On the 29^th and 30^th of May, the Chamber participated in the consortium meeting for the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) programme. This EC initiative that has been run by the Chamber for 3 years now has the objective to connect entrepreneurs across Europe and to promote the exchange of experiences among them.

The meeting took place in Valencia, city where the two leaders of the consortium are based. 15 partners representing the 10 institutions in the consortium attended the meeting. The event concluded with a dissemination session where future entrepreneurs and potential host entrepreneurs learned about the possibilities in each of the represented countries.

The chamber will be running the programme for 3 more years and this was an excellent opportunity to discuss the future strategy of the partners and the priority lines of actions. The Chamber has considerably increased its number of exchanges; since February 2019 it has managed nearly 15 exchanges between European entrepreneurs.

Creative District is a hub of cultural industries based in Brussels, and one of the Spanish Chamber’s hosting companies within the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneur (EYE) programme. The initiative, financed by the European Commission, whose objective is to promote the exchange between entrepreneurs from different European countries.

Creative District was created in 2014 by Aurelie Rompler and Mulenga Royen. Five years later it has become the hub of creative and cultural industries and new media of Brussels. Since then, they have developed several lines of work inside the company: property management, training, coworking spaces, projects solutions and services, new media management and professional and cultural events. Developing a network of professional and artist to give a global solution to their clients.

Simone Lopez is a journalist and public relations with a wide experience marketing and social media. A few months ago, she decided to come to Brussels to develop her business idea, collaborate with an experienced entrepreneur and learn the different challenges that an event management company faces.

The Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs has given them the opportunity to pair up in this win-win collaboration whereby both have discovered new markets, business partners, and different ways of doing business.

¿A normal day at the office?

In the events management sector does not exist such a thing. Aurelie and Simone explain that every day is different, and workflows vary from one month to the other. For the first weeks, they worked on understanding each other’s work and ways of working.

This period was really fulfilling for them for this reason they think the EYE has been successfully personally and professionally.

Now they are immersed in the events period. They are organizing different events around the city: concerts, afterworks, launching albums events… but there is one they are especially excited about…an haute coiffure show.

Once the peak of work is over, Simone will help Aurelie with the marketing and communication strategy for Creative District, designing the website and promoting the company’s activities through social media and with the objective of increasing the visibility and the attraction of potential clients.

After the exchange

The Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs gave them the opportunity to meet but they both trust that they will keep in touch.

Aurelie thinks there is a space for the internationalization of Creative District in Spain.

After this experience in Belgium, Simone’s ambition is to come back to Spain and continue working on her conscious weddings company Boda Consciente. A new concept of weddings: simple, relaxed, without labels or protocols. “A soul ceremony organized in natural locations: beaches or forests in the region of Malaga”.

The EYE reinforced her ability to find the balance the client’s requirements and her know-how to organise the perfect event.

Discover more about the EYE.

Contact us to register in the programme. erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com

Last 7^th of May the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg received the visit of a group of entrepreneurs from the European Business and Innovation Centre (CEEI) of Burgos.

Marta González, Membership and Business Development Manager presented the activities and functions of the Chamber, highlighting the organization of events and the role of the Chamber as an actor for the dynamization of trade between the three countries.

Subsequently, Arturo Ibañez, Project Manager of the EYE programme (Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs) in the Chamber, explained this European programme, its benefits and the facilities that the Chamber offers to participate on it.

The students had also the opportunity to present their projects and receive feedback on the possibility to commercialize their products and services in Belgium and/or Luxembourg.

Last 21st March, the Chamber presented the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) programme at the University of Antwerp. Around 15 students learned more about this EU funded programme exchange for entrepreneurs and about the main activities and programme of the Chamber.

The participants had also the opportunity to present their projects and get direct feedback from Soraya Bravo and Arturo Ibáñez, project managers of the Chamber and responsible for the EYE programme.

Besides the University of Antwerp, the Chamber is actively collaborating with Mons University and KU Leuven. In particular, the KU Leuven, with the support of the Chamber, has recently launched a call for projects among their student to present their business plans and get the opportunity to participate in the EYE programme. We invite you to follow the link for more information.