to network and exchange opinions of the seminar over coffee and breakfast. It was clear that all had found it interesting and eye opening, and left inspired about how they could improve their social media marketing strategies.

We would like to thank Audiense very much for collaborating with us on this seminar.

To find out about further seminars and other networking events held by the Spanish Chamber, we encourage you to visit the Upcoming Events section of our website and also sign up to our fortnightly newsletter to keep informed about future Chamber activities.

29/05/2018
‘Staying safe online- just how easy is it?’ seminar with Technorizon

On the morning of 9^th May 2018 we held our seminar titled “staying safe online- just how easy is it?” in collaboration with Technorizon UK, a member of the Spanish Chamber. The seminar was given by Ricardo Ena, the company’s UK Regional Manager. After introducing himself, he kicked off the seminar by providing some background on the subject of cyber security and its prevalence in today’s society, giving recent examples of high profile cases that have featured in the news.

He then went on to talk about each in turn of the principal online security risks and how to avoid these. For example, he mentioned that it is advisable to unsubscribe from any apps or online accounts that are not regularly used, and to consider using a password manager. He also highlighted the risks that can be associated with near field communication (NFC) that we may not be aware of, as well as those of free WIFI and the use of mobile apps.

Following this, he went on to explain how to prevent these risks. He recommended covering lap top cameras, changing passwords every few months and updating software and applications whenever possible and appropriate. He ended by speaking about Technorizon, a provider of IT security and network management solutions which have branches in Dubai, India, Portugal and Spain.

The event was well received by all who attended, who enjoyed the opportunity to be actively involved in the seminar. Following Ricardo’s talk, participants had the opportunity to ask any questions they had to clarify any doubts and to receive extra advice. After this, everyone had the chance to network and exchange their opinions of the seminar over coffee and breakfast. It was clear that all had found it interesting and eye opening, and many even left with RFID blocking card holders and laptop camera blockers.

We would like to thank Technorizon for collaborating with us on this seminar, which was well received by all. To find out about further seminars and other networking events held by the Spanish Chamber, we encourage you to visit the Upcoming Events section of our website and also sign up to our fortnightly newsletter to keep informed about the Chamber’s activities.

15/05/2018
“Infrastructure and Procurement opportunities in the West” event with Freeths LLP

On Tuesday 6^th February 2018 the Spanish Chamber of Commerce held an event titled “Infrastructure and Procurement Opportunities in the West” in collaboration with Freeths LLP; member of the Chamber. Freeths is a major UK law firm with 11 offices in key cities, specialising in construction, energy, real estate and planning. The event took place at the firm’s head office in Manchester and constituted the Chamber’s first event to take place outside of London, marking the start of our efforts to carry out more sectorial events in different parts of the United Kingdom.

The event saw a great turn out of 30 guests from approximately 25 companies from sectors ranging from construction to engineering, with many having travelled from cities such as London, Birmingham and Darlington. After an early start, guests had the opportunity to meet each other over a coffee before being asked to take their seats. They were then welcomed to the event and a series of introductions were made by James Driver, Partner at Freeths, who explained the structure of the day’s event.

Steve Burns, Head of Economic Development at Bolton Council, was then the first to speak. He spoke about the town’s ‘Bolton 2030’ strategy for growth which focuses on factors such as employment, health, business growth, housing, embracing a digital future and the Bolton Vision partnership. He spoke about the scheme’s challenges but also the opportunities it brings, including housing and employment growth, before going on to describe Bolton’s town centre framework and the recent investment in this.

Martin Lawton of Blacc Consulting LLP spoke next on the topic of manufacture led construction. He began by introducing his firm and what they do, detailing how they are construction, project, programme and portfolio management specialists who have a great deal of industry experience. He then described Blacc’s vision for revolutionising the construction industry and the evolution of the modular assembly toolkit, before providing a variety of case studies; looking principally at the layout of schools.

David Fisken, Head of Business Attraction at the West Midlands Growth Company was the next to speak. He spoke of the company’s 7 remit areas before giving an introduction to the West Midlands and their recent major developments. He then spoke of the firm’s regional economic plan and the transformational and enabling sectors that this involves, highlighting the vital importance of digital in this. He highlighted the opportunities with transport, energy, life sciences and healthcare, housing, the High Speed 2 project and transformational regeneration projects. He finished his talk by highlighting the main motivations for investing in the West Midlands, which include connectivity, its rich and growing talent pool and the fact that it is the most successful UK region for FDI.

Following a coffee break in which guests had the opportunity to share their impressions of the speakers, Andris Bankovskis spoke on the subject of UK energy. He began by highlighting that the three objectives of UK energy policy are the security of supply, sustainability and least cost before going on to speak about new energy technology and the opportunities developing in refurbishment, smart technologies and waste management to name a few. He finally went on to speak about several of the current energy projects in the UK.

The final speaker of the morning was Jason Richards, Partner at Freeths, who spoke about the legislative framework for Public Private Partnerships and the UK Organisational Structure. He described the key features of a PPP framework, giving examples, before speaking about the main features of the UK’s organisational framework. He finally spoke about the Five Case Model, touching on Brexit, before providing a summary of the issues faced by investors.

Following the last talk the guests had the opportunity to network with each other over lunch. As the attendees discussed the talks it was clear to see that they had found them useful and highly insightful. The success of this event was promising and we look forward to organising more events of this nature in the future.

If you would like to know more about this kind of events and others organised by the Chamber, do take a look at the Upcoming Events section of our website or subscribe to our electronic newsletter for biweekly updates.

13/02/2018
ELEVATOR PITCH XXXII EDITION
On the morning of Thursday 30^th November we hosted our most recent Elevator Pitch networking event, held in the stylish London office (based in Hammersmith) of Trison World, new patron of the Chamber. The event was chaired by Igor Urra, the Spanish Chamber’s Secretary General, who once all participants had taken their seats proceeded to explain the how event would work. The general format of the event is as follows:
- One representative from each company is allowed to participate, with a maximum of 16 companies being able to take part. In addition, no more than two companies from the same sector can register for the event.
- With something of a round table format, each participant begins by presenting their company and what they do to fellow guests, being given a maximum of two minutes to speak. Following this, each participant answers any questions other participants may have about their companies, before participants have a further chance to network more informally and without the previous time constraints over a late breakfast.
This occasion saw 11 participants from a variety of sectors taking part: Buckles Solicitors (legal services), Elastacloud (communications and IT networks), Global FDI (business consultancy services), Trison World (audio visual integration), Melia White House Hotel (hotels and accommodation), Mishcon de Reya (legal services), Spanish Olive Oil School (education, training and learning), Sunfloret Translations (translation services), Synergym (leisure and sport management) and Your Architect London (architecture, interior design and engineering). Given that there were only 11 participants, the event was highly interactive with guests being able to learn a great deal about the other companies and explore potential routes for collaboration.

We would very much like to thank all attendees who took part in this edition of the Elevator Pitch for having joined us, in particular a special thank you to Trison for hosting the session so successfully! Guests were even treated to a surprise following the main event, which saw them each being able to invent their own individual scent, inspired by different aspects of their personalities.

If you have not yet participated in an Elevator Pitch event and are interested in doing so, keep an eye on our newsletter (released twice a month) as well as the UPCOMING EVENTS section of our website for information about the next one which will be held early in 2018.
05/12/2017
Brexit: Immigration and Employment morning talk with the Embassy of Spain

On the morning of Wednesday 15^th November 2017, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce held a morning talk titled Brexit: Immigration and Employment in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain to the United Kingdom, held at their premises in Knightsbridge, London.

There were three speakers leading the session: Juan Duarte, Counsellor at the Embassy of Spain, José Riera, General Consul at the Spanish Consulate in London and Reyes Zataraín del Valle; Employment and Social Security Advisor. Once all attendees had taken their seats, Eduardo Barrachina, Associate at White & Case LLP (member of the Chamber) opened the talk and welcomed everyone to the Embassy.

Mr Duarte then started proceedings by explaining the format of the talk. He went on to briefly describe the timeline of Brexit events and developments thus far, particularly in terms of key dates and negotiations. He spoke about the issues of the single market, the current situation with social security and documentation of EU citizens residing in the UK; highlighting that the sooner negotiations can get underway the better the outcome will be for everyone.

José Riera spoke next, beginning by emphasising the importance of Spanish citizens who reside in the UK enrolling in the Spanish Consulate and the many reasons for this. He spoke of the wider work of the Consulate and the issues and technicalities surrounding the application process for British citizenship, adding that the amount of people applying for this is continually increasing.

Reyes Zataraín del Valle then opened up her talk by explaining how there is currently a good situation in terms of Social Security and that Spain has a stable and well developed system for this. She went on to speak in greater detail about the matter, covering additional areas such as pensions, benefits, indefinite leave to remain and settled status in the UK.

After the three speakers then spoke again, Mr Duarte invited guests to ask any questions they might have; although they had also been previously encouraged to do so throughout the talk. There were a great deal of questions asked which were directed to and answered by the three members of the panel. After the final question was answered, attendees were encouraged to send any further queries they might have to the embassy by email (to either brexitventanillaresidentes@maec.es or emb.londres.brexit@maec.es).

This was a popular talk with a fantastic turnout and positive feedback received, with attendees having found the content both insightful and useful. We would like to thank the Embassy of Spain for collaborating with us on this event and for holding it at their premises, as well as all of those who took part.

If you would like to know more about this kind of events and others organised by the Chamber, do take a look at the Upcoming Events section of our website or subscribe to our electronic newsletter for biweekly updates.

22/11/2017
“Brexit: Immigration, Employment and Tax” seminar with Buckles Solicitors LLP

On the morning of Tuesday 10^th October 2017 we were pleased to hold the breakfast seminar “Brexit: Immigration, Employment in Tax” organised in collaboration with Buckles Solicitors LLP, Benefactor of the Chamber. The event was held, very fittingly, on their premises close to Chancery Lane; in the heart of the City.

Guests from several of our member companies attended the seminar, interestingly from a variety of sectors. Following an opportunity for attendees to meet each other over coffee, Alejandro Verdú de Haro, Head of International at Buckles Solicitors, welcomed everybody on behalf of his firm and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain.

Giles Betts, Partner and Head of Employment at Buckles then began the seminar by speaking about the effect that Brexit has had so far on employment in the UK and how it potentially would affect it in the future. In particular, he spoke of the sectors which employ the most individuals from other EU countries (such as hospitality, construction, and healthcare) and how this varies around the UK. Next, Ben Sheldrick, Senior Partner (UK/US) at Magrath Sheldrick Solicitors LLP spoke about how Brexit was affecting the field of immigration law. He mentioned how in the 21^st century the UK has seen a substantial spike in immigration from across Europe, but how since last year’s referendum this has been stagnated. He also provided insight on the government’s three phase approach to the introduction of a new immigration system for EU nationals, as well as its proposals for EU citizens arriving in the UK after the yet-specified date and during the Implementation Period. After Mr Sheldrick’s presentation, Alejandro Verdú de Haro took over to speak about tax. His topics covered the impacts Brexit could have on customs & excise duties, value added tax and on direct taxes in Spain as well as in the UK.

To conclude the seminar, attendees had the opportunity to bring up further points of discussion and ask any questions they had for all three of the speakers, following by a further opportunity to discuss such matters as well as to network over coffee.

We would like to warmly thank our Benefactor Buckles Solicitors LLP for hosting the event and for providing such interesting insight, as well as Magrath Sheldrick LLP for their participation in the talk. We would also like to thank all guests who joined us for the seminar and hope that they found it as worthwhile as we did.

If you would like to find out about other activities organised by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, we encourage you to keep an eye on the UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website. In addition to this, you can also subscribe to our biweekly newsletter in order to receive updates and information about the events we hold.

12/10/2017
BREXIT: READY FOR THE NEW GDPR?

On Thursday 8^th June, we had the pleasure of holding the breakfast seminar “Brexit: The General Data Protection Regulation”, organised in collaboration with our Patron SCA Ontier, who hosted the event, and our member Haymarket Risk Management.

With Brexit as the key focus, this session’s aim was to explore and analyse the current regulation for Data Protection, and how the new regimen is going to change some important aspects in the UK legal framework.

On this occasion, our International Trade Manager, Abel Plasencia, gave a warm welcome to the attendees on behalf of the Chamber and introduced the Speakers: Ms. Yao Trinh, Associate at SCA ONTIER, and Mr. Richard Kusnierz, Divisional Director and Advanced Investigative Data Analyst at Haymarket Risk Management.

To kick off, Ms. Trinh explained the current situation of the GDPR in the European Union. She also described the impact that this area has suffered with the Brexit. Following this, she developed the changes to data protection laws under the GDPR focusing on the major innovations of the EU General Data Protection Regulation. She closed her speech listing the consequences in the case that companies do not comply with the new GDPR before 28^th May 2018, listing the Liabilities, Remedies and Penalties.

Richard Kusnierz (standing), Divisional Director and Advanced Investigative Data Analyst at Haymarket Risk Management, during his presentation.

After this presentation, Mr. Kusnierz from Haymarket took over. He talked about how the personal data of employees impacts the company and gave some useful tips to protect it from security breaches. Once this was explained, he listed the penalties established on actual regulation and put some examples of how this is going to change with the implementation of the new GDPR regimen.

To conclude the seminar, a Q&A round took place in order for participants to expose their doubts and questions to the experts. Before the seminar was over, participants were invited to enjoy breakfast, whilst given the opportunity to discuss the session’s ideas and concepts further with the speakers.

We are grateful to our member Haymarket Risk Management and SCA ONTIER, Patron of the Chamber and kind host of this session, for delivering such a dynamic and engaging session. We would also like to thank all attendees who joined us.

If you want to find out about other activities organised by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, we encourage you to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website. In addition to this, you can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter in order to receive updates and information about our events

19/06/2017
ELEVATOR PITCH | XXVIII EDITION

On Thursday 1^st December, we held the XXVIII edition of our Elevator Pitch networking event. On this occasion the event took place at the Mayfair premises of Lloyds Bank, Patron of the Spanish Chamber, who kindly hosted our guests.

Mr. Joe Street and Mr. Amit Varia, from Lloyd’s, kindly welcomed attendees upon arrival and made sure everything was ready for another edition of this successful format.

Attendees had the opportunity to network before the presentations round started.

The event was chaired by Jesús Agra, our Foreign Trade Manager and Cristina Carmona, Head of Corporate Relations and Communication of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce. After reminding attendees the dynamics of this format, the round of presentations kicked off, with our host Joe Street starting the proceedings.

After Joe’s presentation, each attendee had 2 minutes to give a concise introduction about their company’s main line of activity and services they provide. After this, there was a second round where everyone had the opportunity to ask questions to the rest of participants. After the round of questions was finished, everyone had the opportunity to chat and continue networking over breakfast without time constraints.

Representatives from the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Lloyds Bank welcomed the attendees.

Should you be interested in joining the next edition of this networking event, there are just a couple of things you need to know: Usually there are up to 16 participant companies, and only one representative per company is allowed. However, it is possible to have up to two companies from the same business sector. Therefore, attendees are able to meet a wide variety of companies from different sectors and exchange their business cards.

On this occasion, a wide variety of sectors were represented among the 12 companies that were in attendance at this edition: De España a Londres (Relocation services), E-Lixir Consulting (Digital Communication), DLF Mobility (Transport of goods, Storage and Handling goods), EY (Business Consultancy Services), Lloyds Bank (Banking and Financial Services), Haymarket Risk Management (Business Consultancy Services), Kuorum (Online Database Services), Milingual (Language Services), My New London Property (Relocation Services), Norte by Bilbao Berria (Bar, Restaurant and Catering Services), Paradox Partners (Education, Training and Learning) and Spanish in Nature (Language Services).

Each participant introduced their company in 2 minutes to the rest of the audience.

As always we would like to thank all the professionals who joined us on the last edition of the Elevator Pitch in 2016 and our gratitude to our Patron Lloyds Bank for kindly hosting the event and welcoming us.

If you missed this event or simply want to know what we are up to next, have a look at the UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website or subscribe to our electronic newsletter for weekly updates.

08/12/2016
BREAKFAST SEMINAR: FINANCING INNOVATION FOR BUSINESSES

On Thursday, 10^th November, we had the pleasure of holding the seminar “Financing Innovation for Businesses”, at the premises of the Spanish Chamber. We held this seminar in collaboration with F. Iniciatives, member of the Chamber.

On this occasion, Cristina Carmona, Head of External Relations and Communications of the Chamber, gave a warm welcome to all attendees on behalf of our institution and gave the floor to the speakers of the session: Mr. Antoine Abbatucci, Business Development Manager and Mr. Eneko Igartua, International Grants Consultant.

Mr. Abbatucci, began the session introducing the schemes of the Research and Development Tax Incentives. The main aim of this tax incentive is to increase the competitiveness of the UK companies and to guide them through their R&D activities expansion.

Mr. Eneko Igartua presenting during the seminar.

After that, Antoine explained the requirements that HM Revenue & Customs have established for companies to be able to access grants, and he then introduced the R&D tax relief for SMEs. He started by defining the concept of an SME following the European Commission criteria and then he went on to describe the Calculation of the R&D Tax Relief and the benefits SMEs can have through the claiming process which works by self-assessment.

After Antoine finished the introduction, it was the turn of his colleague Eneko Igartua who introduced to attendees the UK´s Innovation Agency, which funds, supports, and connects innovative British businesses through a unique mix of people and programmes to accelerate sustainable economic growth.

Antoine Abbatucci (far right) could greet attendees before the session started.

As Eneko explained, there are a series of initiatives currently running to foster research-based and innovation-driven projects, including the European R+D+I Grant, Horizon 2020. This is a funding framework programme for all EU research and innovation-related activities being carried out between 2014 and 2020. With a budget of 70.2 billion euros, Horizon 2020 was created with the aim to strengthen the EU’s position in research, innovation, and technology matters.

To conclude the seminar, Antoine Abbatucci offered an overview of the Brexit impact for R&D Funding; for now there are no changes in the participation of British companies within European programmes until the Brexit become effective, but after Brexit multiple scenarios are possible and it is key to be informed of different European grants and funds to react accordingly.

Participants had time to continue the discussion after the seminar.

After the session, all attendees had the opportunity to exchange their impressions and ideas about the points covered in the seminar while enjoying some breakfast.

We would like to thank all attendees for joining us and particularly Antoine Abbatucci and Eneko Igartua from F.Iniciatives for delivering such an insightful seminar.

If you want to find out about other activities organised by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, we encourage you to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website. In addition to this, you can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter in order to receive updates and information about our events.

24/11/2016
BREAKFAST SEMINAR: MANAGING VIRTUAL TEAMS

On Wednesday 5th October, we had the pleasure of holding the workshop “Managing Virtual Teams”, organised in collaboration with The London School of International Communication, which is part of The London School of English, member of the Chamber.

Virtual team working is nowadays the norm for many organisations, yet many teams fail to meet their objectives due to poor communication, language barriers, feelings of isolation and a lack of team cohesion.

On this occasion, our Secretary General, Igor Urra, gave a warm welcome to the attendees on behalf of the Chamber and introduced Ms. Cathy Wellings, director of The London School of International Communication, who began the session with a brief introduction to the concept of managing virtual teams and its importance considering that around 66% of international companies deploy employees across the globe.

Mr. Igor Urra welcomed attendees and introduced our speaker Ms. Cathy Wellings.

To kick off, she explained the aim of the session, which was to show participants how to minimise the challenges and maximise the benefits of working across different geographies. This explanation was followed by a group dynamics in which attendees -paired up back to back- tried to communicate with their partner. The aim of this exercise was to provide participants with a first-hand example to illustrate the communication problems that may arise when we are not able to speak face to face with someone.

After this group exercise, the speaker went on talking about the importance of launching a good and successful remote team. It is essential, she argued, to make sure that the organisation is prepared to support virtual work in the first place. Likewise, one of the most challenging situations consists in choosing the right people when we may not know them in person, which leads to the importance of building trust among the members of the virtual team in order to make it work.

The session covered the main challenges and benefits of working with virtual teams.

The Director of the London School of International Communication continued her talk with further examples regarding how to measure trust and what constitute relevant criteria to assess if the members of a remote team are effectively dependable.

To conclude the seminar, Cathy elaborated on the ideal sort of behaviours the virtual team manager should have to encourage teams. She highlighted that building a relationship based on trust, being accessible to the employees and encouraging collaboration among them was paramount to pave the way for creating and developing a successful virtual team.

Before the seminar was over, participants were invited to enjoy breakfast, whilst given the opportunity to discuss the session’s ideas and concepts further with the speaker.

Ms. Wellings providing an example of how a virtual manager should behave to encourage team cohesion.

We would like to thank all attendees for joining us, and particularly The London School of Communication, part of The London School of English, and its Director Cathy Wellings for delivering such a dynamic, interesting and useful session.

If you want to find out about other activities organised by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, we encourage you to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website. In addition to this, you can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter in order to receive updates and information about our events.

17/10/2016

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