On November 28th of 2013, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organized, for the celebration of its 75th anniversary, a Gala Diner that gathered more than one hundred selected guests.

Among the attendees people could find his Excellency the ambassador of Spain in the kingdom of Belgium and Honorary President of the Chamber, Mr Ignacio Matellanes, as well as other personalities within the Spanish and Latin-American diplomatic environment.

The celebration started at 19:30 at the NH Hotel du Grand Sablon. The menu was provided by the chef Luis Salinero, executive chef of the seventeen Michelin Stars group Lamoraga.

Mr Juan Rodríguez-Villa, President of the Chamber, welcomed the guests during his speech, commemorating the 75 years of existence of the Chamber and emphasising the important role of its founders. He pointed out the long labour of all the different Presidents and General Secretaries who have gone through the Institution, as well as the rest of members of the board of directors. He also had some words of gratitude for the fundamental support from the different Spanish institutions settled in Belgium and Luxembourg and also for the proved trust of all the members of the Chamber.

Along the evening event, a short award ceremony took place in which the first edition of the “enterprise of the year” award went, decided by the Chamber’s board of directors, to the Spanish company AIR EUROPA. The award was handed over by the ambassador Mr Ignacio Matellanes to the CEO of Air Europa in France and Belgium, Mr Alcino Ribeiro. He expressed gratitude for the prize in the name of the Globalia Group, to which the airline is part of, and also in the name of the Global CEO, Mr Juan José Hidalgo. He remarked that this recognition “is a big reward” for the workers in Brussels, who have been present for already one year in such a complicated market as the one in Belgium.

Mr Ribeiro admitted that “getting in the Belgian market has not been and yet it is not easy”, due to a very strong competition in the country in which, besides the leisure travel, they also want to work on the corporative market. At the same time he indicated that the airline “aspires to become the reference company to travel to Spain and Latin America from Belgium”.

Finally the ambassador of Spain, Mr Matellanes, concluded the ceremony with an intervention in which he stated the strength of the Spanish economy and its important commercial relation with the kingdom of Belgium.

A show with the Spanish guitar player, Raúl Corredor, and a “cantaor” and thereafter a riffle of products and services donated by the Chamber’s members, were the icing on the cake and meant the end of the soiree.