The president of the Chamber of Commerce of Gran Canaria presented a broad overview of the chamber's projects, programs and services.
The Chamber has managed more than 500 million euros from public administrations in the last 3 years
More than 25 programs are active and more than 3.600 consultations have been carried out in the last year
The president of the Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Gran Canaria, Luis Padrón, announced this morning the extensive programming and projects the Chamber is working on, in addition to taking stock of the services it provides. the cameral institution. The vice presidents of the Chamber, Juan Acosta and Santiago de Armas, also attended the meeting; and the director and general secretary, Pilar Alcaide.
Luis Padrón explained that in the last three years the Chamber, which represents the general interests of more than 53.000 Gran Canaria companies, has successfully managed more than 500 million euros from public administrations. In addition, more than 25 programs are active and more than 3.600 consultations have been carried out in the last year.
The president of the Chamber provided the budget data for this year, which has reached the figure of €5.727.351,34, doubling in the last three years, and specified: “this growth is attributed to efficient management of services and programs that respond to the changing needs of the business sector, which shows that the Chamber is an effective tool for companies and public administrations.”
Furthermore, he indicated that: “the 25 programs that we carry out in collaboration with the administrations, and that we develop with different funds, such as ERDF, Next Generation, and our own funds, are for the benefit above all of small businesses, “because the Chamber always has the focus to the small SME,” the president added.
On the other hand, he explained that the internationalization of companies is in the DNA of the Chamber, being a fundamental instrument for the foreign promotion of the island. Through various actions, the Chamber defends and represents the interests of Gran Canaria companies internationally, promoting relations with chambers of commerce and business associations abroad, as well as attracting foreign investment.
In recent years, the Chamber has strengthened its presence in international economic structures such as the Ibero-American Association of Chambers of Commerce, AICO; the Network of Island Chambers of the European Union, INSULEUR; the Word Trade Point Federation; in addition to active participation through the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in EUROCHAMBERS.
The Chamber has managed to consolidate the celebration of a great international economic event. The president recalled that the Insuleur Assembly was held in 2022; and in 2023 the First Meeting of Spanish and African Chambers of Commerce, with the participation of eight African chambers of commerce, 12 Spanish chambers and more than 100 companies from both continents. “And we are already working on the future event in 2024,” he highlighted.
Along these lines, Luis Padrón explained that on the occasion of the meeting of African Chambers, “the president of the Chamber of Spain commissioned us to create the Ibero-African Association of Chambers of Commerce, and we are already working on it. A few weeks ago we met with the president of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, and with the vice president and Minister of Economy, Manuel Domínguez, to convey the project to them."
Padrón, who referred to the work carried out by the Chamber to contribute to the digital transformation of Gran Canaria SMEs, highlighted the success of the management of the Digital Kit Program, in collaboration with the Chamber of Spain and Red.es, stating: “Our role is that of informing and managing the justification files of our demarcation. To give you an idea of the importance of this program, more than 9.000 SMEs, including companies and self-employed workers in Gran Canaria."
In the field of tourism, actions have focused on positioning Gran Canaria as a tourist destination and promoting connectivity with other markets, especially emerging ones. The Chamber and Excelcan, the Association for Research, Study and Excellence in the Tourism sector in the Canary Islands, have signed an agreement for the periodic preparation of tourism situation reports that will analyze in detail the key aspects that influence the tourism panorama of the Canary Islands. Canary Islands, and that directly impact the economy and development of the region. They are quarterly reports.
In addition, the Chamber manages the SICTED seal of commitment to excellence and quality and the Innova Gran Canaria Tourism Cluster for the management and development of collaborative tourism innovation projects. Trade missions are also organized to markets of interest to the destination.
Regarding the training offer offered by the Chamber, it is increasingly adapted to business needs, “demonstrating our commitment to the growth and continuous development of business skills,” according to the president of the Chamber, who provided the data. that in 2023, more than 460 students were trained through 48 training actions.
Likewise, Luis Padrón also referred to the essential role played by the Chamber in promoting entrepreneurial initiative and facilitating the establishment and development of new companies, through the Business Single Window and our Business Creation Service. Almost 1.400 people have been assisted and advised on the creation of our companies in 2023 and through the Business Single Window we have registered nearly 500 companies, and resolved more than 3.400 queries.
Public-private collaboration
As a public-private entity, the Chamber continues with the effective management of aid, subsidies, programs and projects aimed mainly at SMEs, in collaboration with the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, as well as local councils. Among them, the Archipelago Consumption Bonds and subsidies to promote electric mobility in the Taxi sector stand out. In this sense, Luis Padrón pointed out that the success of this collaboration is due, on the one hand, to the legal nature of the Chamber, and on the other, to the speed of management that characterizes us."
New communication tools
In terms of communication, the Chamber has new tools that favor interaction with companies, SMEs and the self-employed. Along these lines, Luis Padrón stated that “after several months of work we have already activated a new web portal, our main channel of communication and interaction with our companies. It is not only an information portal, but through it we offer services, which will increase in the future.”
The new website allows you to register for training actions such as courses, conferences and webinars; submit applications for the different aid that is managed through our electronic headquarters; rent our rooms, classrooms and annex services; acquire electronic signature certificates through Camerfirma; purchase business information databases, through Camerdata, among others. In addition, registration forms for courses and events have been simplified; and payment through Bizum has been enabled in the payment gateway, greatly facilitating the registration process of companies to our actions.
It was also reported that today the first issue of the monthly News Bulletin is launched, where the main news, training offers and events are reported.
