Vladimir Rajičić from Belgrade (Serbia) and Jordi Arribas del Peral have decided to start their collaboration through the MobiliseSME programme for 6 months in Barcelona (Spain).
Today we share with you a short story about their collaboration and reveal how they are progressing so far!
Who are the protagonists?
Vladimir Rajičić is the director of PR Home Expert, a microenterprise founded in 2019. He is a passionate web developer, web designer and webmaster specialised in WordPress and Joomla Content Management Systems, who joined MobiliseSME as a Sending Company.
Jordi Arribas del Peral is the director of Leadmee, a platform founded in 2019 that connects shippers who need to transport goods with carriers who want to fully load their vehicle. Thus, it aims to facilitate contact between carriers, companies and individuals. Jordi applied for the MobiliseSME programme as a Host Company.
What are their objectives?
Through their collaboration, PR Home Expert would like to develop digital skills and knowledge, more specifically on programming, SEO and SEM, as well as make new contacts and learn Spanish.
On the other hand,Leadmee would like to improve Search Engine positioning and functionality of the Leadmee platform.
What is the purpose of their collaboration?
The main objective of the collaboration is the exchange of knowledge and practices, and their entry into the EU market and Balkan countries.
Both sides believe that their cooperation will contribute to the successful development of their businesses, as well as new ideas that will lead to their improvement.
Activity highlights
PR Home Expert and Leadmee started their collaboration at the beginning of August 2021, and at this point of their MobiliseSME relationship they are working on the conversion of the Joomla programming language to WordPress, as well as translating all the functionalities into 10 different languages.
In parallel, they also collaborate with the digital marketing team and work on a new marketing strategy and content development.
In short, Vladimir and Jordi saw in the MobiliseSME programme an opportunity to improve their knowledge, experience and businesses in the future.
MobiliseSME is a programme initiated by the EU (EURES, EISMEA). It aims to help develop skills and capacities of staff of companies (employees, manager and owners or co-owners) by supporting short term cross-border secondments.
If you want to experience it first hand and invest in the future of your business, our Local Contact Points will accompany you through the whole process – that’s what we’re here for!
MobiliseSME is the first mobility programme specifically designed for SME staff whose main purpose is to encourage the internationalization of SMEs (including microenterprises) in the EU and improve their competitiveness.
Elena Zala and Philip Rossen have decided to start their collaboration through MobiliseSME for 6 months in Kolding (Denmark).
Who are the protagonists of this successful story?
Elena Zala is the founder of Zala Elena PFA, a Romanian microenterprise founded in 2018. Elena is a constant learner, connector, and facilitator of influential projects, with immense experience in copywriting, SEO, email marketing, social media management, market research, and PR. She is a passionate content manager and blogger who sees a huge opportunity in the impact of digitalization. In the framework of MobiliseSME, she represents the Sending Company.
Philip Rossen is the Chief Executive Officer at Justlearn, a Danish microenterprise established in 2017 that supports people in the process of learning new languages. The main purpose of Justlearn is to connect people across cultures and geographies. With Justlearn, Philip joined the MobiliseSME programme in the role of the Host Company.
What are their objectives?
Through their collaboration, Zala Elena PFA expects to be introduced to a new way of running a company in a domain that provides numerous opportunities for growth and advancement. Promoting the brand and improving digital skills by creating a social media strategy with Justlearn is just one small part that will make their collaboration even more valuable.
Working with an SME that provides support and overcoming language barriers and connects people across the globe to learn new languages, the Sending Company sees an opportunity to master a new language.
Justlearn would like to expand its portfolio internationally, especially in Romania. Increasing the number of users of the platform, raising brand awareness and the company’s reputation in the media, by strengthening its communication strategy and promotional activities, are just some of the goals it will strive to achieve.
What is the purpose of their collaboration?
Through MobiliseSME, these microenterprises started the collaboration in terms of exchanging knowledge, discovering new markets, and developing services and online products that will make their businesses even more successful in the future.
Activity highlights
The collaboration between Zala Elena PFA and Justlearn started in mid-September in Kolding (Denmark). They are currently working on online marketing activities and preparation of the content that will be represented in the Justlearn blog.
For Elena and Philip, participating in the MobiliseSME programme means an opportunity to expose people to a new way of working, to understand and draw inspiration from new cultural customs that, in the end, enrich people and work and make them more adaptable to different circumstances.
MobiliseSME is a programme that provides unlimited opportunities for progress, business development and cross-border partnerships.
If you also want to have this opportunity, our Local Contact Points will accompany you through the whole process – that’s what we’re here for!
Do you remember the very first MobiliseSME secondment?
To refresh your memory, you can read one of our previous posts about the first joint collaboration between SMEs in the framework of the MobiliseSME programme.
This time we want to share with you the interview we had with Claudio Cristofori, owner of Jabalito & Karma, an SME based in Bolonia (Italy) regarding his participation in MobiliseSME from October 2020 to January 2021, period during which he has been collaborating as a Host Company with Marta Templado, owner of Turiart (València, Spain):
– Tell us a bit about your company and your professional path. Why did you decide to participate in MobiliseSME?
My company is a travel agency, an enterprise specialized in tailor-made tours to the main cities of Spain that are well connected by low-cost direct flights from Bologna. We also create cultural itineraries in Italy and Europe in general.
I have decided to participate in this European programme because I had seen it as a great opportunity for my enterprise to improve and enlarge the relations with Spanish partners in order to prepare tourist, cultural, social and artistic itineraries for both countries.
– Describe the matchmaking process and the preparation of activities with the Sending Company (SC). How did the process go?
It was a good opportunity for me and for Marta (Turiart) to develop relations in both ways and with the Institutional partners – mayors, assessors, tourism technicians, guide associations and the owner of a private bus company.
During the months when Marta stayed in my travel agency, we had the opportunity to plan, think and conceive European twinning for different fields: music, art, food, cooking, and education. Of course, due to covid, the first real trips were not supposed to take place before autumn 2021. It was back in the previous relationship when we decided that I should go to València as well, and keep up with the projects that we had started.
– How did the collaboration with the SC contribute to your SME? And particularly, how did the seconded person contribute to your company?
The work and collaboration with Marta and her agency were a great experience. Marta and I know many different people that can be part of our touristic programmes and appreciate our way of working in a team. This contributed to the development of both our businesses and its expansion.
In Bologna, during Marta’s stay, we organized 4 meetings choosing different areas of interest (cultural, historical, art and cooking) of the two countries – Spain and Italy. We also organized some thematic tours in Bologna: Spanish Bologna, Jewish Bologna, and Ancient Roman Bologna.
– Do you plan to collaborate with the Sending Company after this collaboration?
During my stay in València, we started to plan an event: the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the twinning between València and Bologna. We invited 5 enterprises and professional women from Valencia and 5 from Bologna, as well as the European Relations Assessors of both cities. For this event, we issued a tailored colored and well-edited brochure. We are also translating some books from Italian to Spanish.
Last but not least, we are planning some itineraries and cultural trips from Italy to Spain and vice versa, focusing on the relations we have developed. We are only waiting for the number of people vaccinated to increase and that they pluck up the courage to travel again. Definitely, we will keep working in our collaboration.
As you can see, this experience is a clear example of a Host Company that has made the most of its participation in MobiliseSME.
If you also want to star in the following success story of our programme, contact our Local Contact Points and do not miss this great opportunity!
Recently, we had the opportunity to interview two SMEs dedicated to rural tourism, which are taking part in MobiliseSME: Salvatore Greco, from Sikanamente, and Yoselin Chicasaca, from AIE International Business.
Previously, we already told you in one of our posts about how these two SMEs are collaborating throughout their participation in the MobiliseSME programme.
Read on and find out all the details about their collaboration:
Yoselin, can you tell us a bit about your SME and your professional path? Why did you decide to participate in MobiliseSME? How did you find out about the programme?
I studied international trade and business management and have 10 years experience working in companies specialized in the international sector, consulting and training for entrepreneurs both in Peru and Spain. In addition to those activities, I collaborate with Axel Lugo-Association of Young Entrepreneurs of Lugo in the development and coordination of projects for young people and entrepreneurs.
I also collaborate with entrepreneurs located in the rural and tourism sectors to develop marketing strategies for products, services and promote the impulse to other markets.
When I got to know about the MobiliseSME programme a few months ago in a meeting that we had with my internship colleagues, they recommended me to take part in it. I take it as a basis to promote the relationship of the project (Prizzi – Santiago de Compostela – Lugo). My motivation to participate in this project was to visit the Prizzi area where the association is located and be able to share strategic ideas about cultural heritage and cultural activities in touristic routes.
What about you, Salvatore? Tell us about your SME.
Sikanamente is a social promotion association born in the heart of the Sicani mountains, consisting of young residents of Prizzi (Sicily). It was founded in 2019 with the aim to promote the social and economic dynamization of the community and promote culture and traditions.
The objective of the Sikanamente Association is to manage projects such as the application of digital marketing in social networks or other online media, collaborative agreements with other public sector and private entities, and carry out cultural activities.
One of the goals of the Association is to promote the path on Sicilian roads such as the Magna Via Francigena, the Itinerarium Rosaliae or the Trasversale Sicula similar to Camino de Santiago. The road is located between Agrigento and Palermo, it is 160 kilometers long and for millennia it has been traversed by pilgrims and travelers.
We decided to participate in the MobiliseSME programme in order to exchange ideas because of Galicia’s worldwide famous attraction of Camino de Santiago de Compostela. We had seen this as an opportunity to learn about new methods for promoting tourism and improve online and offline marketing and procedures of the entrepreneurs involved along the way.
Yoselin, from an SME’s point of view, how did the collaboration with the Host Company contribute to your SME? Would you recommend participating in our programme?
The experience I had in Prizzi with the colleagues from the association was very pleasant. Some would be delighted to get to know Galicia and the rural area. We have exchanged ideas to promote activities and tourism through advertising on social networks.
Without a doubt, I would repeat this business experience because it allowed me to open my mind to new ways of promoting the tourism sector, acquiring more knowledge by interacting with colleagues in the area and bring some potential visiting groups to the region of Santiago.
Salvatore, describe the matchmaking process and the preparation of activities with the Sending Company.
The pairing process began due to a youth exchange between Galicia and Sicily in August 2020 under the Erasmus framework, where Yoselin participated as a trainer in the marketing and business strategy.
The preparation of activities of the sending company was the following: prior to Yoselin’s visit, the online meeting was held with the representatives of the Sikanamente Association coordinating exchange needs and marketing promotion; also, a face-to-face meeting was organized with the representatives of the Sikanamente Association and the young associates; on the other hand, various activities were carried out in the Prizzi community, exchanging culture and traditions with community residents; finally, visits and meetings with artisan entrepreneurs and shelters were organized.
How did this collaboration with the Host Company contribute to your development, Yoselin?
Acting as a freelancer, I decided to go explore the town of Prizzi and learn about all its cultural richness and work hand in hand with the association’s collaborators, whose purpose is to contribute socially and economically to the municipality.
I am very fortunate to get to know this beautiful culture which hides a lot of history. This project turned out to be able to carry out certain strategies and apply them in the work environment. Promoting tourism in Galicia can help generate greater income and contribute to the economy, as well as advising tourism companies, such as the hospitality industry, to enter into the digital world, apply marketing strategies and become more competitive.
Salvatore, how did the collaboration with Yoselin contribute to your SME? Would you recommend participating in our programme?
Her collaboration was important and interesting for Sikanamente. Her online marketing knowledge and her experience as an entrepreneur and advisor with Galician SMEs in the rural sector was a big contribution to the Sikanamente organization.
Likewise, she got involved with young people and encouraged them to participate in Erasmus youth exchanges to improve their employability and also exchanged ideas with small business entrepreneurs – to internationalize brand in the hospitality sector such as hostels, restaurants, travel agencies, and artisans who maintain the culture and tradition of the locality.
Surely I would repeat the experience. By exchanging ideas and collaborating with the organization we were able to acquire experiences and learn. Our short-term goal is to promote tourism with the involvement of entrepreneurs in the town of Prizzi, with training and resources to provide a good pilgrim service.
At the same time I would recommend to other councils who are part of the pilgrimage path of Sicily to improve their procedures, training and resources to serve pilgrims, for example, in shelters, restaurants, travel agencies, services or others.
And how about you, Yoseline? How do you perceive your contribution? Which functions and responsibilities did you have during the period of collaboration?
During my stay at Prizzi we have provided strategic methods, such as: applying new entertainment methodologies for the new business line of the host company and current clients of my business; sharing ideas on how to improve the marketing of Sicilian cultural heritage. The company located in Prizzi will help in the development of marketing tools, and improve tourism materials by contributing ideas to the association’s participants.
The activity that I developed while in Prizzi was to guide the pilgrims to the tourist areas of the region. The host company will organize entertainment activities – both companies will participate in film clubs, reading groups and photographic exhibitions.
The host company will present its contacts in other EU countries, make a round of presentations and present new services.
How did the COVID restrictions affect your collaboration? How did you manage to coordinate?
Traveling to Italy was not so complicated. The only thing that must be done is to respect the protocol of the prevention of COVID-19. The partners took all the necessary measures to avoid infection. The visitors who came to Prizzi had to respect the measures adopted in the municipality and were subjected to antigen tests every week to prevent infections.
Salvatore, do you plan to continue collaborating with the Sending Company after this experience? If yes, how so?
Yes, I plan to collaborate with Yoselin in the future in various activities, such as training for entrepreneurs and knowledge exchange.
In addition, the organization seems fit to manage the exchange of one of the members of the Sikanamente Association to visit Galicia and to carry out with Yoselin the coordination of new ideas on site, connect and search for partners with other entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, in order to exchange online marketing ideas and strategies for positioning and observe the procedure of the Camino de Santiago and the various activities carried out in Galicia; which helps Sikanamente a lot in obtaining new experiences.
On the other hand, it was also agreed with Yoselin, the return to our community to provide training to rural entrepreneurs and improve marketing such as social networks, web pages, electronic commerce with the aim of covering the international market, and that the Sicilian Way has greater tourism promotion worldwide, since currently there are only Italian pilgrims.
Last but not least, Yoselin, did you improve your knowledge of mobility of workers within the European Union after your participation in MobilisSME? Based on your opinion, how our programme may help providing this information, what is its role?
This international mobility experience was the first time that I was aware of international mobility. The programme has been quite a raising awareness experience about business mobility. Traveling to another country and making agreements and projects with the objective of improving the opportunities of both companies is a great asset for someone that has only a few years of business experience. Participating in MobiliseSME allows you to open your mind and to discover new business horizons.
Discover the story of these two European SMEs that are collaborating in the energy management sector through MobiliseSME.
Who are the protagonists of this successful story?
Luka Gabrić, owner of the Croatian micro company Domino Ltd., decided to participate in MobiliseSME programme as Sending Company to collaborate for 6 months with the Host CompanyFTN IDEEA Ltd.,represented by Filip Kulić.
What does it mean for them to participate in MobiliseSME?
The main idea of this collaboration is to improve practical knowledge in the field of energy management.
Luka is the owner of Domino Ltd., specialized in energy management, so for him this secondment represents an opportunity to gain knowledge about determining the thermal properties of a building, testing the properties of the building and approaches related to the certification process.
For the Host Company, FTN IDEEA Ltd., based in Serbia, this exchange means hosting a self-employed person who will help to acquire knowledge about various rules and regulations in Croatia regarding energy certification.
What activities do they plan to carry out?
Both SMEs will work together mainly to:
– Exchange knowledge and practices, especially because the Host Company has spin-off entrepreneurial concept through collaboration with University of Novi Sad;
– Conduct market research;
– Testing the methods, procedures, deadlines and qualifications of professional staff required to perform tasks of determining thermal properties.
What results are expected from their collaboration?
Both SMEs expect to get acquainted with the current situation in the field of energy efficiency, both in the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Serbia, in terms of regulations, institutional requirements of practice and engineering approach. They also expect the possibility to expand the company’s business model by adding new skills.
But the main expected result of this secondment is the possibility of acquiring an experienced partner and cooperation by the end of next year.
For Luka and Filip, future cooperation means energy audits of buildings, which includes public lighting, industrial plants and all public buildings.
MobiliseSME programme helps European SMEs to take advantage of the opportunities given by the EU single market, and develop cross-border partnerships.
If you want to experience it first hand, our Local Contact Points will accompany you through the whole process – that’s what we’re here for!
Do you feel that you and the SME you work for or manage are prepared to work in a hybrid way?
Have the changes brought about by the pandemic in your work environment altered the way you work? Do you feel that you have adapted optimally to these changes?
Would you like to continue teleworking several days a week? Or are you more of a daily office worker?
Whatever your answer, EURES has published an article on how companies and their employees can adapt to this new hybrid work model, which -it seems- is here to stay.
According to a new survey by Eurofound, after the pandemic, most EU workers would prefer to work from home at least several days a week. In this context, as the article mentions, “this hybrid model presents new opportunities for companies to establish novel ways of working”.
But what does it mean to be “hybrid” in this context? How can workers and companies adapt to this new trend?
As the article points out, “for most companies, the introduction of hybrid working will require a significant shift in the work culture and developing new policies and practices. Businesses who do not support flexible forms of working risk having increased employee turnover and reduced employee engagement. They can also seem less attractive to jobseekers and potential hires”.
At this point, what can companies do about it? Here are some keys:
– “Doing a risk assessment to explore the potential impact of hybrid working not only on their staff, but also on their company”.
– “Ensure equal treatment, making sure the company’s guidelines are fair to all employees and do not discriminate against anyone”.
– “Build employer−employee trust. This means ensuring your employees are safe and completing their tasks is more important than tracking how many hours they spend actively working”.
At MobiliseSME, we have promoted hybrid work and, with it, the flexibility of the measures, so that collaborations continued to take place during this year marked by COVID-19.
A health crisis of this magnitude has not prevented many people and SMEs from joining us during this first year of MobiliseSME. We have all contributed to this and, certainly, the hybrid work and the great versatility of our participants have been the key.
Here we bring you the interview that we conducted with Marta Templado, owner of Turiart – an SME based in Valencia (Spain), regarding her collaboration, from March to May 2021, with Claudio Cristofori, owner of Jabalito & Karma (Bolonia, Italy):
– Tell us a bit about your company (services, sector, and projects) and your professional path.
I am the owner of Turiart, which is a travel agency and a small private company based in València, that offers cultural, family and agricultural tourism services in the Valencian Community for more than 20 years.
– Why did you decide to participate in MobiliseSME?
Due to the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 that led to a serious crisis for my company, I thought of looking for an opportunity to invest in the future by looking for clients abroad. In this sense, I found the MobiliseSME programme very interesting and appropriate for these complex times in which the tourism sector and my company are immersed.
– How did you find out about the programme?
I heard about the MobiliseSME programme in Valencia by Fundación Equipo Humano (as co-coordinators of the programme and as one of the Local Contact Points), with whom we have been collaborating for several years.
– Describe the matchmaking process and the preparation of activities with the Sending Company (SC). How did the process go? Did you know each other previously? In case of an affirmative response, in which projects have you collaborated before?
The latest collaboration with Claudio Cristofori from the Italian travel agency Jabalito & Karma Viaggi arose from my previous stay in Bologna, as well as from the good relationships we established with many counterparts, with whom we are already working organizing trips based on the twinning of the cities of València and Bologna. For example, meetings with women managers and entrepreneurs from València and Bologna, or meetings with musicians or cookery students.
My previous stay in Bologna has greatly facilitated Claudio’s activity plan during his stay in my company Turiart.
– How did the collaboration with the SC / the seconded person contribute to your company? Please, mention the main results and benefits obtained after the collaboration (new services, projects, knowledge, contacts, skills, business lines or similar).
The work and collaboration between Claudio’s company and mine has been very interesting, because we have been able to better understand the demands of potential clients from both countries, as well as their preferences and the type of tourist product they are looking for.
These business relationships have been very useful since in any service company human relations are essential, and we have had many opportunities to meet a lot of people from different professional fields, who have brought knowledge, new perspectives and experiences to our way of doing things.
On the other hand, there are customs about time and gastronomic preferences that are very important to take into account, in order to serve tourists properly. In this case, Claudio informed us what is more attractive or interesting to be able to sell more easily. In this respect, learning Spanish and Italian is essential to establish good business relationships, so I decided to improve my Italian language skills by enrolling in a course while working with Claudio.
Also, in the context of the pandemic and the limitations that it entails, Claudio and I have thought of giving a twist to our guided tours (which are one of our main services), carrying them out online.
Another highlight of our activities during this period has been the meetings we have held with key contacts in our sector. For example, the meeting with the Proloco Castel San Pietro Terme in Regione Emilia-Romagna, in order to share our interest in cultural tourism and agritourism, making the collaboration increasingly fruitful; the professional meeting with Guide d’Arte Bologna; or the visit to Parma airport in order to look for new air connections between València and Bologna.
In addition, we had the opportunity to share our experience in MobiliseSME on the Valencian television channel À Punt Mèdia, as well as to attend the International Tourism Fair (FITUR), held in Madrid.
Of course, we have also been able to organise several excursions during this period, always keeping safety measures in mind, demonstrating that culture is, and can be, safe.
– Do you plan to collaborate with the SC after this experience? If yes, how so? (Development of products and services, projects within the sector, knowledge transfer, new business lines, market research activities…).
Of course, we plan to continue our collaboration beyond our participation in MobiliseSME, because we have realised how many synergies are created by working together. Moreover, in a sector as affected by this health and economic crisis as the tourism sector, being able to collaborate with SMEs from other parts of Europe and build projects together can literally be the salvation for your tourism business.
During our participation period, we have already been able to invoice both services thanks to the programme. As an example of this, we have the first event that we organised during this period (January-May 2021), which was the online meeting “Entrepreneur and professional women in times of COVID”, held between female entrepreneurs and professionals and sponsored by the Valencian City Council, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the twinning between València and Bologna. During the meeting, the president of EVAP/BPW Valencia and the associates shared successful practices applied in their SMEs during the COVID pandemic.
In connection with the organisation of activities around the twinning of the two cities, we are translating some books from Italian into Spanish.
Finally, we already have a planned travel schedule that we will begin as soon as it is possible to travel without restrictions and there is more health security. We are confident that it will be soon and that we will finally be able to fully provide our services.
Marta and her company Turiart are a clear example of a Host Company that has participated in a very satisfactory way and has made the most of MobiliseSME programme.
If you want to become the protagonist of the next successful collaboration between European SMEs, contact our Local Contact Points and do not miss this great opportunity!
We welcome another secondment! This time it is about two companies that, thanks to MobiliseSME, are collaborating in the development of online training materials.
Who are our protagonists?
Carlos Gil, Iván Carnota and Mariana Figueira have decided to participate in the MobiliseSME programme for 6 months in Coimbra (Portugal).
Carlos has a degree in Law and a degree in Legal Sciences of Public Administrations, as well as a solid background in European Affairs. Meanwhile, Iván holds a degree in Law and a master’s degree in European Law. Both are co-funders of Yepso!, a micro-enterprise in the education and training sector that is participating in MobiliseSME as a Sending Company,and which defines itself as the materialisation of an innovative project: developing a digital e-learning infrastructure to favour access to the European civil process as permanent officials.
Mariana has a degree in engineering, with notions in content marketing and training in television direction and presentation, as well as in radio voice-over. She is also the director of Mariana Figueira da Silva Sociedade Unipessoal, a micro-enterprise that participates in MobiliseSME as Host Company through one of its two brands, Mondeguitta Produçoes, which is dedicated to providing audiovisual communication services to companies worldwide, particularly in the production of corporate videos.
What are their objectives?
The two micro-enterprises are collaborating with the following objectives in mind:
– Mondeguitta wants to obtain a holistic vision of the European market, favour its introduction in other European countries and enter a market niche of interest, especially the audio-visual communication linked to e-learning training. The company expects to develop a collaboration that would serve as a pilot to, later on, offer these services to other companies in the EU market.
– In Yepso!, they expect to improve the technical audio-visual components of their educational activities and, at the same time, to learn a lot about how to develop an international audio-visual strategy, in which the video tool would be in the centre of their daily work.
What is the purpose of their collaboration?
Our participants are working together in the development of a new learning audio-visual product (e-learning online course) that will help both to offer new innovative services to potential clients around the EU market.
During the COVID-19 crisis, challenges have showed up for companies like Mondeguitta and many of them, such as Yepso!, are in full transition towards new models, offering a service that has become a growing trend in times of pandemic, demonstrating that adaptability to change is essential in order not to disappear from the map. Continuous improvement and reinvention are necessary more than ever; our participants are fully aware and have been able to develop an activity plan geared towards this.
If you also want to see first-hand the opportunities offered by participating in MobiliseSME, it is as simple as starting by taking a look at our web sections How to participate and Local Contact Points.
You may also write to us on support@mobilise-sme.eu whenever you want. We will be happy to advise you at any time!
Let’s introduce a new collaboration between European SMEs!
Salvatore Greco, from Sikanamente, and Yoselin Chicasaca, from AIE International Business, have decided to work together in the field of rural tourism in Sicily (Italy) for 3 months, in the framework of the MobiliseSME programme.
Who are our protagonists? What are they seeking by participating in MobiliseSME?
Yoselin Chacasaca is the CEO of AIE International Business, focused on the digital transformation advice related to online marketing, tourism and development of entrepreneurship projects, with high experience in the rural and cultural sector. Yoselin provides services to other companies in business management and she would like to learn about the features and characteristics of tourist companies, since she is opening a new business line among her services. As a consequence, she is quite interested in how to create tourist products, in order to implement them on a local level.
On the other hand, Salvatore Greco is the co-founder of Sikanamente, whose aim is to promote cultural and environmental heritage of the Sicani Mountains Prizzi. Salvatore was interested in collaborating with a company that could give them the main clues to understand the tourism behaviour and develop new services.
In this respect, both SMEs are closely connected since their experience helps to support their goals.
What results do they expect from their collaboration?
Both companies are focused on the rural touristic routes in both Sicily and Galicia, so they can find some synergies among their daily work tasks, and set new common methods that allow them to be more efficient in the approaches and client services.
While Yoselin will acquire new market knowledge in a region with high rural touristic rates, Salvatore and his team will learn how to better manage his company thanks to the tips and experience on business management from AIE International Business.
Also, they will improve their marketing techniques and boost their communication skills throughout an exchange of knowledge and best practices to catch the correct target group.
Moreover, both sides could establish a lifelong collaboration due to the exchanges of knowledge related with their common lines of business.
Activity highlights
At this point of their MobiliseSME relationship, they are currently sharing ideas on how to improve the cultural heritage marketing strategies from both companies, and reach the right target groups. Moreover, they are developing new approaches on how to offer high quality services standards, so rural tourists have a good experience.
In this sense, they also require the development of new entertainment ideas that suit both lines of business, as well as the development of new tourism materials.
In addition, they are improving their social network skills to boost these communication goals, as well as studying the adaptability of each activity or idea in their own business.
For sure, this experience will allow both companies to increase their management skills, as well as their internationalisation opportunities focused on the development of their know-how in the tourism sector.
If you also want to participate, whatever your sector, our Local Contact Points will accompany you through the whole process.
Christian Battiferro & Alberto Pla are two professionals from the audiovisual sector, who started collaborating through the MobiliseSME programme at the beginning of May 2021.
Christian has travelled from Italy toSpain to partner up with Alberto, and they are currently working together in València.
They decided to join their forces during this uncertain time in the audiovisual industry, and are taking this opportunity to develop their projects, each bringing their own expertise to the table.
Who are our protagonists and what are their objectives?
Christian is a filmmaker and director from Coopspettacolo.it, a cooperative operating in the field of entertainment, show and multimedia which wants to collaborate with a Spanish partner who is interested in developingnew ideas to apply to the audiovisual world related to tourism and culture.
Christian’s aim is to create a series of audiovisuals that promote cultural exchange and tourism showing the soul of Spain (Valencian Region in particular), meanwhile acquiring new competences, such as the Spanish language. He represents the Sending Company (SC).
On the other hand, Alberto is a photographer, documentary maker and the director of the Social Communication Agency-Alberto Pla, a Communication Agency that works for organizations, public institutions and companies that develop social projects.
He wants to develop a new idea of video format focusing on the promotion of sustainable tourism, in order to use it as a propaganda addressed to both national and international tourists and, accordingly, strengthening the already existing relations between the cities of València and Bologna. He represents the Host Company (HC).
Activity highlights
Both are currently collaborating on a social projectthat will result in a pilot video, promoting rural and sustainable tourismin the area of València. Together they identified key social, cultural and environmental issues which they will be exploring during their collaboration.
They observed the phenomenon of Street Art in its transversal use in urban development and embellishment.
They have also identified, in the tradition of cultivation of rice, the recurrent theme of the promotion of rural and sustainable tourism.
Through their collaboration, both are exchanging their knowledge in their fields of expertise, sharing their bestpractices and contact networks, while developing their abilities (including language skills for the SC).
In addition, both are developing their skills in an equal exchange of knowledge and setting up future collaborations to prepare for the post-Covid period, with the potential visibility of the pilot video that the SC will replicate for the area of Bologna.
Christian and Alberto have seen in MobiliseSME programme the opportunity to partner up and adapt to the current challenges.
MobiliseSME programme gives SME’s staff the opportunity to take advantage of the opportunities of the EU Single Market and develop cross-border partnerships.
If you also want to have this opportunity, our Local Contact Points will accompany you through the whole process – that’s what we’re here for!
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