Success in the first edition of the workshop on EU Funding – Project Management

The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, in collaboration with Swan Consulting, held the 23rd and 24th of November  the workshop on EU Funding – Project Management.

This first edition of this workshop, which was attended by 25 people and reached full capactiy, finished with sucess. During two days the attendees got to know the EU funding project management opportunities and how to take part in them. Besides, the EU affairs consultant Jorge Cisneros, who taught the course, explained how to identify calls and to draft proposals.

Cisneros encouraged the interaction among the participants, who expressed their doubts, opinions and experiences with the European projects. This led to networking as well as some potential collaborations.

Get to know the benefits of the Erasmus For Young Entrepreneurs programme

It has been over half a year since we started to work as an Intermediary Organisation (IO) in the Erasmus For Young Entrepreneurs (EYE). This EU-funded programme gives new or aspiring entrepreneurs the chance to learn from experienced entrepreneurs running small businesses in other participating countries.

Some entrepreneurs are taking part on the programme during this period, taking advantage of the numerous benefits which are provided by this kind of exchange: the possibility to expand their network, partners and potential customers in other countries, or having a collaborator who provides new ideas and help in the company everyday life, among others. And everything without any charge for the host entrepreneur.

We will soon publish the exchange experience of a Belgian host entrepreneur and a new Spanish entrepreneur who will tell us their their success story.

We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity and get in contact with the Chamber to ask any information you need.

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Meeting of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce with ESNE students

The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg received last 15 November a group of students from the Escuela Universitaria de Diseño, Innovación y Tecnología (ESNE). The visit was part of an institutional agenda developed for the students on 15th, 16th and 17th of November in Brussels.

The Secretary General, María Catalán, presented the particularities of the Belgian and Luxembourgian markets and the support offered to new entrepreneurs in both countries. Thus, the students got to know the programme Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE), in which the Chamber participates as a local contact point in BeLux. Catalán also reported on the employment programme which is managed right now by the Official Chamber of Commerce. Furthermore, the Secretary General discussed about job opportunities presented to young Spaniards abroad.

The students, many of whom have already entrepreneurial spirit in the creative industries sector, had the chance to talk to the Secretary General and to solve their questions about the Belgian and Luxembourgian markets.

 

Why and how to open a pop-up store in Brussels

The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg took part last 28th of October in the conference organised by Atrium.Brussels (agency of the Brussels-Capital Region that promotes commercial development) about how and why to open a pop-up store in the city.

Due to the growing trend of this ephemeral commerce, Atrium developed a study to analyze the keys for success with a pop-up store. In particular, the project L’Auberge Espagnole, released in Etterbeek in May 2016, allowed it to corroborate the results of its study and communicate them to the attendees.

During the first part of the conference, Arnaud Tixer, Atrium.Brussels’ CEO, explained the reasons for this new business model growth. On the one hand, the change in customer’s behavior: that one has become much more demanding, looking for the unusual and unique at all times. On the other hand, the idea of a pop-up store is also useful for the traders, who can test their business idea reducing risks.

The second part of this workshop continued with some testimonies of the owners of pop-up stores in Brussels, who explained their experience and advised the future entrepreneurs. They all insisted on the need of previous preparation in order to open a pop-up store.

The CRO of Atrium.Brussels, Julien Bacq, highlighted the need to identify themselves with the neighborhood spirit and to maintain strong links with it when we open the pop-up store. These stores, in his opinion, modernize the neighborhood while they keep its essence.

Flore Frédéric, Project Manager of Atrium.Brussels, was the next one to speak. The rapporteur presented the study of Atrium and commented the most important factors to take into account to open a pop-up store. Among them, defining the business model and determining the duration and the purpose of the pop-up store. Besides, Frédéric focused on three key lines to get success: determining the flow and frequency of people, the needs of the target neighborhood and the rent to pay. Finally, she emphasized the importance of the promotion and the communication of the pop-up store, and the required administrative procedure.

The event finished with a round of questions in which the attendees could raise theirs questions. The speaker answered in detail and highlighted the creation of the Google + community to put the potential traders and owners in contact. Furthermore, she stressed the role of Atrium as a local adviser authority in the whole process of the establishment of a pop-up store in Brussels.

Check the study developed by Atrium.