The Investor's Office offered consultancy services to 92 national and international companies and companies from various productive sectors, highlighting software, technology, retail and logistics
06/04/2021.- The municipal company Promálaga, belonging to the delegation of Tourism, Promotion of the City and Capture of Investments of the Malaga City Council, served during the year 2020 a total of 720 entrepreneurs y more than 7.900 queries through the service called 'Malaga Starts'.
The Councilor for Tourism, Promotion of the City and Capture of Investments, Rosa Sánchez, has taken stock this morning of the activity of the municipal company during the past year and has stressed that, despite being a year marked by the pandemic, the management municipal government has turned to continue promoting economic activity and entrepreneurship.
Thus, through said business creation service and unit, business advisory services have been offered prior to the start of activity and the aid available from this entity has been processed. Thanks to these actions, they have been 293 companies have been created through Málaga Emprende.
Likewise, also within Málaga Emprende, free advice is offered during the first year of activity of the companies; specifically, free advisory services, tax, labor and accounting management. During the year 2020, they have been granted 295 free counseling programs, from which 28 companies and 267 self-employed workers have benefited.
This initiative also makes available a company incorporation service that last year processed 33 files for the incorporation of mercantile companies, managing the legal steps for the incorporation of a company.
In addition, Promálaga annually launches the call for Subsidies for Business Impulse, which includes various lines of investment: website design and corporate image, adaptation works of the premises and technical installations, tools and machinery, computer equipment, trademark registration, furniture and equipment, etc. In this call, the processing of files has been incorporated through the electronic office of the City Council of Malaga. 119 applications have been submitted, and close to 30% have been electronically.
It should be noted that this business consulting service has obtained an average score of 2020 points out of 9,7 in 10, according to the quality questionnaires implemented to measure the degree of satisfaction among service users. For its part, the degree of recommendation of the services has been 9,29 out of 10 and in August the service provided remotely for entrepreneurs began to be valued with a satisfaction result of 9,58.
PROFILE OF THE ENTREPRENEUR SERVED
The people who have come to Promálaga to receive advice and support in the process of creating their company are the main motor of the activity of the municipal company. The age groups with the greatest representation have been 25-35 years, with 40% of the total number of entrepreneurs attended, and 35-45 with 31%. Those under 25 and over 45 have percentages of 8% and 21%.
Regarding the businesses created with the help of Promálaga, the sector with the greatest representation is Professional services, with 37% of the total number of entrepreneurs served, followed by the Commerce sector with 18%, the Tourism sector with 11% and the Hospitality and ICT/R&D sector with 10%.
Regarding training, 49% of entrepreneurs are university students, 24% with Vocational Training and 15% with Bachelor. The group with the least representation is that of Primary Studies with 12%.
54% of the entrepreneurs were in a situation of unemployment, 44% of the total are active (either as businessmen or as workers), while the student group was 2%.
OTHER TOOLS FOR ENTREPRENEURS
From April to July 2020, a virtual office for business advice against COVID-19, to provide a service of attention and resolution of doubts to Malaga companies about the different economic measures due to the coronavirus. Through this service, more than 550 queries were answered by email, video call or through the web form.
On the other hand, it has been maintained online platform to help in the elaboration of business plans in a free, accessible and simple way. During 2020, 1.246 business plans have been prepared through this tool.
MUNICIPAL NETWORK OF INCUBATORS (RMI)
They are currently 12 the incubators in operation providing services to installed companies. The Municipal Network of Incubators (RMI) offers a constructed area of more than 20.000 square meters to house and incubate more than 230 companies. It is estimated that around 650 jobs have been created since its inception.
It should be noted that the average annual occupancy during the year 2020 has been almost 80%. In addition, during the successive lockdowns, measures have been applied to support this sector with exemptions and quota discounts to encourage teleworking, although none of the 12 incubators have ever been closed.
Likewise, throughout 2020, there have been 412 actions to improve spaces, facilities and systems of all the centers that are managed. This has meant an investment of almost 330.000 euros; specifically 278.044,78 euros in infrastructures and 49.148,77 euros in systems.
Regarding the pandemic, the spaces have been adapted to the requirements and recommendations issued by the competent bodies.
INVESTOR'S OFFICE
La Investor Office of the Malaga City Council has attended and offered consulting services to a total of 92 national and international companies through telematic or face-to-face means in 2020.
The companies contacted belong to various productive sectors, highlighting the software, technology, retail and logistics companies. The main nationalities of the companies that have contacted the Office have been Spain, the USA, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Argentina, among others.
Likewise, 6 foreign companies and companies were helped to settle in Malaga, estimating the creation of about 70 jobs.
These figures show that, even in a year in which the health crisis caused by COVID-19 has slowed down economic activity, the interest in the city of Malaga and its innovative ecosystem as a place to set up new headquarters has not come to a standstill. of companies or their expansion.
Other lines of action of the Investor Office is the development of business meetings. A total of 22 business events/meetings have been organized, both face-to-face and virtual. Of these, two of them have been held outside our borders (London and Istanbul), prior to confinement. It has also supported and/or participated in the development of 6 events of a business nature held in Malaga, most of them electronically.
8 international delegations have also been received with a total of 131 delegates who have visited different projects, facilities and infrastructures in the city.
Likewise, within the projection and positioning strategy of the city, a airport campaign promoting the city as 'Málaga, the best home office in Europe', that is, as the best headquarters for companies.
On the other hand, it collaborates with 'Great Place to Work' to present a ranking of the best places to work. The 'Best Workplaces in Málaga' ranking will help reinforce the image that companies in the city's ecosystem are committed to their employees and are an excellent place to work, which also helps attract and retain talent.
And audiovisual material has been produced in Spanish and English highlighting the main attributes of Malaga as a business, innovation and talent hub.
EUROPEAN PROJECTS
Promálaga has participated during the year 2020 in different European projects in order to work in different fields such as the international projection of the city and its companies or the visibility of Malaga as a destination for film productions.
Specifically, throughout the year the execution of the projects 'Bridging the Gap' y 'Elviten', participation has continued and expanded in 'GreenScreen' y 'Connecting' and has joined the European project 'Social&Creative'.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
Promálaga received in 2020 3 awards granted by the Mundo Ciudad Foundation that recognize those companies that promote business actions of a strategic nature, in addition to the special award for the best company to support entrepreneurship. The Málaga Pass card received the award in 3 categories: culture, entrepreneurship and employment development.
