The opening ceremony of the DES2016 event included the presence of prominent representatives of institutions and organizations involved in the development and promotion of the information society both within the Community of Madrid and the European Community.
Albert Planas, CEO of Digital Enterprise Show, highlighted the role of the Digital Enterprise Show as “an instrument to publicize all the necessary solutions for digital transformation.” He added that “big companies fail due to the fact that they do not properly understand the evolution of businesses”. In his speech, he made ​​a special emphasis on the appropriateness of Madrid as the location for DES2016, and acknowledged the support received from the City Council and organizations such as Red.es or ICEX.
After that, Rosario Rey, Managing Director of Economics and Financial Policies of the Community of Madrid took the floor. In her speech, she thanked the DES2106 organizers “for gathering the leaders of the digital economy and bringing world-class presentations to Madrid.” The digitalization enables skilled job creation, a fact that Rey highlighted during her speech, as well as the need for the Public Administration to take part in this transformation.
Daniel Noguera, CEO of Red.es, said that DES2016 was “an example of what private enterprises can do” and introduced all the projects and initiatives addressed by Red.es in recent months, such as the installation of ultra fast broadband Internet in disadvantaged areas, creating connected schools or the National Plan for Smart Cities.
On behalf of the City of Madrid, Luis Cueto Alvarez de Sotomayor, General Coordinator of the City Council, held a speech with a focus on the city of Madrid and its ability to organize events, such as the Digital Enterprise Show, and to capture and create talent. He also highlighted the initiatives that are being taken in order to digitize the city and its services, as well to make risky decisions in the area of ​​innovation. “Risk and Public Administration are like oil and water,” he said, while defending his stance by saying that “the Public Administration needs to take risks” and stating his commitment to public-private partnership.
Aranzazu Beristain, Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Spain, spoke about the role of the European Commission in the digitization industry, also committing to investing in public-private initiatives.”The digital transformation not only changes the economy, but also the labor conditions. The European Community will examine these implications,” she said during her speech.
For his part, Francisco Javier Garzon, Managing Director of ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones, compared the digital transformation with the internationalization of companies. “The challenges of internationalization are the same as those of the digital transformation. It is an unavoidable challenge, but not a threat. It must be included in the business core. This task cuts across all business processes.” However, globalization is slower than the digital transformation, which has currently taken the lead.