On 16 and 17 March several events took place in New York that served to present the Made in/by Spain Plan for the United States, in which the Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) plays an active role and which aims to increase the presence of Spanish companies in the American market. These acts were honoured by the presence of Their royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Asturias and the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade Miguel Sebastián.
The scheduled acts began on the afternoon of Monday 16 with the Spain Business Forum meeting, attended by close to 300 American and Spanish business leaders and serving as a starting point for future business collaboration projects.
The day was rounded off with the Spanish Brands in the United States Dinner, jointly organised by AMRE, the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade and the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX), which brought together 40 brands from different sectors associated with AMRE and over 500 guests from the world of US business.
Finally, the presentation acts concluded on Tuesday 17 March with a conference which, under the name “US-Spain Business Sustainability: Facing Global Challenges Together”, served as a platform for representatives of Spanish companies in sectors such as infrastructure and energy to present solutions with which Spanish products and services can aid in the fight against global challenges of the nature of scarcity of natural resources and climate change. The former US vice president Al Gore also participated in the conference.
The Made in/by Spain Plan in the US
The plan is part of an ambitious project comprising more than 50 actions in sectors where Spanish companies are leading players, such as technology (infrastructure and renewable energies), gastronomy, fashion and industries linked to the Spanish language, sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade and involving the private sector.
The Ministry chose the US for the launch of this initiative owing to its status as the world's largest economy (generating 25% of global output) and its 300 million consumers with high purchasing power.
The current situation also presents undeniable opportunities for the plan's objectives, such as the economic stimulus plan put in place by the US government at a cost estimated at 787 billion dollars.
US President Barack Obama's administration has shown sensitivity towards sectors where Spanish companies are among the world leaders, such as transport infrastructure, renewable energies and IT applications for health and education.
The main aims of this pilot project are to contribute to changing the perception of Spain in the US for one that is more in line with the current reality of the country through promoting the image of Spanish products, services and brands, and supporting the penetration strategy for Spanish products and services into the US.
The plan has a two-year duration and a budget co-financed by the Spanish government and companies of 20 million euros in 2009, which may be increased to 24 million in 2010.
The Made in/by Spain Plan will be delivered by the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) and Invest in Spain and, in addition to the Leading Brands of Spain Association, has the Spain-United States Council Foundation) and the American Chamber of Commerce in Spain as collaborators. It is also supported by the Spanish Confederation of Business organisations (CEOE) and the Spanish Senior Council of Chambers of Commerce.
