On 20 November, the Region of Madrid celebrated the closing day of the Madrid Investment Forum 2024, which for three days brought together leading representatives from the business, political and academic spheres to strengthen the region's international projection. With events held in Aranjuez and Madrid city, the forum addressed the global dimension of the Region of Madrid and its role as a gateway to Europe from Latin America.
The closing ceremony of the event organised by Invest in Madrid took place at the Centro de Cultura Contemporánea Conde Duque and was attended by Rocío Albert, Regional Minister of Economy, Finance and Employment of the Community of Madrid, and Inmaculada Sanz, Deputy Mayoress of Madrid. Albert underlined the success of the forum and stressed that Madrid ‘has been committed for 20 years to legal certainty, tax incentives and deregulation to generate confidence among investors’, highlighting initiatives such as the Open Line against Hyperregulation, the Open Market Law and the recent Omnibus laws.
In the morning session, held at the Governor's House in Aranjuez, Miguel Herrero, Mayor of Aranjuez, and Judith Piquet, President of the Madrid Federation of Municipalities, opened the programme by highlighting the importance of strengthening collaboration between Madrid's municipalities and their internationalisation.
The panel on strategic sectors, moderated by José de Ruz, first deputy mayor of Aranjuez, included presentations by Pedro Fuster, director of Indra's Defence Strategy, and other business representatives, addressing the connection between local development and the global agenda. Later, the round table ‘Madrid, cultural capital and gateway to Latin America’, moderated by Luis Martín, Vice-Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sport, highlighted the cultural and economic exchange between Madrid and Latin America, with speeches by Eduardo Pérez Noyola, from the Casa de México Foundation in Spain, and Miguel Ángel Benzal, General Director of EGEDA.
In the afternoon, the closing ceremony at Conde Duque included the presentation of the report on the foreign investment footprint in Madrid by Luis Socías, director of Invest in Madrid. According to the data presented, Madrid has led the way in attracting foreign investment in Spain since 1993, with more than 356,000 million euros accumulated, representing 60.5% of the national total. In addition, the region is home to 15,548 companies with foreign capital, which generate 1.44 million jobs and a turnover of more than 537,531 million euros.
The event also saw the presentation of the Madrid, investment destination awards, recognising companies and institutions that have made a significant contribution to the region's economic growth.
A forum that reinforces Madrid's global positioning
Inaugurated by the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the Madrid Investment Forum 2024 brought together more than 1,000 entrepreneurs and investors. Over three days, it highlighted strategic industrial sectors and promoted public-private dialogue. Socías valued the forum positively, highlighting the participation of economic benchmarks, the promotion of openness abroad and the commitment to territorial balance by including municipalities from different areas of the region.
The event, sponsored by Santander, Oracle, the Madrid Chamber of Commerce and CEAPI, had the collaboration of the Madrid City Council and other host municipalities such as Alcobendas, Leganés, Torrejón de Ardoz, Las Rozas and Aranjuez.