Best in Gran Canaria welcomes six large Chinese companies looking into setting up in the Arinaga Free Zone
The president of the Gran Canaria Island Council (Cabildo), Antonio Morales, and representatives of the Best in Gran Canaria initiative, driven by the Corporation for the Economic Development of Gran Canaria, welcomed a delegation of Chinese companies who are in Gran Canaria to study the possibility of setting up a large centre on the island for the distribution of products to Africa and marketing local agro-food products in China.
The six Asian companies that participated in the visit showed interest in Gran Canaria, on account of its ideal strategic location, tax benefits, services offered at the Arinaga Free Zone, good connectivity and other advantages Gran Canaria offers, which were outlined at an event with representatives of Best in Gran Canaria.
The Chinese delegation was led by representatives of the Juerui Group, a trade platform with its headquarters in Shanghai that imports agro-food products from Spain into China and which already operates in Madrid, Murcia and Navarra. Kumming Food Service, Guangdong Yingmei, Shanghai Industrial, Wuhan Airport Bonded Zone and China Ocean Shipping are the other five companies that formed part of this trade mission.
The Councillor for Economic Development of the Cabildo, Raúl García Brink, explained that this project represents a "unique opportunity" to turn the islands into a "logistics and trade distribution centre to attract more Chinese companies".
New generations will now be able to go to bed along with 'Familia Telerín’
‘Familia Telerín’ (the 'Telerín Family') returns 50 years on with the new 3D series 'Cleo&Cuquin'. The series, aimed at children between the ages of four and five, has 52 episodes and was produced by Ánima Kitchent at its facilities in Madrid and Gran Canaria.
The series was presented today at the TIC Demonstration Centre for Tourist Innovation. Ánima Kitchent wanted to present 'Cleo&Cuquin' in Gran Canaria to thank the Gran Canaria Island Council (Cabildo), the Gran Canaria Film Commission and the SPEGC (the Corporation for the Economic Development of Gran Canaria) for its contribution in making this project a reality.
"They first told us about the fiscal incentives, but it was the willingness to work we found in Gran Canaria, and the facilities to establish ourselves and start up within a month that made us come here and what will make us stay", explained Víctor López, executive director of the production company Ánima Kitchent, who did not hide his enthusiasm about the potential for expansion on the island.
‘Cleo&Cuquin’ saw the light of day after two years of work carried out by one hundred professionals. Out of the 52 professionals who worked from Gran Canaria, twelve of them were students who trained on the 3D animation course organised by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, through the SPEGC and the Mapfre Guanarteme Foundation.
The series is promising, since the music videos alone, launched on Youtube last year, have had over 700 million hits and 1.6 million subscribers, and has become a long-awaited launch which will finally reach millions of children around the world.
Moreover, the international production company, Ánima Kitchent, took advantage of the launch of 'Cleo&Cuquin' to announce that it has closed a deal with the writer, Elsa Punset, to produce a series based on its collection 'Los Atrevidos', a project that will be carried out at the facilities of the Cabildo of Gran Canaia. The collection, which is about emotional intelligence, is aimed at children, and will also be coproduced by Televisión Española.
Gran Canaria sells itself to the American Film Market
The American Film Market is one of the major global events in the film industry. Producers, distributors and thousands of professionals attend this annual fair to hold meetings, conferences, round tables and events in which to buy and sell audiovisual productions.
The 38th edition of the American Film Market had in excess of 7,000 professionals from the industry from 80 countries, over 1,000 content producers and 400 distributors. One of the highlights this year was the section 'LocationEXPO', a meeting and business space aimed mainly at Film Commissions, which facilitated interaction between producers and Film Commissioners.
The Gran Canaria Film Commission participated in this edition on its own at ICEX's "Audiovisual from Spain" pavilion, where it promoted the advantages of filming on the island using new promotional material, and held around 20 meetings with international producers. The delegation from Gran Canaria was also able to learn about the latest trends of the international industry through conferences and networking meetings with the industry's main players.
Each year more and more international producers are interested in the variety of locations offered in Gran Canaria, its pleasant climate, its safety as a destination and the list of companies that offer production services prepared to fulfil any requirement set by the producers. The American Film Market is a unique showcase for Gran Canaria and a way of connecting with all the professionals in the industry who come together in the US film capital, Los Angeles.
Talents from Gran Canaria exchange ideas and experiences in London
Around thirty young people from Gran Canaria who work in the United Kingdom participated yesterday at the first 'after-work' event organised by the SPEGC in the British capital to create synergies and make contacts among the members of the Talento Gran Canaria network who live in London.
Attendees were surprised that there were "so many people from the island" in London and did not stop sharing and exchanging business cards, contacts and ideas. The event was also attended by the president of the Island Council (Cabildo), Antonio Morales, and the Councillor for Tourism, Inés Jiménez, who offered every facility to these young entrepreneurs to develop their ideas in London and Gran Canaria, given the importance of opportunities for redirecting such talent towards Gran Canaria, whether of islanders or not, thanks to the advantages the island has to offer.
Most of the Canarians who attended the event arrived in London looking for new challenges and attracted by the possibility of discovering new cultures. They were all grateful for the event, as it allowed participants to get to know each other and exchange professional advice and common experiences. So much so, that most agreed to organise another meet-up during the year to repeat the experience. In any case, they were invited to the next meeting of the SPEGC which will be held in Gran Canaria this Christmas, at the Uvas de Talento event.
Talento Gran Canaria, which already has over 750 members across the five continents, works via Linkedin and its aim is to unite people from Gran Canaria who work abroad so that they can meet each other and support Gran Canaria abroad.
The network was created barely a year ago and of note among its activities are meetings that are held taking advantage of dates such as Christmas or this Tourism event in London. The first Uvas de talento event was already held in Gran Canaria last December and another successful 'after-work' event took place in Madrid.
Representatives of a number of American businesses get to know Gran Canaria
Representatives of a number of American firms in the renewable energy industry spent the day getting to know Gran Canaria with the aim of placing the Canary Islands as a meeting point and strategic business hub with Africa. Proexca and Best in Gran Canaria were the coordinators.
During the course of the morning various presentations were given by Best in Gran Canaria, the Island Council for Energy and the Canary Islands Special Zone (ZEC), offering direct information about investment opportunities and setting up business on the island as a business base, all within the framework of the Information and Communications Technology Demonstration Centre for Innovation in Tourism, CDTIC,.
The representatives of the American businesses were also able to meet local business people.