MIA Talks: Cities with soul, the future of local commerce in the omnichannel era
📅 26 June, 2026
(I.e. Of 9:00 to 12:30 hours
📍 Galileo Cultural Center (C/ Fernando el Católico, 35, Madrid)
Digital transformation, the growth of e-commerce, and evolving consumer habits are redefining how we shop, interact with brands, and experience our cities. In this context, local businesses remain essential for generating economic activity, social cohesion, and urban identity.
To analyze the challenges and opportunities facing the sector, Madrid Investment Attraction is holding a new edition of MIA Talks under the title "Cities with soul: the future of local commerce in the omnichannel era", a day that will bring together retail experts, institutional representatives, trade associations and leading companies to discuss the future of urban commerce.
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A day to understand where local commerce is headed.
The meeting will take place next June 26th at the Galileo Cultural Center in Madrid and will start at 9:00 a.m. with the reception of attendees, followed by the institutional opening by the Madrid City Council.
A las 9:45h It will then be the turn of the main presentation of Laureano Turienzo, president of Exporetail Madrid 2026 and one of the most influential voices in Spanish retail. Under the title "If your business looks a lot like it did in 2020, you have a problem."It will analyze the speed at which consumer habits are changing and how businesses must adapt to a reality marked by omnichannel, customer experience and innovation.
Turienzo will address the new purchasing motivations of consumers and explain why some businesses manage to differentiate themselves and grow in an increasingly competitive environment.
Commerce that makes a city
The first panel will bring together Sundays Esteves, co-founder of FWD Advisors and coordinator of the Expert Committee of the Spanish Retail Association; Begoña Perlines, manager of the Association of Merchants of the Literary Quarter; and Ainhoa García López, Director of External Relations at MERCAMADRID. The conversation, moderated by Jose Manuel FernandezThe coordinator of the Madrid Business Forum's Trade Roundtable will address issues related to commercial revitalization, public-private collaboration, and the competitiveness of urban environments.
The second panel will focus on historic companies and businesses that have successfully adapted to market changes while maintaining their core values. Participants will include Enrique Martínez, CEO of Vallekas Encurte and Beki Aperitivos; Carlos de Lemus, managing partner of the iconic La Pajarita chocolate shop; and Julio Moreno Sanz, director of Pastelería Mallorca and president of the Salamanca District Merchants Association. The panel will be moderated by Natalia Peiro, from Madrid Futuro.
Participants will share experiences on digitalization, customer loyalty, innovation and adaptation to new consumption habits, as well as the role that local commerce plays in building more dynamic and attractive cities.
Madrid promotes the future of urban commerce
The day will conclude with a networking and coffee session starting at 11:15h, designed to promote the exchange of experiences and the creation of new opportunities for collaboration between companies, institutions and professionals.
Through initiatives such as MIA Talks, Madrid Investment Attraction continues to promote spaces for reflection on major urban and economic challenges, fostering a city model that combines innovation, competitiveness and quality of life, with local commerce as one of its main drivers of development.
