The Monaco Economic Board (MEB) held its General Assembly this Wednesday, July 7 in the presence of more than 150 member entrepreneurs, institutional partners and personalities including the Minister of State Pierre Dartout and Jean Castellini, Minister of Finance and the Economy. The event was followed by the 38th Rendez-vous of the Members , the first in over a year.
This year, the Ordinary General Assembly of the Monaco Economic Board and the meeting of members that followed marked “a great reunion” with and between members, after a year 2020 marked by the Covid-19 pandemic .
Michel Dotta underlined in the introduction: “In the context of this health crisis, the MEB has been able to adapt, with the desire to support its members in their activities, especially those who have been most affected, and to continue its mission of promoting the Principality”.
MEB Executive DG Guillaume Rose then presented to the 150 participants, including Minister of State Pierre Dartout, the events organized or co-organized with his Team Monaco or foreign partners in order to support Monegasque companies in their development and promote Monaco to foreign investors. If the year 2020 had started with a bang with the mission in Russia and the signing of a cooperation agreement between the MEB and the CCI of the Novosibirsk Region, several trips were cancelled due to health restrictions (including Paris, Rome, Salzburg, Barcelona, London…).
Ditto for promotional operations abroad organized with Monaco’s ambassadors and consuls abroad. Some may have taken place before the arrival of the pandemic (for example in Lisbon, Mexico City and London). But several operations were cancelled or postponed before being able to restart in Serbia fo the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the MEB and the ICC of Serbia, as part of the official visit of HSH Prince Albert II.
Breakfast Meetings
In local operations, the MEB has tested new formulas such as business breakfasts organized around the accreditation of Ambassadors in the Principality, “small gatherings” which will be repeated in the coming months. The traditional conferences of the MEB made it possible to gather the expertise of the “stars of the economy” (Julien Marcily, Chief economist of Coface, Jean-Pierre Petit, President of the Cahiers verte de l’Economie, Ludovic Subran, Chief economist of the Groupe Allianz and Sophie Vincent, Director of IMSEE).
Digital Transition Program with Extended Monaco
During the health crisis, the MEB has above all rapidly diversified its offer to members thanks to digital technology by offering sectoral MEBinary (finance, international trade, energy transition, real estate, tourism, yachting) or according to business destination (Kazakhstan and Italy with the Club des ambassadeurs of the destination Monaco). The MEB has joined forces with Extended Monaco, the Principality’s digital transition program, and the FEDEM, to organize Digital Workshops. Major surveys made it possible to survey members on their needs during the crisis and their expectations.
2021: new horizons
The year 2021 started at the same sustained digital tempo but was marked by the return of face-to-face events with the conference of star forecaster Christophe Barraud. The MEB will soon take part in several events (Monaco Yacht Show then Monaco Business during which a partnership agreement with the Italian CCI in Nice will be signed) and will organize in December the Forum & Gala of ambassadors of the Monaco destination in Italy. It will welcome many delegations (including Quebec, Austria and South Korea). 2021 will mark the 10th edition of the Eco Trophies, which celebrates the talents of local entrepreneurs.
For its next missions, the MEB has given priority to Europe. The next trips will be organized in Florence (July 12/14), Antwerp (September 29 / October 1), Milan (October), Saint Petersburg (November 6/8) and Amsterdam (December 2/3).
However, a special place will be reserved in Dubai. “During the 6 months of the Dubai World Expo, several sector missions and at least one generalist will be organized in partnership with the Monaco Pavilion and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce,” said Guillaume Rose.
At the end of the General Assembly, marked by the appointment of a new female steering committee, Jean Castellini, Minister of Finance and the Economy, recalled in his speech just how badly the crisis in health conditions that we live in has revolutionized the way people work and communicate in the public and private sectors.
“We had to innovate and adapt constantly. We must draw the consequences. We must continue to act together, as we did in the emergency and for the sake of the country, and not go back to old ways.”
38th Meeting of Members
The Members then headed for the Mediterranean Gardens of Monte-Carlo Bay where the 38th Rendez-vous of the Members was taking place. The first since January 2020 … The cocktail took place in a seated configuration due to sanitary restrictions but in a particularly friendly atmosphere. More than 250 economic players from the Principality were able to network during this evening. Several dozen contacts or appointments were made by the MEB team. During this meeting for members, Michel Dotta and Guillaume Rose also highlighted the Green Fund, which aims to finance the energy transition of local businesses. They finally paid tribute to Stéphane Giaccardi, who has just left the steering committee after 16 years of good and loyal service as Secretary General.
The AG is reserved for managers of MEB member companies only.
The new members of the Steering Committee are Johanna Houdrouge, Tais Ragas (JCEM), Alexandre Pasta (UCAM).
