March 7, 2016, saw the opening of the new Enterprise Training office located at the Calle 94A nro. 13–54. The building has 24 training rooms, with capacity for 15 to 80 people each. The rooms come equipped with the best technological and audiovisual tools allowing our entrepreneurs to access seminars and courses, with the high-quality education assurance that the CCB endorsement entails.

Also, the new Arbitration and Conciliation Center opened its new site at the Calle 76 nro. 11-52, doubling its capacity to hold hearings in arbitration and conciliation proceedings. The building is 4.261 square meters big, in a six-floor structure with 18 hearing rooms, all equipped with the most advanced audiovisual technologies and equipment, simultaneous interpretation booths and video-conference systems that will allow arbitration tribunals to hold online hearings in a multi-language environment, with the ability to take statements and testimonies from anywhere in the world.

During 2015, we strengthened the virtualization of the platform running the Merchant's Registrar.

• On July 6th the CCB launched its electronic certificates product, which are issued and printed at the commercial sites on white paper, but can also be requested, downloaded and printed by the general public from the comfort of their home or office.

Some figures about the proceedings carried out during 2015:

• 1.909.107 certificates were printed on white paper.
• 1.674.923 proceedings were conducted in-person at our offices.
• 234.184 proceedings were carried out online.

On October 19, our North Office was moved to the new building located on Carrera 15 nro. 94-84. This brings with it a greater capacity to serve close to one million entrepreneurs. The new building replaced the Calle 93 office, which had served the CCB for several decades.

On October 31 the CCB introduced its services for address changes, name changes, and the online update of data related to physical address, e-mails, telephone numbers, economic activities (CIIU Codes) and the names of business and trade establishments; below are some figures related to these new services:

• 15.778 change requests made at the physical offices.
• 572 change requests were carried out online.

• In an effort to provide better services to clients in the region, a new CCB Office was opened in the Municipality of Fusagasugá , thus providing the area with a new, modern service center.
• We held the first edition of the Shared Value Awards, which was granted to Davivienda for its Daviplata product.
• We became the first chamber of commerce in the country to receive the "Quality in Internal Audit" international certification, issued by The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).

The CCB recently launched its new enterprise services model, which includes a new focus on services based on the needs of entrepreneurs and businessmen, as well as the integration of a portfolio which includes a host of general, as well a specialized, multi-sectorial and sectorial services, along with an improvement of the intervention level that will assist companies in achieving the best results.

The model is based on five premises:

• Building a diagnosis of the entrepreneur or businessperson, in order to help them identify their needs.
• Building a comprehensive services route or a work plan that will help satisfy those needs.
• Providing assistance to the entrepreneur in order to add value to the process.
• Measure the impact of the services offered over the users' corporate position.
• Achieving greater efficiencies in the use of resources, providing the entrepreneur with services that are in accordance with the level of development of their initiative or company.

Furthermore, two (2) new Cluster initiatives were identified and articulated: the Cosmetics Cluster, and the Graphic Communications Cluster.

The CCB redefined its institutional focus and its higher purpose with the aim of creating a long term sustainable Bogotá-Region by promoting the increase of its inhabitants wealth via the following services:

• Public registries.
• Dispute resolution.
• Business services.
• Competitiveness and shared value.
• Governance and entrepreneurial knowledge.

On the other hand, with the aim of making this new philosophy visible and referring to the business force which constitutes the sustainable City-Region, the CCB brand has also transformed to transmit values such as solidarity, modernity, proximity, integration and trust. 

We began the transformation to construct prosperity based on business strength, we equally are strengthening our government organisms with transparency and efficiency during management and we are defining a new model in relation to affiliates through virtual media:

• Direct communication.
• Presentation of management reports, financial statuses and prospective.
• Publications and bulletin Afiliados al Día (Up to date Affiliates).

The CCB followed up public management and strategic issues in the City-Region such as mobility and urban and infrastructure development. Furthermore, it strengthened security in the city through the programme Zonas Seguras (Safe Zones) and form the Observatory for the security of Bogotá and the Region. It created spaces for the strengthening of culture which directly and indirectly impacted more than two million people.

Furthermore, the CCB promoted the incorporation of sustainability, energy efficiency and waste management practices in around 3000 businesses in the region, and strengthened environmental conservation through the programme Planta tu Huella (Plant your footprint); the most ambitious reforestation initiative in the history of the city whose objective was to sow one million trees. 

The CCB was awarded the 2009 Ibero-American Prize for Quality, Gold Category: Large Private Organisation, the greatest recognition of excellence in the management of businesses within the region and, given its importance, is subscribed to the Ibero-American Conference of Heads of State and Governments.

The institution inaugurated the Chapinero business centre, a site destined to support learning, promote business competitiveness and acts as a civic, social and cultural meeting point in a strategic zone of the city.

The CCB continued innovating its management processes through the production of a new public registry system under Service Orientated Architecture (SOA, in English).

Parallel to this it generated agreements with nine mayoralties within Cundinamarca, with the aim of enhancing entrepreneurship in the municipalities, supporting business activity and strengthening cohabitation and security. Also, the creation of the Arbitraje Mipymes (Arbitration MSMEs), a dispute resolution service for the needs of micro, small and medium sized businesses.

Two new conciliation centres were put into service, located in Fusagasugá and Zipaquirá.

The programme Conciliación Escolar (School conciliation) - Hermes has managed to cover 70% of the schools in the district.

The CCB projected a message against the anticiclical politics of the National Government in the infrastructure axis. Similarly it launched a widespread campaign against contraband and the laundering of assets entitled Negocios Responsables y Seguros (Responsible and Safe Businesses)”.

In the educational support programme, it developed an initiative to promote bilingualism during which nearly 3000 people are being trained.

Agenda Cultural (Cultural Agenda) created the Music programme and successfully completed the Feria Internacional de Arte de Bogotá (Bogotá International Art Fair) - ArtBo.

In reference to the results achieved from the concerted efforts between the public and private sector to improve quality of live, Bogotá rose, for the sixth consecutive year, in the Latin America competitiveness ranking created by America Economy Intelligence. It rose from 16th position in 2003 to sixth position in 2009 and maintained leadership for the best capitals in the Andean region where to establish productive activities, to live and do business. 

The CCB continued widening the coverage of its services in the city and the region. In addition to its eleven offices, it also opened the new Business Centre in Kennedy and began operating in the SuperCADE (malls for public services) within the District.

It also implemented the most modern technological platform for the administration of registries, via the Service Orientated Architecture System (SOA) and continued with the virtualisation of services on its institutional website.

The CCB also consolidated the programme Simplificación de trámites (Simplification of processes) for the creation of businesses within the city, which contribute to Colombia ascending in the 2009 ranking for global competitiveness by 13 places in Doing Business from the World Bank, ranking at position 53 from 181 countries.

As part of dispute resolution material, it launched the new model for Virtual Arbitration, a one of a kind service, which administers arbitration cases in real time and their respective files. 

It created the Gerencia de Negocios Internacionales (International Business Management) with the aim of enhancing exterior commerce and supporting businesses during their search for new markets.

The CCB commenced construction of the Business Centres in Chapinero and Kennedy. Two service points which offer services to strengthen business along with other services for infrastructure and endowment.

To the present and for the future, the CCB, through its services, products and programmes, continues being the number one partner for the development and strengthening of the business sector, the regulation of commercial activity and improvement of quality of life for citizens within Bogotá and the region. 

The CCB obtained the Colombian Prize for Quality of Management, a recognition made by the National Government to businesses or entities which stand out for their advanced management systems and their tendency towards quality, productivity and continuous improvement for competitiveness.

As an initiative by the Bogotá City Mayoralty and the CCB, the Entrepreneurship Centre Bogotá Emprende was born with the aim of generating an entrepreneurial culture and supporting entrepreneurs and business people within the region on their path to the creation, growth and consolidation of their businesses.

With support from the City Mayoralty, Invest in Bogotá was created, a mixed corporation, which aims to promote the attraction of foreign investment in the region. Besides, the programme ComprometeRSE was born, an initiative from the CCB which aims to promote social responsibility practice in the region.

The Agro-industrial Megaproject was created as the public-private initiative lead by the CCB to increase exports of potential products in the sector, and generate networks of producers, manufacturers and distributors.

It also created the International Business Centre located in Corferias, destined at guiding business people in the procurement of new markets, making the most of the benefits of globalisation.

The CCB began the development of a software which will manage the new Public Registries system, entitled Sirep II.

The Asociación Iberoamericana de Cámaras de Comercio (IberoAmerican Association of Chambers of Commerce) - AICO and the Federación de Cámaras de Comercio Centroamericanas (Central American Federation of Chambers of Commerce) – Fecamco adopted the Sistema de Información Empresarial Latinoamericano (Latin American Business Information System) as one of its strategic priorities.

Inauguration of the first version of the Feria Internacional de Arte de Bogotá - ArtBo with 28 national and international galleries.

Obtained the Quality Management Certification ISO 9001, version 2000, from ICONTEC for all its products and services.

Besides, continuous improvement in registry services enabled the CCB to lead the most important and ambitious project undertaken during recent years by the country’s chamber system: the Registro Único Empresarial (Unique Entrepreneurial Register) - RUE, whose aim is integrating information from the 57 chambers of commerce within the country and enabling commercial transactions.

The CCB reaffirmed its leadership in development and put in service of the Sistema de Información Empresarial Latinoamericano, a tool that searches to improve the fluidity and transparency of public business information in regional markets. It obtained presidency of the Comisión Internacional de Arbitraje Comercial (International Commercial Arbitration Commission) - CIAC and began its programme Cámara Móvil (Mobile Chamber) with the aim of making its products and services more accessible to business people and the general community.

The Chamber began operations in the Salitre Headquarters of the CCB, the Bogotá Business Information Centre, and the CIEB library.

With the aim to provide permanent follow up to strategic public services projects for mobility, the Transmilenio and the renewal of the El Dorado airport, it was created the programme Veedurías Hoy ‘Ojo con Bogotá’.

The business centre and the Salitre headquarters began the operation of a new intelligent building located on the Avenida 26 con carrera 68D.

The CCB Affiliates Circle was created, a programme with benefits for business people in the region, strengthening their businesses.

The CCB Agenda Cultural was created with programmes, which encourage the work of young artists and promote art as a reflection of development in the region. 

The Consejo Regional de Competitividad (Regional Competitiveness Council) was created, an organism, which reunites public and private actors lead by the CCB and with the aim of converting Bogotá and Cundinamarca into one of the five most competitive regions and with the best quality of life in Latin America. 

Uniempresarial was created, a branch of the CCB’s educational institution based on the dual learning model, which combines classroom knowledge with work experience in a real business.

Similarly, the programme Zonas Seguras was born, an initiative, which aims to create crime prevention strategies in the city’s 28 quadrants with support from the Bogotá Metropolitan Police and the National Police. 

Commencement of virtualisation of the CCB services through an e-commerce project and implementation of a digiturn system (a digital waiting system).

Jointly with the District Education Secretary the programme Salas Bogotá (Bogotá rooms) began in the district’s largest libraries.

The CCB defined its portfolio of products and services through three axes: Business Support Services, Services Delegated by the State and Civic and Social Programmes.