Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom

Tag: communication

“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
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
Global Communication and Marketing for Business

On Tuesday 11^th October we had the pleasure of holding the seminar “Global Communication and Marketing for Business” organised in collaboration with Mindjuicer, member of the Chamber.

On this occasion, Mr. Igor Urra, Secretary General of the Chamber, gave a warm welcome to all attendees on behalf of our institution and introduced Mr. Asier Odriozola, Founder and Creative Director at Mindjuicer.

Mr. Igor Urra, Secretary General of the Chamber, and Mr. Asier Odriozola from Mindjuicer during the seminar.

Mr. Odriozola started off the session by providing an overview on the importance of business branding and offered attendees guidance on how businesses should take care of their brands by communicating the right message in the right way.

After the introduction, the speaker focused on how a brand should create a long-term relationship with its audience in order to thrive. As we are exposed to an average of 3,500 to 10,000 brand messages a day, making a difference with competitors is the best asset.

The content of this session then followed along this path in order to help participants realise the importance of understanding their audience better to identify and deliver a more compelling message. As Asier argued, the ultimate goal of any communication strategy should be to get the audience to care, engage and embrace your brand.

The event offered an overview on key branding and marketing strategies businesses can use.

Another key aspect that was brought up during the seminar was that a global communication strategy should be the same whether for a big or small business. As Asier explained, small and universal ideas are better retained as everyone understands them, so the focus should be put on how to get across the right messages regardless of the size of the company behind them.

Asier then went on to cover why the focus of any campaign should be on what the audience thinks of us as a company rather than on what the company actually is. This led to an analysis of what lies behind communication and creative processes and how the concepts of branding and positioning play a key role in defining the right strategy.

In a nutshell, branding is about the product itself, its image, its presentation to the customer and its experience. Positioning, on the other hand, is about the customers’ perception of your product or brand.

At the heart of every successful campaign lies the image that customers have of a given brand and how engaged they are with it. It is thus important to focus first on how a brand is perceived and how we can build a message that connects with our target audience and puts them at centre-stage, and then concentrate on the message itself.

After the session attendees could further discuss the topics covered by Mr. Asier Odriozola.

Asier also gave attendees a few hints to develop effective creative briefings aimed at building a global communication strategy. For instance, ask yourself what your company’s background is and what you aim to achieve by launching such a strategy; establish who you would like to connect with, and through which outlets (online vs offline; social media only; press, tv, etc.), what you want to say and how, and most importantly, why customers should believe you.

Finally, the speaker summed up what he had tried to convey during the session in the following message: any company interested in creating a powerful brand must remember that it all revolves around creating engaging conversations with your market audience. Given that markets consist of human beings, conversations should therefore sound human and uncontrived, and they should relate to what your audience cares about.

Participants could exchange their business cards over breakfast.

The event then moved on to the Q&A session where Asier Odriozola responded to questions about how we can communicate intangible products applying the tips he had provided or how a successful communication strategy was compatible with getting your message across countries with different cultures. Once the session finished, participants could enjoy an interactive networking breakfast while sharing thoughts and discussing further all the ideas covered in the talk.

Last but not least, we encourage you to keep updated on all the activities of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce 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!

18/10/2016
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS AND HUMAN RELATIONS PREVIEW

On Tuesday, 14^th June we held the workshop “Effective Communications and Human Relations Preview”, organised in collaboration with Dale Carnegie, Benefactor member of the Spanish Chamber. This two-hour workshop provided attendees with useful tools and techniques that would help them communicate more effectively and strengthen interpersonal relations.

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. Alina Maraghelis, the speaker from Dale Carnegie Training.

To kick off, she introduced the objectives of Dale Carnegie’s programme and talked about the three essential aspects to keep in mind in order to achieve success, what is also known as the Triangle for Success or Pyramid of Success: Skills, Knowledge and Attitude.

After that, Alina briefly highlighted the importance of using memory links while communicating. This explanation was followed by some practical exercises in which attendees were put to the test and had to remember the name of the rest by linking them to images and ideas.

All the participants had the chance to put into practice their memorization skills with some practical exercises.

Taking as a reference Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, she went on to explain the main principles that apply if we are to improve human relations in an effective way and mentioned how emotional and behavioural changes in individuals lead to better results in their communication styles.

Once the session finished, 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 enhance relationships and foster cooperation at working environments.

The attendees during the Q&A session.

Before the event was over, 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 over a cup of coffee.

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 effective communications and human relations.

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.

30/06/2016

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