Monaco Economic Board sets sights on Saudi Arabia
From left to right: Guillaume Rose, Etienne Franzi, Michel Dotta, Christophe Robino and Lionel Galfré - © MEB / Sébastien Darrasse
The MEB’s trade delegation will be heading for Riyadh tomorrow.
The Hôtel Méridien Beach Plaza hosted the 47th MEB Members’ Rendez-Vous on January 18. During the traditional networking event, which was attended by over 300 entrepreneurs, Michel Dotta, Chairman of the MEB, paid tribute to the work of Etienne Franzi at the head of the Association Monégasque des Activités Financières (AMAF). Etienne Franzi chaired the Monaco Association for Financial Activities for 25 years, before recently handing over to Robert Laure. Paying tribute to “remarkable work that has transformed an employers’ association into a veritable institution, an essential player in our economic landscape,” Michel Dotta underlined the partnership between the AMAF and the MEB, specifying that the Association “is playing an active role in the tremendous effort that is underway to make the Principality a leading and well-respected financial centre.”
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The evening was also an opportunity to look at the MEB’s ‘diary’, and more specifically the upcoming trade mission to Riyadh from 23 to 27 January. “We are heading to Saudi Arabia, and we are already very proud of the number of companies involved,” Guillaume Rose, Executive Director of the MEB, told Monaco Info. “47 companies and 62 individuals in fact, the Monaco Economic Board’s biggest foreign delegation for years! During the trip, and following on from the relatively recent connections made between the Kingdom and our Sovereign, we aim to establish lasting economic relations with Saudi Arabia. The appointment book is already full for our companies!”
Several networking sessions are planned in the Saudi capital, as well as attendance of the Riyadh E-Prix. The MEB will also be travelling to Morocco from 16 to 19 April, then to London from 10 to 13 June. Conversely, delegations of Tunisian and Austrian entrepreneurs will be visiting the Principality on 22 February and 18 April respectively.
Handipact: Companies urged to take action
Lionel Galfré, the Government’s technical advisor on people with disabilities, was also invited to speak at the event. The former Director of MonacoTech pointed out that people with disabilities are workers and consumers like everyone else, and called on businesses to join forces with the Government, which is aiming to make Monaco a centre of excellence in terms of inclusion thanks to the recently launched “Handipact” initiative.
“The Government wants to put Handipact in place to ensure inclusion and consideration of disability in Monaco, so that the Principality is a place where disability is a natural and accepted part of society. Companies have a pivotal role to play in the project, because work is central, social existence comes through work, so the role of companies is very important“, he told Monaco Info.
A new Premium membership package
Guillaume Rose also took the opportunity of the Members’ Rendez-Vous to announce a new membership structure for the MEB. From now on, companies will be able to choose between two types: Classic or Premium.
The new Premium package provides six additional benefits over the Classic version:
- Up to five people, instead of two, can take part in events and activities organised by the MEB (subject to availability).
- Priority registration for all events and activities.
- Exclusive annual events for Premium members only.
- Priority allocation for invitations that the MEB receives through one of its partners (events, trade fairs, etc.).
- The opportunity to feature in a new section of the MEB website: “Our Premium Companies”. Each Premium member will have a dedicated page to communicate on, using a pre-defined template.
- Support from the MEB communications team regarding contacts with the local media.