Porto's commerce challenged to become more dynamic and attractive
A debate on "the consumer experience" at the Palácio da Bolsa brought together the city's traders, entrepreneurs from various backgrounds, sector associations, public policy agents, and consumers. Porto organized the first Porto Trade Forum.
Created to be "a milestone" in the sector, the event is considered, in the words of the Councillor for Economy, Employment, and Entrepreneurship, a moment of "exchanging experiences and for learning". "Today, more than ever, the creation of dynamic and attractive public spaces involves promoting sustainability and quality in the commercial ecosystem of cities," said Ricardo Valente at the opening session.
In the company of the Councillor for Tourism and Internationalization, Catarina Santos Cunha, the President of the Municipal Assembly, Sebastião Feyo de Azevedo, and the President of the Union of Parishes of the Historic Centre, Nuno Cruz, among other individuals, Ricardo Valente made one thing clear: "Together we can build a more dynamic, innovative and sustainable future for local commerce".
"Porto is the city of commerce and commerce is Porto's," concluded Ricardo Valente.
The forum, under the theme "The consumer experience", included panel discussions, guided tours of establishments, and themed workshops. Immediately after the opening session, the first debate took place on "good (inter)national practices", moderated by Catarina Portas, the entrepreneur responsible for launching the "Uma Casa Portuguesa" brand in 2004.
Francesc Povedano brought his political experience and the current reality of Barcelona, where he coordinates the City Council's Trade, Restaurants, and Markets. "Barcelona is a dynamic economic engine," he said, revealing some data: the Catalan capital has, for example, 43 municipal markets and more than 2,000 commercial establishments.
The session continued with the presence of Mónica Soares, a consultant, and partner at MCF Consulting, who spoke about "Local commerce on global platforms", considering that Porto is a good example of attracting luxury brands, with whom Mónica Soares works directly, and Manuel Heredia Perez, Director General of Commerce and Consumption at the Regional Government of Galicia, who spoke about the "Digitalization of the consumer experience".
The second day was marked by the "conversations between those who do and those who think about commerce", moderated by Pedro Araújo, deputy executive editor of Jornal de Notícias. The first debate - "Welcoming in digital" - was attended by Mané Pupo, CEO & Founder of Rosa Malva, and Carlos Coelho, president of Ivity Brand Corp. This was followed by "Empowering to welcome", with Rafael Tonon, gastronomic journalist, and Ana Mestre, director of the Porto School of Commerce, and "Welcoming as a brand", with Francisco Brito Passos, manager of A Regaleira, and Carlos Brito, professor at the University of Porto Faculty of Economics (FEP).
With the launch of this initiative, Porto intends to present good practices in local development through commerce every year, encourage the exchange of knowledge between economic agents, stimulate networking with other cities and international partners with innovative practices in the area of commerce and increase the awareness of Porto's proximity commerce among the media, urban centers of reference and educational and training institutions.
