Letter from the president - February 2013.

In a couple of weeks time we´ll celebrate the Annual General Meeting 2013 of our association. For us it is one of the most significant events of the year, uniting all the “members of the family” and giving us an opportunity to exchange ideas and network in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. We are making a huge effort and dedicating many hours to prepare the General Assembly this year, considering that this year we also have the elections of the new board. And having still a few months to go until the Palma Boat Show begins, we can already announce that all out associates can obtain a special reduction in price when booking exhibition space. 

The programme of the General Assembly, although not completely finalized, concentrates on the needs of our associates. Various experts deal with issues that range from VAT regulations, the new Law of Navigation and Matriculation Tax, to techiques on how to improve our business potential. Within short we´ll send you the programme of the Assembly with more detailed information. We are counting on the participation of many important personalities both from the business world and from the political institutions. But more than anything we are hoping to count on you! Because none of the achievements of the recent years would have been possible without your support and your vote of confidence. You, together with the other associates have given us the strength to fight for your and your company´s interests. Therefore we hope that you will come and get to know other people like you, so you can witness first hand the strength we have together. We also believe it can be a constructive experience to network with other entrepreneurs and to be able to have a debate over the problems we have and how to solve them. 

Meet our associates: Cormorant Carpentry.

CORMORANT CARPENTRY. Matthew Paton, managing director of the company, has acquired 30 years of experience working with wood. This British businessman stopped in Majorca for pleasure and fell in love with it. He created Cormorant and since then, he has dedicated himself to design and cover all kinds of wood in the interiors of boats. 

Could you talk me about the trajectory of your company? (The year it was founded and how did the idea come up). 

I think I started in 1995. I came to Mallorca on holidays for two weeks and I liked it so much that I decided to work as a carpenter here on the boats. The company has evolved through the years. First, it was me alone and now I have some people working with me. I am a yachts carpenter and I have been doing this type of job for approximately 30 years. When I came from England I was already a yacht carpenter. I completed the apprenticeship working for three years in a company and I also went to college to obtain certificates. 

How have you fared the past tourist season? 

Basically, the government has forced a lot of boats to leave Mallorca. In the first place, because of the matriculation tax. And in the second place, because they have put up expenses on marinas. Boats can go elsewhere because it is cheaper. The government's answer by putting the taxes up is not working because the taxes go up. People do not want to pay the taxes here so they will go to a country where the taxes are lower. This is what has happened. It has not gone very well. I have lost lots of clients. Some of them have gone to America, others to France, Italy, Malta, Croatia. The big problem here at this moment is the matriculation tax. 

15% discount for AENB members on exhibition space at the Palma Boat Show.

On the 18th of January the Direction of Projects and Services of IDI came to a decision to give the members of the AENB a 15% discount when booking space at the next Palma Boat Show from 1st to the 5th of May. This discount is a product of work carried out by AENB during 2012 in the negotiations with the government within the framework of the Organizing Committee of the Palma Boat Show, of which AENB is one of the most active members. The government is aware that the members of AENB are a large and important group of exhibitors at the Show, and want to give incentive to, if possible, even more extensive participation. Besides, AENB has committed to put its own channels in service to market and sell the Palma Boat Show. 

Those companies and professionals that are members of AENB are required to present a certificate of membership when booking the space. The discount is applied for the mooring rates as well as for exhibition space on land. 

This is a culmination of intense work carried out from the first quarter of last year, when it was announced that the government would give the entrepreneurial sector the decisive weight when planning the new model of the Show. 

The Chamber of Commerce assists for the tenth consecutive year at the París Boat Show on a stand together with the Port Authority.

The Chamber of Commerce of Mallorca assisted between the 7th and the 16th of December for the 10th consecutive year at the Paris Boat Show, again with a stand together with the Balearic Port Authority

The most concurred event of the fair was the cocktail party organized on Sunday the 8th of December, where clients of mallorcan companies were invited. Also the mayoress of Alcudia, Coloma Terrassa assisted, as well some representatives of the nautical sector from the Korean región of Busan, with whom the Chamber of Commerce maintains a close relationship given the interest the companies of the Balearics have towards this market.

During the fair, the staff of the Port Authority and the Chamber of Commerce were available to resolve questions related to the nautical sector and tourism on the islands, and they collected numerous enquiries by potential clients for the ports of the Balearics. 80% of these enquiries concentrated on the island of Mallorca.

Letter form the President - January 2013

At AENB we work daily for your wellbeing. Up until December we have participated in136 events in total this year (meetings, working groups, boat shows etc.), a huge effort carried out with pleasure to make the Balearics a perfect place to do business with the least possible amount of administrative and fiscal obstables. 

We have forwarded your proposals, worries and problems to those with power to do something about them. In one voice, as a result of joining our forces, we have persuaded the Administration to recognize our potential and to listen to our claims. But the machinery works slowly and even more so during the crisis that we are grounded with, although our efforts and perseverance are slowly bearing fruit. 

We have achieved some good results this year, and none of that would have been possible without you putting your confidence in us. One of our biggest achievements together is the new Palma Boat Show. The proposals that you have passed on to us form the foundation of the project. A Boat Show planned by the entrepreneurs for the entrepreneurs, but bearing also in mind the public and the professionals, a colossal task rewarded by the Advisory Council by adopting our proposal for the 30th edition of the Show. On top of that an added bonus we can be proud of – the show will be able to finance itself. If we manage to do that with all the obstacles in the way, imagine what we would be able to do without them! 

Looking for apprenticeship possibilities for the pupils of The Integrated Center for Professional Training in Nautical and Fishing Sectors.

The Integrated Center for Professional Training in Nautical and Fishing Sectors has expressed their need to find apprenticeship posts related to the professional certificate TMVU_00110_1(Auxiliary maintenance operations of systems and equipment of recreational sports boats) in companies in the maintenance sector. 

More precisely, they are looking for a collaboration with 10-12 workshops of reparation/installation of propulsion equipment, electrical systems, electronic systems and rigging to oversee the training of the pupils of The Initial Professional Training, level 1, during 160 hours. 

Therefore, if any of our associated companies have a workshop of above mentioned characteristics and wishes to take on apprentices, please contact the teacher/tutor of the group directly: Antoni Ferrer, tel. 971 700068

Meet our associate: Essentials Yacht Provisioning.

ESSENTIALS YACHT PROVISIONING. For ten years this company has dedicated to provide food, drinks, wines, cleaning and utensils to yachts in Mallorca and Ibiza. AENB's communication service has contacted with the director of Essentials, Ruth Kirwan, to know a bit more about this company.

Could you talk me about the trajectory of the company?

I worked in the yacht sector as a cook/chef (I had a catering company) and when I finished I decided to supply the boats and use the contact that I had and provide a good service.

How have you evolved since the beginning?

Now we have a franchise of wines with Vins Sans Frontieres (VSF) in France and we have expanded. Now we provide food, drinks, wines, cleaning and utensils. Practically anything. We do not provide engineering or anything like that, or kitchen stuff. We do a complete provisioning service. If you are interested in going more deeply in what we offer, you can enter in our webpage. Before long, we will open a page in Facebook.