OPENDIR, a managers’ forum that brings together leaders of some of the main companies in Spain, organized by the Alicante Managers’ Circle, will be held in Alicante on April 25. With its president, Eva Toledo, we analyze the current situation in the province of Alicante and what we can expect from the 2024 edition of the forum.
Recent data indicate that the weight of Construction and Services is growing in the GDP of the Alicante economy, agriculture is in crisis and the industry is experiencing a certain paralysis. Are we condemned to live off brick and mortar and tourism?
Condemned sounds a bit negative to me. I propose to change it to be aware that brick and tourism are two basic activities of our economy. What’s wrong? I believe that the demonization of these activities makes us part of the problem that the territory suffers. The key is to seek excellence in them. Build sustainably, offer quality second homes in an environment with good communications and dream services. In tourism, let’s focus on the training and qualification of professionals in the sector, create a system that is attractive to them and where tourists are so satisfied that we are able to improve the margin and cover the cost of the added value offered.
What sectors do you see with the most possibilities of generating investment and qualified employment in Alicante?
Skilled employment is in the field of digitalization and engineering in industries, but also in services. That is the vision. Why can’t a construction professional consider himself qualified? There is a lot of innovation to apply and develop in this area.
The truth is that many young people with solid business training are forced to look outside for a job profile that they cannot find here. What is going wrong?
I do not have the answer. I also suffer from the lack of fit between supply and demand. There are many factors that occur at the same time and that probably, instead of adding, act as opposing forces. On the one hand, in general, traditional training is further removed than before from the needs of the company and the reality of practice. On the other hand, new generations seek and demand very different issues that, sometimes, are not on the radar of companies and tensions arise that lead to frustration on both sides. Another issue is cultural or values: now everything is wanted quickly, immediately, and in the business world there must be a period of learning and development before enjoying certain milestones. In addition, the possibility of traveling and working in other parts of the world offers young people the possibility of experimenting abroad, which is highly recommended by the way. Another factor is the tax pressure in Spain and our labor model, which, far from encouraging hiring, hinders it.
Both the Generalitat and the City Council have been sharing the idea of ??a “digital” and “innovative” Alicante for years. Do you think that this desire is being materialized in specific projects?
I think so. Simply talking about it already generates interest and unites entities and people who share initiatives. Alicante can be a territory where digital and innovation are some of the new hallmarks. In this sense, Alicantec is an association that brings together companies and people in this field and are an example of the lobby that already exists. We have capacity and talent, I hope we can finish shaping and consolidating it.
Are our managers and our professionals prepared for the challenge and possibilities that AI poses in the business environment?
I don’t think anyone is prepared, not our managers or anyone else. It is a new subject on which not only management, but teams, and citizens in general must be trained without delay. Lack of information leads to paralysis and loss of opportunities. From El Círculo we are already betting and talking about it in a very practical way at the TEC breakfasts and also through the agreement with the Institute of Artificial Intelligence to offer their training with very advantageous conditions, and the collaboration with Alicantec.
Are you concerned that the unstable political situation will have a negative impact on the immediate development of Alicante?
Of course, a lot. We already had the impact, and now it will surely be much greater. We lack infrastructure and support to be able to have the same conditions as other territories.
A little over a month after the inauguration of the OPENDIR forum, what characteristics differentiate this year’s edition? In its list of speakers, we see personalities from the business world, but also others such as the psychiatrist Marian Rojas Estapé or a controversial character like Pedro Baños. What is the reason for his presence?
OPENDIR is an event promoted 100% by El Círculo that was born with the aim of offering managers and companies in our province a moment to bring together authorized voices to obtain information that inspires and guides. Alicante deserves to bring diverse experts who allow us to enjoy an injection of current information without having to travel to another place. We always draw up a speaker strategy according to the chosen motto, and we always want to have someone who talks about the manager’s health, and someone who talks to us about geopolitics and the state of the world, because globalization causes us all to be impacted by what happens. in another part of the planet.
This year these areas are covered by Marian Rojas and Pedro Baño, but other speakers will be in charge of drawing our attention to the latest trends in sustainability and the so-called green finance, sales in the digital environment, the evolution of traditional brands in a context of continuous innovation, and this year we will have the president of Microsoft to talk about AI.
