Lutz Emmerich recently started working as the XING Country Manager for Spain, and is responsible for heading the XING team in Barcelona. Not one to start slowly, Lutz has already assisted in the migration of Neurona members to the XING platform. In our interview Lutz, who has lived in Spain for over eight years, talks about the potential of the Spanish market, why XING meshes so well with the Spanish networking culture, and how he used XING to read up on his new coworkers.

1. You've been working in online marketing for the last 12 years, and have lived in Spain for eight of those. What is this market like in comparison with other European countries?

In comparison with other European countries, Spain is still a very young market. In 2006, only 40% of the Spanish population was online; in Germany the figure was nearly 60%. This means that there's a terrific growth potential in Spain, such as in the e-commerce segment: More and more Spanish Internet users regularly shop online, and are increasingly using the Internet for daily tasks. This also includes making business contacts online, and expanding their professional and private networks via Internet networking.

2. In your opinion, which advantages of the XING network do you think will be particularly important for Spanish professionals?

Spanish professionals place a great deal of value on professional networking, and that's exactly what XING offers. Getting advice and sharing experiences with professionals from around the world in groups and forums is part of this. Already there are over 400 groups on XING in which Spanish is spoken! Plus all the offline events - last year in Spain alone there were nearly 500 events organized over XING. I don't know of any other network that caters to the traditional Spanish networking culture with such a range of comprehensive and well-designed features. Finally, for many members, XING serves as a bridge from Europe to North and South America. The platform is not only available in Spanish, but in 15 other languages as well, making it perfect for interacting with users in other countries.

3.  You mentioned the traditional Spanish networking culture: how are you planning to incorporate this culture into the online world?

We'll communicate the practical benefits of XING as a daily tool for business to Spanish professionals in all industries, and help them discover the range of services and features contained in the platform. We'll be assisted in this by the fact that XING actively supports the connection between offline and online networking – many XING groups meet in person, and conversely many 'real life' events are organized online via the platform. 

4. What attracted you to XING and your new job here?

I've known XING for years now, and from day one was interested in the technical capabilities of the platform and the professional gains it brings to users. For example, before I joined the team, I used the platform to find out more about my future coworkers ;-). When I met the people behind XING in person, I was impressed by their professionalism and their fascination for innovation. This attitude really gets me motivated.