Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom

Etiqueta: Events

BREAKFAST SEMINAR “EMPLOYMENT LAW: WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2016”

On Thursday 14th April, we had the pleasure of holding the seminar “Employment Law: What to Expect in 2016”, organised in collaboration with Levenes Employment, part of Levenes Solicitors, member of the Spanish Chamber.

On this occasion, our Secretary General, Igor Urra, received attendees on behalf of our institution and introduced the speakers from Levenes Employment: Rachel Lester, Senior Solicitor and Shahzad Ayub, Solicitor.

From left to right, the speakers from Levenes Employment: Shahzad Ayub, Solicitor and Rachel Lester, Senior Solicitor.

To kick off the session, Shahzad Ayub introduced the company and revealed the main four aspects that would be covered during the session: Holiday Pay, National Living Wage, Gender Pay Reporting and Zero Hours Contracts.

After this brief introduction, he made reference to the minimum requirements and recent decisions taken on Holiday Pay, as well as explaining what payments should be included and how to calculate them properly.

Afterwards, the speaker focused on the five different rates of National Minimum Wage according to the different categories of worker by age. More importantly, he emphasised on one of these; the National Living Wage, which was introduced on 1 April 2016 and applies to workers aged 25 or over, and concluded this part of the talk explaining which workers are entitled to be taken into account.

The attendees were listening attentively throughout the session.

Once Shahzad had finished his discourse, Rachel Lester took over to talk about the Gender Pay Gap Reporting, which is expected to come into force on 1^st October 2016 in order to guarantee that male and female receive equal pay for equal work. In this sense, she focused on the information that employers will be required to publish and explained how to calculate both the mean and median pay.

Rachel then went on to explain which employers are affected and covered, as well as the consequences of non-compliance and the steps that employers should consider to prepare themselves for the new requirements.

To conclude the seminar, the speaker provided the attendees with useful information about the Zero Hours Contracts, which set out the terms of the relationship between an employer and a casual worker, and summarised how they can be of assistance with these issues.

The event then moved on to the Q&A session, where the representatives of Levenes Employment responded to all the questions from the attendees. Once the session finished, participants could enjoy an interactive networking breakfast while sharing thoughts and discussing further all the ideas covered in the talk.

Attendees had the opportunity to discuss further during the networking breakfast.

Before finishing, we would like to thank all attendees for participating as well as the team of Levenes Employment for creating a very enjoyable and dynamic atmosphere and for delivering such a practical and interactive talk.

Last but not least, we encourage you to keep updated on all the activities of the Spanish Chamber by visiting our UPCOMING EVENTS section. You can also subscribe to our weekly electronic newsletter in order to receive updates on the latest activities of the Chamber!

29/04/2016
EVENING TALK | MIND THE GAAP: DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES IN ACCOUNTING FRAMEWORKS

On Wednesday 30^th March we had the pleasure to attend the evening talk “Mind the Gaap: Differences and Similarities in Accounting Frameworks”, organised in collaboration with Kingston Smith, Patron of the Chamber, which took place at their premises in London.

The main objective of this talk was to provide a practical training about the main differences and similarities between the accounting frameworks FRS 102, old UK GAAP and IFRS and summarize the impact for companies in the UK.

On this occasion, Mr. Paul Spindler, Partner at Kingston Smith, and Ms. Viviana Arenas welcomed the attendees on behalf of Kingston Smith, a company which offers accounting, taxation and consultancy services to businesses in the UK, Spain and Latin America.

Ms. Viviana Arenas, Project Accountant at Kingston Smith and the speaker for the session, gave attendees a general overview of the FRS 102, which is based on IFRS for SMEs amended for use in the UK. This new standard applies for accounting periods beginning on or after 1^st January 2015, and replaces the old UK GAAP.

Ms. Viviana Arenas during her explanation about the new accounting standard.

After this brief introduction, she moved on to give a brief explanation of the companies that need to adopt this new accounting regime. She emphasised the fact that companies that have previously presented their accounts under UK GAAP will apply the new standard unless they prepare their accounts under IFRS, or they are able to adopt the FRS 105, which replaces the FRSSE, for micro companies.

She then introduced the key differences compared to the old UK GAAP, considering several aspects, such as, potential effects on banking covenants, profit related bonus schemes or dividend policy, property, plant and equipment, business combination and financial instruments, among others. Ms. Arenas highlighted the topics where the accounting treatment under FRS 102 is substantially different and analysed the impact on the major changes for companies when switching to the new standard.

She ensured that attendees knew the most important changes that could significantly affect the figures presented in their accounts in order to face all the challenges and requirements for accounting in the UK.

Once the talk had finished attendees had the opportunity to network and axchange their opinions about the session.

After the explanations, Viviana encouraged attendees to share their thoughts in order to identify the areas that may affect their accounts on the transition to FRS 102.

Once the session finished, participants could enjoy an interactive networking over drinks and nibbles while sharing thoughts and discussing further all the ideas covered in the talk.

Before finishing, we would like to thank all attendees for joining us as well as the team of Kingston Smith for delivering this productive presentation on the new accounting framework.

If you want to find out other activities that the Spanish Chamber of Commerce is organising, we encourage you to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section within our website.

07/04/2016
EVENING TALK | JUMPING BARRIERS WHEN MOVING ABROAD.

On Thursday 17th March we held the evening talk “Jumping Barriers When Moving Abroad”, organised in collaboration with Kantox, member of the Spanish Chamber.

This two-hour event was the perfect occasion to show the participants how to mitigate risks when moving abroad by explaining which possible barriers should be taken into account to succeed during this process.

On this occasion, Brandon Smith, Country Manager at Kantox, welcomed attendees and briefly introduced himself before moving on to presenting the guest speaker for the evening: Daniel Evans, Chief Financial Officer at Dating Factory, who provided a practical example of the different barriers businesses must overcome based from his first-hand experience.

From left to right: Daniel Evans, Chief Financial Officer at Dating Factory and Brandon Smith, Country Manager at Kantox.

To kick off, Daniel started by explaining relevant information about the background of the company and where it came from before tackling the main content of his speech: the issues that arose when relocating the company from Ukraine to Bulgaria.

He then elaborated on this by explaining the struggles Dating Factory had to overcome during this process, which were mainly related to the following issues: legal aspects, technology, banks and financing, employees, cultural issues and currency approach. In this sense, he emphasised the relevance of having a proper FX strategy when entering a foreign market where local currency was difficult to get from traditional banks and explained the crucial role played by Kantox in their successful case.

The attendees were listening attentively throughout the session.

To conclude the seminar, Daniel provided an overview about the topics discussed in the talk and highlighted the importance of preparing a good plan in advance, learning quickly from mistakes and having constant communication at all levels. More importantly, David emphasized on the figure of the project manager and how having one can make a big difference to ease the hassle that arises from moving the company and its workforce abroad.

The event then moved on to the Q&A session, where the speaker provided further examples to answer the questions from the participants. Once the Q &A session was over, attendees and speakers could network and share their opinions over some drinks and nibbles while enjoying the breath-taking views over London.

Once the talk had finished, attendees had the opportunity to network and exchange their opinions about the session.

Last but not least, we encourage you to keep updated on all the activities of the Spanish Chamber by visiting our UPCOMING EVENTS section. You can also subscribe to our weekly electronic newsletter in order to receive updates on the latest activities of the Chamber!

05/04/2016
THE SPANISH CHAMBER IN COLLABORATION WITH MI-HUB: “MIGRANT BUSINESS SHOW”

The Chamber is pleased to introduce its partnership with mi-HUB on the occasion of the “Migrant Business Show” event that is taking place in London on 6^th April 2016 at the Westminster Central Hall.

mi-HUB is the UK’s first supportive community dedicated to assist migrant entrepreneurs to start and grow successful businesses in London by providing them a mentoring programme, business coaching, offices and a real community.

With the aim to offer a place where entrepreneurs of all backgrounds can network and share their ideas, this social enterprise is putting together the “Migrant Business Show”. This networking event taking place in the evening is the London’s first business show focused on the migrant community and will bring together exhibitors from all around the world.

The programme includes sessions delivered by entrepreneurs from different fields and sectors who will share their experiences. These talks have been organised around different themes, such as fund raising for small businesses and digital training. Should you want to know more about the Speakers and the Event Schedule, please click here.

The Migrant Business Show is aimed at entrepreneurs, business owners and managers, who want to meet experienced professionals and develop their business relationships with potential clients or suppliers and find partners for collaborations.

The admission is free for all visitors, who do not have to be necessarily migrants. If you would like to get a free ticket and register for the event, visit their official website, in which you can find a complete list of the exhibitors who will share their personal experiences and submit your interest in attending.

We would like to express our gratitude to mi-HUB for giving the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain the opportunity to support this significant initiative.

01/04/2016
ANNUAL PATRONS’ DINNER

On Monday 14^th March the Spanish Chamber organised the Annual Patrons’ Dinner. The event was held at the Spanish Embassy and H.E. the Ambassador of Spain Mr. Federico Trillo-Figueroa was our exceptional host for the evening. On this occasion, we were honoured to count on the attendance of Mr. Xavier Rolet, Chief Executive at the London Stock Exchange Group, as our Guest of Honour for the evening.

One more year, Patrons gathered at the Spanish Embassy for this exclusive dinner.

Our guests were welcomed with a selection of canapés that they could enjoy along with cava and wine during the pre-dinner reception. This was the perfect opportunity for our Patrons to greet in a relaxed manner and catch up with each other before dinner.

After the reception, Patrons proceeded to the dining area to take their seats and get ready to enjoy a three-course dinner which consisted of baby cuttlefish with onion cream, veal tenderloin with Port and Mustard sauce, a mushroom cream and potato fondant, and finally apple millefeuille with walnuts, custard cream and lemon sauce.

Guests during the reception that was held at the main room of the Spanish Embassy.

Before dinner was served H.E. the Ambassador Mr. Federico Trillo-Figueroa opened the evening with a special speech welcoming all the attendees to the Embassy. After the Ambassador, it was the turn of Mr. Javier San Basilio, President of the Spanish Chamber, who continued by expressing his gratitude for the support that Patrons provide to this institution.

He also mentioned the new Patrons that the Chamber has gained since the last year’s dinner which were: Codorniú Raventós, Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, Grange Hotels, Konecta, Lloyds Bank, Mahou San Miguel, SCA ONTIER and Telefónica Digital. Furthermore, he took the opportunity to remind attendees of this year’s Annual Golden Award which would take place next 21^st of April again at the Embassy residence.

From left to right: Mr. Javier San Basilio (standing), President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain, Mr. Xavier Rolet, Chief Executive at the London Stock Exchange Group and Guest of Honor, and H.E. Mr. Federico Trillo-Figueroa, Ambassador of Spain.

He then gave the floor to Mr. Xavier Rolet, Chief Executive at the London Stock Exchange Group and Guest of Honor of this special dinner.

Mr. Rolet was appointed to the Board in March 2009 and appointed Chief Executive later that year. He has a wide career in the financial sector, having worked in Lehman Brothers from 2000 to 2008 and previously at other enterprises such as Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, Credit Suisse First Boston or Goldman Sachs.

Mr. Xavier Rolet, Guest of Honour, during his speech at the dinner.

After the speeches, it was time for guests to enjoy the dinner and later to move on to the main reception room, where coffee and petit fours were served. Attendees enjoyed thus the end of the event in a comfortable atmosphere and could exchange impressions with the Ambassador, the Guest of Honor and the President of the Chamber. This was the perfect closure for such a fantastic evening.

We would like to thank our Patrons for their attendance and we look forward to seeing them at the next Patrons’ Event.

Attendees had the opportunity to ask questions to the Guest of Honor before dinner.

If you would like to be updated on forthcoming activities, do not hesitate to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Alternatively, you can also check out our event in the UPCOMING EVENTS section within our website.

22/03/2016
ELEVATOR PITCH | XXV EDITION

On Tuesday 8^th March, we held the XXV edition of our Elevator Pitch networking event. This edition took place at Arbina Restaurant, member of the Spanish Chamber. The restaurant is located in the area of Fitzrovia and offers the traditional Mediterranean cuisine in the heart of London.

Everything was ready for the event at the private room downstairs, which fitted perfectly with the characteristics of this event, where Mr. Javier López de Arbina, welcomed everyone on behalf of Arbina.

Delicious breakfast served by Arbina Restaurant, member of the Chamber.

The event was chaired by María Prieto, our Events & Communication Co-ordinator and Cristina Carmona, Head of Corporate Relations and Communication, who explained the dynamics of this activity to the participants, whose main purpose is to provide participants with the possibility to expand their network and to explore further avenues of collaboration with the rest of participants.

After the brief presentation, each attendee had 2 minutes to give a concise and concrete introduction about their company’s main line of activity and services they provided. Having done so, there was a second opportunity for each participant to ask questions to the rest of participants.

The reduced format allows participants to introduce their line of business.

Should you be interested in participating in the next edition of this networking event, there are just a couple of things you need to know regarding this format: 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, there was a wide variety of sectors represented among the 11 companies that took part in this edition: Cooking your Spanish (Cookery and Spanish lessons), E-Lixir Consulting (Digital Communication), Harwood Hutton (Accounting and Auditing Services), Hispalis Group (Construction), Lloyds Bank (Banking and Financial Services), Melia White House (Hotel), Sargadelos Porcelain UK (Fine Porcelain), Scornik Gerstein (Legal Services), The Bentley London (Hotel), and The Client Academy (Business Consultancy Services).

Attendees had the chance to get to know each other after their presentations.

After the round of questions, everyone had the opportunity to chat and continue networking over a delicious breakfast with some of the most iconic products of Spanish cuisine that the venue serves.

Thank you to all the professionals who have been part of the last edition of the Elevator Pitch and our gratitude to Arbina Restaurant 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.

14/03/2016
SALES TO WIN CUSTOMERS AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

On Wednesday 2^nd March we held the workshop “Sales to Win Customers and Build Relationships”, organised in collaboration with Dale Carnegie, Benefactor member of the Spanish Chamber. This two-hour workshop was the perfect occasion to show the participants how to increase their sales and build strong relationships with their desired clients.

Our Secretary General, Igor Urra, gave a warm welcome to all attendees on behalf of our institution and gave the floor to Ms. Alina Maraghelis, the speaker for this session.

Ms. Maraghelis started with a short exercise and asked the attendees to introduce themselves to break the ice and bring out in them the confidence needed when working in sales to connect with customers.

Ms. Alina Maraghelis showing participants how they can increase their sales.

Afterwards, she introduced the Dale Carnegie Sales Model, which has been proved to be successful in every sales process. She highlighted that when calling clients, it is essential to do some research beforehand and try to gather as much relevant information as we can in order to meet their needs because we always sell more from the relationships that we already have.

After presenting this information, Ms. Maraghelis remarked the importance of identifying the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of each business in order to differentiate it from competitors and overcome buyer hesitation. This explanation was followed by some practical exercises in which the attending representatives had the chance to share their thoughts and analyse the relevant benefits for a specific client of theirs.

The attendees for this session listened attentively to the speaker’s explanations.

To conclude the workshop, she showed the participants how they could increase their sales by learning the “Questioning Model” and provided some questioning skills in order to be more proactive in their meetings. She encouraged them to think about the individual motive for each client when they buy and try to listen to them in order to make connections which may result in successful sales.

After the explanations, Alina encouraged attendees to share their thoughts and comment on her contributions. The Q&A session provided participants the opportunity to enquire further on how to understand the particular needs of each client and to consider what it would mean to them at personal level.

All participants had the opportunity to exchange their oppinions and do some practice in order to connect with their customers.

Once the session finished, participants were invited to enjoy the breakfast; time when both the attendees and the speaker were able to discuss further the ideas the session had covered.

We would like to thank all attendees for joining us and particularly to Ms. Alina Maraghelis from Dale Carnegie for delivering again such an interactive and productive presentation on sales.

If you want to find out other activities that the Spanish Chamber of Commerce is organising, we encourage you to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section within our website. In addition to this, you can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter in order to receive updates with our events.

11/03/2016
PATRONS’ CLUB | WINE AND IBÉRICO HAM TASTING

The Spanish Chamber of Commerce hosted a very special event on Thursday 11^th February. Our Patrons and Benefactors had the unique opportunity to attend a wine and Ibérico ham tasting in one of the most outstanding suites of Grange Hotels, Patron of the Chamber.

To start off the evening, our top-tier members were welcomed at the Presidential Suite of the Grange City Hotel, with a glass of delicious Anna de Codorníu Brut Rosé kindly provided by Codorníu Raventós, Patron of the Chamber, while enjoying the breathtaking views of the City of London.

Codorníu Raventós and Spanish Ham Master, Patron and member of the Chamber respectively, provided a delicious wine and ham for the event.

The event was a perfect chance to foster relationships between our top-tier members and develop new professional relations.

Igor Urra, our Secretary General, requested attention in order to thank all the attendees and to briefly introduce the speakers for the event. He announced Óscar Urrutia, Rioja & Prestige Wines Manager at Codorníu who, as a wine expert, engaged the audience with the history of Bodegas Bilbaínas, the oldest bottler of wine in Spain and nowadays part of Codorníu Group. He took our guests through the evolution of the vineyards and milestones achieved since its foundation, highlighting how the winery has maintained the personal style that has given its flagship label, Viña Pomal, international presence.

Óscar Urrutia, Prestige Wine Manager at Grupo Codorníu and wine expert during his engaging speech about Bilbaínas Winery.

Mr. Urrutia then gave way to José Sol, ham master carver in the UK and founder of Spanish Ham Master, Member Company of the Chamber. He opened his speech with a little history of the business, since its birth in 2010 as a company dedicated to covering events around the Jamón World. Mr. Sol explained how his company is specialised in events around the world of ham, giving support and advice in the business industry. He also showed his pride of being the ambassador of 5J-Cinco Jotas, known as the best ham in the world.

José Sol, ham master carver and founder of Spanish Ham Master, during his friendly and pleasant presentation.

Once the speeches had finished Patrons and Benefactors had the opportunity to mingle while attending a first-class carving service guided by one of the top ham carvers in London and to pair it with the superb velvety flavoured Viña Pomal Reserva.

We would very much like to thank everyone who shared this evening with us. We are also extremely grateful to Grange Hotels, for having kindly hosted this event giving us the opportunity to enjoy the astonishing views over London’s skyline and helping us to create a fantastic atmosphere.

The spacious suite allowed the guests to mingle in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere

Likewise, we are also sincerely grateful to Codorníu Raventós for their continuous support providing the cava and red wine and to Spanish Ham Master, member of the Chamber, for having kindly provided once again Ibérico ham for this unique event.

Should you want to have a hint of the activities we organise for our members, do not miss the opportunity to join us at future events by signing up to our weekly newsletter or browsing our Upcoming Events section on our website.

23/02/2016
New Year’s Drinks Reception

On 25^th January the Spanish Chamber of Commerce celebrated the New Year’s Drinks Reception, our first corporate event of 2016. The event was held at the Millennium Hotel London Mayfair located at the heart of Mayfair.

The evening proved a huge success among our members yet another year on, with over 200 representatives of both British and Spanish companies in attendance. Guests had the opportunity to wish Happy New Year to fellow colleagues and develop new professional relations.

Our guests mingling during the New Year’s Drinks Reception.

The event was also the official presentation of the recently appointed President of the Spanish Chamber, Mr. Javier San Basilio, who for the first time in the year formally addressed our members and guests in his new role.

Mr. San Basilio opened his speech by welcoming attendees and thanked our members for their support. He announced the new Patrons the Chamber had gained since the AGM in June and encouraged our associates to transmit their demands and needs to the Chamber’s team.

From left to right: Our Guest of Honour Mr. Chris Bryant MP and Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, H.E. Mr. Federico Trillo- Figueroa, Spanish Embassador, and Mr. Javier San Basilio, President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain.

Later on, it was the turn for our Guest of Honour Mr. Chris Byant MP. He shared his experience during the years he lived in Spain and highlighted the strong and close relationship between Spain and the United Kingdom.

Finally, the Ambassador of Spain H.E. Mr. Federico Trillo-Figueroa thanked again guests for their attendance. During his closing remarks he mentioned the importance of this year for our two countries as Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain will be on official state visit in the UK later in the year.

Our member Spanish Ham Master provided a delicious 5J’s ham for the event, which guests could taste freshly hand-carved on the spot.

We would like to thank our member Spanish Ham Master for their kind support providing a 5Js ham for the evening and offering a first-class tasting experience to our guests.

Likewise, we would like to thank the D.O. Rioja for having kindly provided the red and white wines for this first event of the year, providing an impressive selection of 37 different wines.

White and red wines were kindly provided by D.O. Rioja.

If you enjoyed this event, you can now have access to the complete gallery of pictures of the NEW YEAR’S DRINKS RECEPTION by clicking here.

Last but not least, we encourage you to browse our Upcoming Events section in order to keep up to date with future Spanish Chamber corporate events, seminars and many other activities. We look forward to seeing you at the next one!

01/02/2016
How to increase your online presence with the Spanish Chamber?

As member of the Chamber, do you know how to get the most out of your membership in terms of online presence? Are you efficiently using the different resources at your disposal to make your company more visible?

As we are very much aware of how important online communication is to any company these days, we would like to inform you about all the different tools available for members so you can fully benefit from them.

To begin with, members can use different sections of our website www.spanishchamber.co.uk free of charge, such as the Member’s Events section. This section allows all members to advertise their own events or activities to the rest of associated companies in an easy and hassle-free way. All that is needed is to submit the relevant event details via the available Advertise your Event form.

In addition to events, all our members can benefit from exclusive discounts and offers from other members, including airlines, hotels in London, language courses, etc., that can be published through our recently created Private Members’ Area. The aim of this channel is to encourage associated companies to work with each other directly and mutually benefit from each others’ services and products.

These two sections are supported as well by our weekly newsletter, which reaches a network of 3,000 contacts. In each issue of the newsletter it is possible to see a list of upcoming members’ events and one of the M2M offers advertised on the website (they are published on a rotating basis). It is possible to access the latest issue of our newsletter here.

Furthermore, as the Spanish Chamber aims to adapt its communication channels to the 2.0 reality, we also have a LinkedIn group where we encourage all members to broadcast their events, share relevant news and interesting content on their corporate activity. This is a powerful channel for companies to expand their network and increase their online exposure. Do not hesitate to join our group Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain if you have not done it yet.

Moreover, our blog allows us to keep members updated on our activity and thanks to a new service we have recently launched, the Sponsored Posts, member companies can also share content in our blog. For further information on this service, please click here. To read an example of a Sponsored Post, please visit this link Tapas – The Defining Invention of Spanish Gastronomy.

For those companies for which institutional presence and brand promotion on a longer term basis is of relevant importance, we offer different advertising options through our Online Advertising Pack. The alternatives on offer allow companies to place an advert or a banner on the newsletter or website at a very competitive cost and with exclusive discounts for members.

As you can see through our different communication channels we can offer something for every taste and need. Now it is only a matter of making good use of them to make the most of your membership in terms of increasing your online presence. And if you are not a member of the Spanish Chamber yet, do not hesitate anymore and have a look here to learn about the benefits and advantages members enjoy.

09/02/2015

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