Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom

Tag: Seminar

“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
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
HOW TO DETECT AND INVESTIGATE CORPORATE FRAUD

On Wednesday 29^th March, the Spanish Chamber held the seminar “How to Detect and Investigate Corporate Fraud” in collaboration with Haymarket Risk Management, member of the Chamber.

On this occasion, Tom Newman from the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, received attendees on behalf of our institution and introduced the speakers from Haymarket: Geoff Chalder, Divisional Director International Crime, Patrick Madden Divisional Director Forensic and Managing Director, Richard Kusnierz, Divisional Director Advanced Investigative Data Analytics.

Geoff Chalder started showing attendees the impact of the Corporate Fraud in the UK in terms of business losses and number of fraud incidents, as well as undetected fraud cases.

After this brief introduction, Patrick Madden explained to the audience how computer forensics and data analysis are both used to Detect and Investigate Fraud. Moreover, he explained the impact and damage caused in business reputation due to these practices and mentioned some of the main existing threats, such as payroll fraud or procurement fraud. Once he finished his speech some attendees wanted to ask some interesting questions to the speaker.

Then Richard Kusnierz explained the different database sources and he focused on preservation and detection of data highlighting the detection of fraud in advanced data analytics. In this sense he also wanted to share with us some cases studied to understand the developed topic.

Summing up, Haymarket’s Divisional Director of International Crime Geoff Chadler summed up by explaining that fraud is a massive risk for any business and to focus on three essential points to fight against fraud as detection, prevention and investigation.

The event then moved on to the Q&A session, where the representatives of Haymarket 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.

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.

05/04/2017
Brexit Seminar: Trade & Employment Implications for Businesses

On Wednesday 7th December, we had the pleasure of holding the breakfast seminar “Brexit: Trade & Employment Implications for Businesses”, organised in collaboration with our Patron SCA Ontier, who hosted the event, and our member Blick Rothenberg.

With Brexit as the key point, this session’s aim was to explore the potential challenges and opportunities in the context of trade and employment in the post-exit landscape, including briefly looking at the key models used by other non-EU countries and practical considerations.

On this occasion, our Head of Accounts & Member Relations, Tom Newman, gave a warm welcome to the attendees on behalf of the Chamber and introduced Ms. Danielle Carr, Senior Associate at SCA ONTIER, Mr. Derek Stinson, Senior Associate at SCA and Mr. Mark Abbs, Partner at Blick Rothenberg.

The event was hosted at the premises of our Patron SCA ONTIER.

To kick off, Ms. Carr explained the current situation of the UK after Brexit vote. She developed the idea of what Brexit means for businesses and individuals, and how it will gradually be applied. She also described what the Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty means, a hot topic these days, and what this implies for the Government and Parliament.

After Danielle’s explanation, Mr. Stinson analysed the current trade situation between the EU and UK, and how it will be affected by Brexit. Then both of them explained different trade relations between EU non-member countries with the EU and hypothesized about which example would be the best for the future UK-EU relationship. Both of them finalised their intervention giving the attendees some tips about how to prepare themselves and their business for different EU-UK relation scenarios.

Experts from SCA ONTIER and Blick Rothenberg helped the attendees understand the future business scenario.

After this presentation, Mr. Abbs from Blick Rothenberg took over. He talked about the internal and external factors that are shaping the current situation of the country and its short-term future . To continue with his evaluation, he focused on potential risks and opportunities for employers and workers.

This led to a conversation on what will happen next regarding immigration policies and tax payments for European citizens working in the UK. The participants were very interested in possible changes about their citizenship/passport issues and freedom of movement between EU countries and the UK.

To conclude the seminar, a Q&A round was performed in order for participants to expose their doubts and questions to the three experts. An interesting debate about different possibilities on how Brexit will be applied and what it will mean in different aspects for corporates and individuals, with a special focus on foreign citizens working in the UK.

Attendees had the opportunity to network over a great breakfast.

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 Blick Rothenberg and SCA ONTIER, Patron of the Chamber and kind host of this session, for delivering such a dynamic and engaging session. We would like to thank all attendees who joined us and remind them that on Thursday 23^rd February we will be organising another seminar on Brexit with SCA ONTIER, this time focused on Taxes.

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.

13/12/2016
Roadmap to Successful Smart Building

On 28^th June, we had the pleasure of holding the seminar “Roadmap to Successful Smart Building”, at the premises of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce. It was organised in collaboration with Zennio Avance y Tecnología, member of the Chamber.

On this occasion, our Secretary General, Mr. Igor Urra, gave a warm welcome to all attendees on behalf of our institution and introduced the speaker, Mr. Jerónimo Hinojosa, representative of Zennio.

To kick off the session, Mr. Jerónimo Hinojosa provided attendees with a general framework on what Smart Building Automation means and how it can be useful in our daily lives. He talked about the key concepts of Smart Building, the new developments of this field, and how Smart Building Solutions holds great potential for designing properties with higher flexibility, economic efficiency, security and outstanding comfort.

Mr Jerónimo Hinojosa, Sales Manager of Zennio Avance y Tecnología.

After this brief introduction, the speaker focused on how smart buildings take into account the people who will be using them and are designed with their needs in mind. As he explained, buildings should evolve and adapt to accommodate their users in order to be actually responsive to their living conditions.

Another key aspect that was brought up during the seminar was energy efficiency. As Jerónimo Hinojosa explained, conscious use of energy ensures not only the future but also makes buildings more cost-effective. Smart building takes this at centre-stage and although initially investments to create energy efficient buildings may seem steep, in the long term it has been proven to reduce by 30% the energy consumption compared to traditional buildings.

During the second part of the seminar, Mr. Hinojosa went on to describe in further detail the technology that makes smart building possible: KNX, the world’s leading smart home and intelligent building control system. Nowadays Zennio is the Spanish leading manufacturer of home, building and hotel automation solutions under KNX standards

The speaker introduced the key concepts of Smart Building and the KNX standard to the attendes during the seminar.

Towards the end of the seminar, the speaker provided the attendees with two examples of successful smart building automation processes: the Lexington Tower and ME London hotel, both of them in London. To conclude, the representative of Zennio showed attendees a scale model of a hotel room where attendees could interact and control the different elements and areas controlled by smart building automation through a range of panels.

The event then moved on to the Q&A session, where Jerónimo Hinojosa 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.

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!

07/07/2016
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
BREAKFAST SEMINAR “KEY POINTS ON UK INSOLVENCY”

On Tuesday 23rd February, we had the pleasure of holding the seminar “Key Points on UK Insolvency”, organised in collaboration with Quabbala, 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 Quabbala: Rubén García-Quismondo, Managing Director and Claire Buijs, Director.

From left to right, the speakers from Quabbala: Claire Buijs, Director and Rubén García-Quismondo, Managing Director.

To kick off, Claire Buijs summarized the UK insolvency procedures that would be mentioned during the session: Schemes of Arrangement, Company Voluntary Arrangement, Administration, Creditor’s Voluntary Liquidation, Compulsory Liquidation and Members’ Voluntary Liquidation.

After this brief introduction, she explained the first procedure, schemes of arrangement; Claire used a structure that would be followed throughout the talk and which was composed of: nature, definition, way of application, purpose and necessity of use.

To elaborate on this content, Rubén García-Quismondo discussed some case studies to illustrate this point more clearly and the suitability of the schemes of arrangement in each of them.

After that, Claire Buijs continued explaining the other procedures through the same structure as well as adding the duties of an administrator and liquidator in Administration and Creditor’s Voluntary Liquidation procedures respectively.

To conclude the seminar, the speakers provided an overview of new tax changes which will affect certain member’s voluntary liquidations after April 2016, as well as a brief discussion about changes to the insolvency legislation and recent case law affecting company directors.

The event then moved on to the Q&A session, where the representatives of Quabbala 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.

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

Before finishing, we would like to thank all attendees for participating as well as the team of Quabbala 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!

04/03/2016
BREAKFAST SEMINAR “FRAUD: MANAGING THE RISK TO YOUR BUSINESS”

On Tuesday 2^nd February, the Spanish Chamber held the seminar “Fraud: Managing the Risk to your Business” in collaboration with Haymarket Risk Management, member of the Chamber.

On this occasion, our Secretary General, Igor Urra, received attendees on behalf of our institution and introduced the speakers from Haymarket: Brian Mearns, Managing Director, Richard Kusnierz, Divisional Director Advanced Investigative Data Analytics and Geoff Chalder, Divisional Director International Crime.

From left to right, the speakers from Haymarket Risk Management: Richard Kusnierz, Divisional Director Advanced Investigative Data Analytics, Brian Mearns, Managing Director and Geoff Chalder, Divisional Director International Crime.

To kick off, Brian Mearns talked about the role played by Haymarket in order to help other companies to fight against fraud and revealed the three main aspects that compose a proper Fraud Response Plan, which would be covered during the session: prevention, detection and response and investigation .

After this brief introduction, Geoff Chalder went on to show attendees the size of the problem in the UK in terms of business losses and number of fraud incidents, as well as undetected fraud cases. Moreover, he explained the impact and damage caused in business reputation due to these practices and mentioned some of the main existing threats, such as payroll fraud, procurement fraud, theft of goods or money and bribery and corruption.

Regarding these threats, Brian Mearns discussed real cases where internal employees and known relationships were involved; demonstrating how difficult is for companies to be aware of fraud existence.

The organizers of the seminar: Haymarket Risk Management and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain.

After that, Richard Kusnierz explained the two first stages of the Fraud Response Plan: prevention and detection. In this sense, he emphasized that it is essential to understand the data and evidence available by having a pre-screening of employees and business partners as well as an internal audit and controls.

To conclude the seminar, Haymarket’s Managing Director Brian Mearns focused on the response and investigation stage after the existence of fraud has been detected. He also commented on the relevant aspects about data protection in both the United Kingdom and the European Union before summing up the main topics the different speakers had covered.

The event then moved on to the Q&A session, where the representatives of Haymarket 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.

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

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.

05/02/2016

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