The 15 th February 2018 marked the 1st Anniversary of the inauguration of World Trade Center (WTC) Gibraltar, an important step in enhancing Gibraltar’s outlook for global trade. WTC Gibraltar has been committed to attracting more international business to the Rock and with it, a significant boost to the local economy.
The 1st Anniversary was celebrated with a huge replica cake of the World Trade Center building. The fantastic creation by “Sugar Sweet” took over 65 hours to make, included 80 eggs, 7 kilos of chocolate and weighed an incredible 49 kg! The cake was cut by Chairman Gregory Butcher, who was joined in the WTC reception by a cheerful crowd of representatives and community members of World Trade Center, who toasted the celebratory event with glasses of champagne.
Since opening in February 2017, World Trade Center Gibraltar has surpassed all expectations of occupancy, with 58 companies and almost 1,600 employees already occupying the building. The state-of- the-art facility features 15,500sqm of high specification Grade A office accommodation and houses both multinational companies and aspiring new businesses, particularly from the Fintech and eMoney sectors. World Trade Center Gibraltar is the most globally connected office facility in the region, bringing Gibraltar into a network of 320 WTC's around the world and heralding a new era of cryptocurrency expansion, promoting Blockchain and FinTech technologies.
An independent economic report, carried out in October 2017 by Nairne Limited, an international economic consultancy, found that up to 40% of occupiers in the building are new to Gibraltar; a volume much higher than many had initially anticipated. This demonstrates a sound confidence in Gibraltar’s economy, particularly at a time when Brexit continues to pose a number of unknown eventualities for the market place.
The reach of World Trade Center Gibraltar extends far and wide, encompassing occupiers from the rapidly expanding FinTech industry, online gaming giants, family wealth offices, investment consultancies, HM Government of Gibraltar and the serviced office provider, Regus; home now to a broad collection of SME companies that have chosen Gibraltar as the place to grow and enhance their operations. Businesses have established from locations such as Israel, the UK and the USA.
Mariela Gancheva, Front of House Manager for World Trade Center Gibraltar said: “It’s a privilege to be under the umbrella of such a prestigious globally recognized brand. As a Member of World Trade Centers Association (WTCA), we belong to a family of 320 WTCs across 88 countries, around the world. This delivers added value and a competitive advantage to our clients that together with the highest standards we are committed to provide, make World Trade Center Gibraltar a venue of global recognition in Gibraltar.”
During 2017, World Trade Center Gibraltar also hosted several key international visits, such as delegations from the Chinese Embassy to the UK, London Stock Exchange, Representatives from the US Congress and the WTCA’s CEO and leadership team from New York. Many more events are planned for 2018.
For all enquiries, please contact Mariela Gancheva at mariela@worldtradecenter.gi (+350 200 63333). www.worldtradecenter.gi