Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom

Etiqueta: public speaking

130th ANNIVERSARY GALA DINNER WITH ALEX CRUZ

On Tuesday 6^th December we held our 130^th Anniversary Gala Dinner, which took place at the Merchant Taylors’ Hall, one of London’s traditional Livery Halls and one of the oldest still in activity. On such a special occasion, we welcomed nearly 200 guests who did not want to miss the opportunity to be part of the last corporate event of the year.

In fact, the Gala Dinner was the cherry on the top of a busy calendar of events our institution has organised during 2016 to celebrate its 130^th years of activity during which it has paved the way for Spanish businesses to thrive in the British market and vice versa.

This black-tie dinner was presided by the Ambassador of Spain, H.E. Mr. Federico Trillo-Figueroa and we counted on the attendance of Mr. Álex Cruz, Chairman and CEO of British Airways, as our Guest of Honour.

From left to right: H.E. The Ambassador of Spain, Mr. Álex Cruz, Mrs. Mª José Molinuevo and Mr. Javier San Basilio, President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce.

The proceedings began with a drinks reception, allowing guests to interact with each other while enjoying a glass of cava or wine, both of which were kindly provided by our Patron Codorníu Raventós.

After the reception, guests were ushered to the Great Hall where dinner would be taking place and went on to take their seats. The proceedings of the dinner started with H.E. the Ambassador of Spain leading the traditional loyal toasts in honour of the King of Spain and the Queen of Great Britain.

Speeches began after dessert was cleared with the President of the Spanish Chamber, Mr. Javier San Basilio, taking the stage to welcome guests on behalf of the institution and thanking them for their outstanding support on the celebration of our 130^th Anniversary.

He went over the achievements of the year, which have included the gaining of new members and Patrons, and warmly thanked our Guest of Honour for having accepted our invitation before giving the floor to H.E. the Ambassador of Spain.

Attendees enjoying the warm atmosphere.

In his speech, the Ambassador recalled the longstanding relationship between Spain and the UK and how the two countries should aim to strengthen their links. These words are of special relevance in a year that has been marked by the outcome of the British referendum in June and its potential implications for countries in the European Union with significant commercial links with the UK.

After the Ambassador, it was the turn of our Guest of Honour, Mr. Álex Cruz, Chairman and CEO of British Airways. In his address to our guests, Mr. Cruz highlighted the different challenges he has faced throughout his career in the changing landscape of the aviation sector, which has undergone an unprecedented overhaul since the appearance of low-cost carriers.

The President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Javier San Basilio, during his speech.

In fact, Mr. Cruz mentioned that in the 9 months he had spent in his current post at British Aiways he had incorporated his know-how in order to make the Heathrow-based airline more competitive whilst ensuring a great level of customer service. Mr. Cruz also announced the ambitious plans of British Airways, which include new routes from Gatwick to New York, and new connections with Spain, which is a key destination for British travellers.

In his final remarks, he went on to explain the impact Brexit could have on the industry, and reminded attendees that British Airways had opted for a neutral position in the run-up to the vote in June. He hoped the negotiations to leave the EU would not harm a sector that has already been affected by the depreciation of the sterling and which is at the core of the British economy.

Our Guest of Honour, Mr. Álex Cruz, Chairman and CEO of British Airways.

When speeches ended, our guests could engage in further networking and greet Mr. Álex Cruz and the rest of attendees. The atmosphere was vibrant and relaxed as our Patrons, members and their guests mingled and exchanged their impressions of the evening.

We would very much like to thank our members and their guests for joining us on the occasion of our 130^th Anniversary and for sharing such a special evening for our institution. We are truly grateful to our kind sponsor Codorníu Raventós for their contribution with the wines and cava that were served throughout the event.

The event gathered nearly 200 guests, who could enjoy the impressive atmosphere at Merchant Taylors´ Hall.

Please click here to access the complete gallery of pictures of the 130^th Anniversary Gala Dinner. For a short video on how the evening went, please click on the following link 130th Anniversary Gala Dinner Video.

For further information about events in 2017, do not hesitate to visit our Upcoming events section at www.spanishchamber.co.uk or subscribe to our newsletter to receive weekly updates in your inbox.

16/12/2016
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
High Impact Presentations April 2016

On Thursday 21^st April we had the pleasure to hold another session of the workshop “High Impact Presentations”, organised in collaboration with Dale Carnegie, Benefactor member of the Spanish Chamber.

Due to the positive response we had from the November session of this activity, this new workshop allowed a new set of attendees to improve their public speaking skills in order to communicate ideas in an effective way and get their message across any audience.

The workshop took place one again at our premises, where Ms. Alina Maraghelis was responsible for delivering this highly interactive and practical session. To begin with, Alina made a brief introduction to the issue of the fear that some people experience while they are centre stage and asked the attendees why is so difficult for us to present in front of an audience. Afterwards, the event focused on how to cover those weaknesses, for which Alina provided some practical tips attendees then went on to practice.

Mr. Igor Urra welcomed attendees on behalf of the Spanish Chamber and thanked Ms. Alina Maraghelis (standing on the left) and Dale Carnegie for delivering this session for our members.

She highlighted the importance of making the presentations stimulating, so both set out some practical exercises in order to synchronise the visual, verbal and vocal aspects to make the message across and cause a good impression from the very first moment.

Each participant had the chance to make their own presentations which were then evaluated not only by the trainer, but also by the rest of the audience. Finally, they had the opportunity to get a feedback thanks to one-to-one coaching with personalised tips related to the gestures, tonality or posture. Alina emphasised the fact that even that the structure and content are important, the delivery is vital to make an impact because we, the ones who are giving a presentation, are the message.

All attendees had the chance to deliver a presentation and receive feedback on their public speaking skills.

At the end of the workshop and after the Q&A, the participants had some time to mingle while enjoying a nice breakfast. We would like to thank all attendees for their active participation as well as Alina Maraghelis and our Benefactor member Dale Carnegie for this productive workshop.

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 activity of the Chamber!

25/04/2016
HIGH IMPACT PRESENTATIONS

On 26^th November we had the pleasure of holding the seminar “High Impact Presentations”, organised in collaboration with Dale Carnegie, Benefactor member of the Spanish Chamber. The aim of this event was to improve public speaking skills in order to communicate ideas in an effective way and get the message across to an audience.

The workshop took place at our premises, where Ms. Alina Maraghelis and Mr. William Perry, from Dale Carnegie were the trainers for this session. To begin with, Alina made a brief introduction on the fear that some people experience when they take centre stage and asked the attendees why it is so difficult for us to present in front of an audience.

The trainers created an interactive atmosphere during the session.

After that, the event focused on how to make up for weaknesses when it comes to public speaking and to this end they provided attendees with key tips, they were then requested to put into practice.

Both Alina and William highlighted the importance of making the presentations stimulating, so they set out some practical exercises in order to help participants synchronise the visual, verbal and vocal aspects to make their message come across in the right way and leave a good impression from the very first moment.

The trainers then emphasised the fact that even structure and content are important in a public presentation or speech, the delivery is vital to make an impact because the presenter is in fact the message.

The workshop provided participants with the opportunity to make their own presentations, which were evaluated by Alina and William. Finally, attendees had the opportunity to receive personal feedback as well as one-to-one coaching with personalised tips related to the gestures, tone of voice or posture each had used.

Participants had the opportunity to network after the workshop.

At the end of the seminar and after the Q&A, the participants had some time to mingle over tea and coffee.

We would like to thank all attendees for their active participation as well as the team of Dale Carnegie for creating a very enjoyable and dynamic atmosphere and for delivering such a practical and interactive workshop.

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!

03/12/2015
Learn to get the hook!

Last Thursday 20th of June, we held at the Chamber the event ”Presenting with Impact”, part of the “Leadership in Focus Forum» series with the collaboration of Avocets Consulting.

As it was said at this inspiring workshop, a big audience is not always needed for a presentation as they happen very often in our daily life. However, how to engage people and grasp their attention? Or, in other words, how to act as a real leader to perform your speech?

Spectators can make a quick judgment on you during the first five seconds and then decide if it is still worthy paying attention to you. For this reason, it is important to know how to be memorable when speaking in public.

Mr. Andrew Weale getting attendees’ attention.

Some abilities and skills may come naturally, such as being charismatic or eloquent, but everybody can also practice presentations and learn how to improve them. To do that, we would need to prepare in advance with regards to our audience and our aims: bear in mind what we want to communicate and to whom.

To build the right conditions and atmosphere with your public, you can use some tips such as providing some kind of personal experiences, anecdotes, asking questions and let others participate.

Some of the first things we should think about when speaking in public are eye contact, body language and clarity. If you want to connect with your target, try to find a link with them and think about your audience and what they want to hear at first instance.

Your aim will have to lead you in approaching the subject with the best communication strategy, so that people around you get the right message. You will succeed if you can highlight the most important aspects for your audience by providing the key ideas clearly.

Further to this, you will make a good impression if you can dominate the connection between voice and body language. If your body is tense, your voice will sound the same. So if you want to speak using a friendly and fluent voice, relax . Stretch your limbs and make yourself at home on the stage.

Attendees were willing to practice the tips learnt during the session.

Tone modulation is also key, so you should try and put the stress in the most interesting parts of the speech. Do not stop highlighting facts or stories and changing your intonation, otherwise people will end being bored of your words.

As we could prove, everything comes to attitude, so if you try to be enthusiastic and energetic, people will remind that, and the feedback will be much more positive. And so was the result we got after this interactive and dynamic session, where all attendees showed themselves enthusiastic and put into practice what they learned while enjoying the networking breakfast.

We would like to thank all the attendees for coming and participating through the session and also to Avocets Consulting who provided such as impacting presentation.

The Leadership in Focus forum will resume in September, so keep posted to find out about the next session.

21/06/2013

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