Looking at the magnitude of tourism in Marbella and the business related, the City Council, through the municipal delegation of Tourism, has launched an advisory group to advance economic development. Named the “Think Tank Advisory Group”, efforts will be made to facilitate business in cooperation with international trade possibilities.

With the aim of bringing together the international business sector about an integration project in cooperation with the Center Tourist Initiative (ILC) in Marbella, the project seeks to expand the growth prospective of the town and its surroundings.

Explaining the prospective of such new initiatives, Councillor for Tourism, Jose Luis Hernandez stressed on the significance of local and international business incorporation by involving both foreign business community and residents of the town.

Recalling the fact of 137 nationalities living in Marbella, he emphasized on a joint action that has certainly the potential to achieve maximum integration and then the overall growth of Spanish business. “This must be integrated to become a rich resource, not an element of division,” he further added.

It is also outlined that the initiative will comprise representatives and business groups on various domestic and international organisations which include the British Chambers of Commerce, German-American Club, Dutch Business Club, in addition to individual entrepreneurs.

The “Think Tank Advisory Group” has already become operational and the first appointment will take place on April 14 at the Trade Fair and Congress (Palacio de Ferias y Congresos) with the convening of the First Annual International Business Association of Marbella.

The advisory group also works on other actions and activities to achieve its objectives. Among them are the proposal to hold a trade show for Spanish and foreign entrepreneurs with an aim to look for companies with a complementary profile to develop joint business projects.

Besides, it is also expected to initiate networking and socialising activities during the golf tournaments with cooperation from various clubs in Marbella, which will allow the City Council to have a permanent and direct business contact. Moreover, specialised language classes, which are highly demanded by foreign businessmen, and an advisory service on public grants and applicable to businesses are also in the card to be espoused in the initial phase.

The seminar is free of charge but places are limited to 22 attendees.

To secure your place please e-mail immediately to:
cade.marbella@andaluciaemprende.es

The deadline to subscribe is 17th February 2010. However, it is advisable to respond quickly due to the limited amount of places available.

Thank you in advance for your interest and we hope to meet you there.

Date: Monday 22nd February 2010
Time: 9:45 am
Place: CADE Marbella, Avd Ricardo Soriano 66, Marbella, Málaga.

Overview
The foreign community is very important to theCosta del Sol because of its size, diversity,length of time that it has been here and ofcourse because of its business investments.

One of the strategic targets of the regional government, Junta de Andalucía, for this area is that foreign residents further develop theirbusiness activities, creating more companies, which are larger and stronger, more innovative and better connected and integrated in the region.

For this purpose CADE Marbella, Malaga Chamber of Commerce and Unicaja are
organising the Setting up a business in Spain Seminar, a meeting point for all people aiming to start doing business in Andalusia or for existing business people to expand their activities.

Technology or industrial parks are tools and means provided by any government in promotion of small and medium scale enterprises with an aim to endorse overall growth by attracting foreign investment and creating job opportunities.

Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía (PTA) in Malaga is just an example how the business complex has created job opportunities for many young aspirants since its inception in 1992.

The Extension of the Andalucía Technology Park to Marbella in its mission for economic growth will also contribute largely towards employment generation and creation of a quality workforce. The Park in Malaga in partnership with University of Malaga has developed many cutting-edge technologies. Moreover, it’s the participation of students which has earned it the respectable position among all other Spanish universities.

Not only that but the Park gives opportunity to the university student to engage themselves in a range of development activities with the goal to obtain employment at the end of their study. Malaga University in coordination with multinational companies conduct research and training programmes on various fields such as information technology, telecommunication, biomedical sciences, etc.

Such “human capital” gain programmes aim to build a highly skilled workforce approved and recognised by the technology industry.

Presently, large enterprises based in the Andalucía Technology Park and the University of Malaga together provides high quality R&D environmenta to fresh graduates or diploma holders thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the vibrant workforce.

Hence, a technology park in Marbella means it will further create such advantage for youngsters thereby delivering economic and social benefit to the community. There will be a creation and promotion of a range of new career opportunities, not only for Spaniards but also for foreign students.

The culture of innovation and competitiveness will distinguish Marbella from the global workforce, and the proposed Technology Park in Marbella will have the same potential to bring Andalucía to the forefront.

Technological developments, successful businesses and job creation will add a lot to the Costa del Sol economy with high potential returns.

The success of the Andalucía Technology Park (Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía) in Malaga has now prompted the regional authority to open new but similar state-of-the-art facilities to promote business activities in and around the coastal resort town Marbella.

However, one of the best parts of the proposed project is that it will act as a catalyst to the real-estate market.

Tourism inflow and the popularity of Marbella as a second home to many foreigners, allured by its unique climate, have already made it one of the priciest places in Europe. And the establishment of an industrial or technological park will further alleviate the property market with rising demand of real-estate infrastructure in and around Marbella.

Presently, as per the planned outline, the park will cover some 197 hectares of land in the Guadaiza area of San Pedro Alcántara. As these types of park are usually formed with assistance from local authorities, the Junta de Andalucía will no doubt make additional effort in bringing urbanisation and development to the surrounding areas.

R&D and activities in the proposed park are linked to various other sectors for societal development programmes in a way towards innovative and sustainable development. Simply, the expansion of improved communication facilities will attract investment to the entire Costa del Sol region.

Many Britons in the last few years have moved to Spain for business purposes and are now quite successful in their respective endeavours. In a time when the property prices are skyrocketing compared to last five years, only those people will prefer to buy property in Spain who wants to settle here permanently. In a sense, they want to invest in the local market by making a significant impact to the Andalucía society.

The Junta de Andalucía’s effort in setting up a new technology park also aims to attract those people who want to invest in the overall growth of the region. Technology Parks equip a large group of entrepreneurs to work on their ideas of development and business expansion. And the extension of healthcare, telecommunication, and public transport along with a host of business activities together increases the value of the property of any region.

Today, the value of Costa del Sol property is not the same as in the year 2002 and again will not be the same after a couple of years. The market here has shown the signs of recovery after the economic meltdown, suggesting this as the right time for investment in Spanish property. Seriously, Costa del Sol will no longer be a holiday home rather a business-cum-recreation centre.

The Director of the CADE Marbella (Business Support Centre), Mr. Óscar Fernández, of the Regional Ministry of Innovation, Science and Enterprise of the Junta de Andalucía has the pleasure to invite you to the presentation of the conference: ‘How to create a Business in Andalusia’ to be held in Mijas Costa. The event will count with the collaboration of UNICAJA International and the Foreigners Department of the Mijas Town Hall.

Andalusia has demonstrated the ability to adapt to change in a unique way that connects innovation, knowledge, people and enterprise to meet the fast-evolving demands of world markets.

One of the strategic targets of the Regional Government – Junta de Andalucía – for this area is to promote the region and support companies in developing their businesses. Our mission is to offer a single and reliable one-stop-shop to current and new investors intending to set up or expand their business in Andalusia.

CADE Marbella, Mijas Town Hall and Unicaja are organising the conference How to create a business in Andalusia, which will explain the public incentives offered by the Junta de Andalusia, how to introduce your business in Andalusia, and two examples of foreign businesses on the Costa del Sol.

please see PDF link below for timetable or view the schedule below.
http://www.marbellaguide.com/downlaods/how-to-create-a-business-in-andalucia-sept-2009.pdf

Date: Thursday, 24th September 2009.
Time: 4:30 to 8:00 pm.
Place: Hotel CIO Mijas, Ctra. A7, Km 201, 29649, La Cala, Mijas Costa.

RSVP: cade.marbella@andaluciaemprende.es