The Orihuela Chamber of Commerce has presented a programme of activities to commemorate the 125th anniversary of its creation in 1901.
The anniversary events will take place throughout 2026 and during the first quarter of 2027. They will include an institutional video, a commemorative logo, a new edition of the book on the Chamber’s history, a series of business meetings and the 2026 Night of the Economy.
The programme was presented at a press conference by the Chamber’s president, Mario Martínez Murcia, and vice-president, Cristina Torres Galindo, who outlined some of the events already planned. They also explained that the schedule will be expanded as new proposals linked to the anniversary are confirmed.
The presentation began with the screening of an institutional video produced for the occasion, in which the president reviews the history of the Chamber and highlights the work carried out over the years, as well as the challenges facing Orihuela and its business community in the coming years.
Martínez recalled that the Chamber was officially founded on March 27, 1901, and underlined the institution’s evolution over the past 125 years. He also highlighted that the Chamber closed the 2025 financial year with a surplus and had fully paid off the debt it had been carrying for a decade.
“The 125th anniversary comes at a particularly significant moment. We closed 2025 with a surplus and with our debt paid off, allowing us to look to the future as a financially healthy institution, better prepared to advise companies, entrepreneurs and society in general through our training courses and the different services we provide both at our headquarters in Orihuela city and at the Digital Coworking centre in Orihuela Costa,” said Martínez.
The Chamber president said the current political and economic context presents growing difficulties for companies, especially for those looking to start a business. “Things are not easy for the business community, and even less so for entrepreneurs, but that is what the Chamber is here for: to accompany, guide and open doors,” he said.
He encouraged anyone with a business idea or an ongoing project to visit the Chamber of Commerce, seek information and make use of its services, programmes and support.
Vice-president Cristina Torres detailed the projects already under way for the anniversary. These include the commemorative logo created for the occasion, designed to sit alongside the Chamber’s official identity while incorporating the number 125.
“We wanted a recognisable symbol that maintained the essence of the Chamber’s official logo while clearly highlighting the 125th anniversary,” said Torres. She added that the logo will be used throughout the year in the Chamber’s institutional communications, as was the case for the 120th anniversary.
Torres also announced that work is under way on a new edition of the book History of the Orihuela Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services, written by the city’s official chronicler, Antonio Luis Galiano.
The book was first published for the Chamber’s centenary, reissued for the 120th anniversary and is now being updated with a new chapter covering the most recent developments up to March of this year.
“It is a work that records the evolution of the institution and the role it has played in the economic development of Orihuela and the surrounding district,” said Torres. She explained that the book will be presented later at a dedicated event, “as we believe it deserves its own prominence.”
As part of the 125th anniversary agenda, the Chamber will also hold its most emblematic event, the 2026 Night of the Economy, on October 1. This year’s edition will have a strong commemorative focus.
Torres also announced that the Chamber will organise a series of business meetings throughout the year. These will include a session dedicated to female leadership, which is already being prepared, and another event that the institution hopes to dedicate to one of Orihuela and the Vega Baja’s flagship crops: the artichoke.
“The 125th anniversary is not just a celebration; it is an opportunity to generate useful discussion, connect companies and strengthen the Chamber’s role as a meeting point for the productive sector,” said the vice-president.
The full calendar of events will be announced as dates, speakers and content are confirmed. The Chamber aims to involve the wider business community and Orihuela society in an anniversary marking 125 years of service to companies, self-employed workers and entrepreneurs across the Orihuela Chamber district.
