The 1st Forum of Excellence for Managers was held today at the Guitart Monterrey Hotel in Lloret de Mar, bringing together international leaders from the business, social and academic spheres (including four Nobel Prize winners and an astronaut). The event was attended by over 150 people.
This inaugural forum is aimed at boosting MICE tourism in Lloret de Mar. With this in mind, José Ramon Calvo, Director of the Forum of Excellence, has reached an agreement with Cristina Cabañas, President of the Guitart Hotels chain and of the Lloret de Mar Economics Club, for the creation of a European centre for managers at the Guitart Monterrey Hotel in Lloret de Mar.
The forum delegates were welcomed by its director, José Ramon Calvo, by Romà Codina, Mayor of Lloret de Mar, who praised the work being done by the Lloret Convention Bureau as a public-private management body entrusted with promoting MICE tourism in Lloret de Mar, and by Jordi Orobitg, Councillor for Tourism. These formalities were followed by the opening debate, on the topic of business internationalisation, with talks by Isaac Martín, Director of Internationalisation at ICEX, and by Mònica Martínez, founder of the Boston International Business Accelerator, after which the chefs Joan Roca and Pere Castells gave their respective talks on success stories.
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS
The 1st Forum of Excellence for Managers was keen to highlight the importance of young people for the future of global business. As such, several initiatives were implemented to encourage young people to take part in the event. The event organisers awarded grants to 100 young entrepreneurs in order for them to attend the forum, where they were able to engage in networking activities and gain first-hand expert knowledge from internationally successful business people.
The morning’s activities also included a talk by Donald Pettit, a NASA astronaut, for 230 students at Lloret de Mar’s Municipal Theatre. Mr Pettit later gave a talk to the managers attending the forum.
PROGRAMME OF EXCELLENCE
Four Nobel Prize winners were invited to take part in 1st Forum of Excellence for Managers: Werner Arber, (Medicine, 1978), Richard Roberts, (Medicine, 1993), Finn Kydland (Economics, 2004) and Sheldon Lee Glashow (Physics, 1979).
The event was also attended by other international speakers, such as Alan Solomont, former US Ambassador to Spain; Juan Verde, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe at the US Department of Commerce and adviser to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton; Arturo Valenzuela, former US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; and Alain Paul Martin, former Fellow in Advanced Leadership at Harvard University.
Meanwhile, speakers from Spain included Susana Voces, Country Manager Spain at eBay Marketplaces; Joan Roca, Chef at El Celler de Can Roca and holder of 3 Michelin stars; Josep Lluís Bonet, President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and of Freixenet; Maria Reig, President of Reig Capital; Joan Roure, President of the Spanish Association of Business Angels; and Albert Bosch, entrepreneur and sportsman.
