The president of Skål International Valladolid explains how the club came into being, the opportunities offered by inland tourism and the value of building professional relationships based on trust.
President of Skål International Valladolid · Managing Director of Inver-Sanjo, S.A.
Jesús San José Almanza is at the helm of one of Skål’s newest projects in Spain. Skål International Valladolid began the process of setting itself up in February 2025 and was officially established in May of that same year, initially bringing together professionals from various sectors of the tourism industry.
As Chief Executive of Inver-Sanjo, S.A., and with a professional background that also extends into the legal field, Jesús San José has taken on the challenge of setting up a club from scratch: recruiting its first members, defining its identity and identifying the role that Skål can play within Valladolid’s tourism and business sectors.
At Sinergia Skål, we spoke to him about that process, inland tourism, the voluntary sector, business and, in particular, what it means to build a new community of professionals based on Skål’s values.
Skål International Valladolid: setting up a club from scratch
Jesús, in your case, you didn’t just become president of an existing club: you were directly involved in setting it up. What made you think that Valladolid needed a Skål club?
The idea came about when Francelia Mota, who was president of Skål International Riviera Maya, invited me, from spring 2023 onwards, to a number of meetings where I was able to experience the excellent atmosphere of camaraderie and friendship, as well as the high professional standards of the club’s members. This made me realise that, apart from Barcelona, there was no Skål club in the northern half of Spain, so I decided to try and set one up in Valladolid. I discussed this with Francelia, who immediately supported the idea; she contacted the General Secretariat in Torremolinos to explore the possibilities and secured their backing. In October of that same year, I had the opportunity to meet the World President, Juan Ignacio Steta, to whom I outlined my project. He viewed it favourably and offered his support. That gave me the strength I needed to begin building Skål International Valladolid.
Between that first steering committee in February 2025 and the club’s formal establishment in May, we had to turn an idea into reality. How do you remember those first few months, and what was the main difficulty you encountered?
In fact, I began setting up the Skål club in Valladolid in December 2023. I began inviting friends and tourism professionals from Valladolid out for a coffee, telling them about what I had learnt — and enjoyed — from Skål International in Mexico. I spoke to them about the potential I had seen in their meetings and invited them to set up a club together in Valladolid. The responses were very positive and confirmed to me that the idea was viable and that I had valuable people to support the project. The launch was delayed because I was still carrying out my activities in Mexico, where I spent several months a year. On each trip to Valladolid, I continued to organise these coffee meetings to gradually build up the founding group until, once the group was established, I invited the organisers to the first formal meeting on 10 October 2024. Everyone’s response, without exception, was positive, and we agreed to begin the formal procedures immediately. We held several meetings to draw up the documentation and the work plan, until May 2025, when 16 founding members signed the founding charter of Skål International Valladolid. These were months of enthusiasm, continuous and constructive work, with very clear and shared objectives. As for any potential difficulties, I cannot recall any that were significant enough to warrant mention.
The club was founded by bringing together professionals from various sectors of the tourism industry. What were you looking for in those early members who would inevitably shape the character of Skål International Valladolid?
The criterion for inviting people to join the founding group was to seek out professionals who, in their work, were true experts in and drivers of tourism. We looked for people with extensive experience, who were well-known and respected in their respective fields, and professionals who would add value and create synergies with the rest of the group. The result has been a club of highly professional and very active members, representing more than twenty sectors of the tourism industry in the province of Valladolid. Several of them are responsible for activities that bring together tens of thousands of people every year at the various events they organise in Valladolid, some of which have a global impact. All of this brings great value to the group and its members, whilst also creating real opportunities for shared business ventures.
When you’re starting from scratch, you also have the chance to envisage the sort of club you want to build. What would you like Skål International Valladolid to be like in five years’ time?
I would like Skål International Valladolid to eventually count amongst its members professionals from most of the sectors of activity recognised by Skål International, in order to achieve the greatest possible diversity. I would like it to be an influential and almost indispensable club in the economic, social, cultural, media, gastronomic and business life of Valladolid; and for its opinions, proposals and initiatives, not only be taken into account by the authorities, but also be of use to residents and visitors alike, and further enhance the potential of the rich and varied tourism ecosystem that the province has to offer.
Valladolid and inland tourism
Valladolid does not fit the mould of Spain’s major holiday destinations, but it offers a wealth of heritage, culture, gastronomy, wine, conferences and inland tourism. Where do you think its greatest opportunities for growth in tourism lie?
Valladolid brings together all these elements, which have already established it as a holiday destination well worth considering. But it also boasts other attractions and potential areas of opportunity: the University, with its exchange programmes and the Erasmus scheme; Spanish language teaching; its status as a city of cinema; its rich and varied natural heritage; leisure and sporting opportunities; and its history and architecture. Valladolid has been the birthplace of thirteen kings and the setting for major historical events that preceded or helped to define the Modern Age. World-renowned classical and modern writers, illustrious navigators and other prominent figures have lived and worked here. Perhaps the opportunities for growth in tourism lie in the clever combination of all these elements, creating an attractive, competitive, dynamic and evolving offering that will place Valladolid on the list of must-visit destinations sought after by everyone.
Can Skål help to better link all these activities and become a forum where entrepreneurs and professionals from Valladolid can find genuine opportunities for collaboration and business?
The very nature of Skål International and the diversity of sectors represented within it — which is reflected in each of its clubs — helps to generate the necessary synergies amongst members. They also enable the creation of a framework for cooperation capable of generating shared business opportunities, improving the quality of services, adding greater value to the tourism offering, and making it easier for users to access the products, services and resources they need. The diversity of sectors and professionals within Skål International Valladolid, combined with their experience and expertise, means that opportunities for collaboration are more than just a possibility: they are a reality that benefits both members and users alike.
Leadership and value for members
Your career has combined business, legal experience and, now, the presidency of a Skål club. What lessons from the business world have you applied to the way you want to run the club?
Since 1979, I have been involved in the creation, leadership or day-to-day management of thirteen associations in the cultural, political, social, professional and business spheres. In all of them, I have had the opportunity to learn from those who founded them with me, or from those who were part of them and helped to sustain and develop them. My greatest lesson has been to realise the value of the strength that a group provides; the social, political and economic influence that a cohesive, motivated, highly qualified team with clear common goals can achieve; and the importance of loyalty towards one’s colleagues. The values I have learnt – which I am most grateful for and which I strive to apply at all times – are transparency, motivation, trust, delegation and shared leadership.
A professional organisation only makes sense if it adds value for its members. When you invite a business owner or tourism executive from Valladolid to join Skål, what reasons do you give them for doing so?
Firstly, I shall provide you with as much detail as possible regarding https://www.skal.org/es_ES/ and the competitive advantage afforded by its global presence. I explain who makes up the club — which, at times, is reason enough to join — and highlight the opportunity for collaboration that comes from bringing together, within a single group, a diverse range of professionals of proven calibre, capable of facilitating and supporting the development of their business. I also explain that Skål International’s guiding motto is ‘doing business amongst friends’ and, finally, I let them know that their membership gives them immediate and permanent access to a valuable database containing the contact details of Skål members from all over the world. This represents an extraordinary opportunity to gain direct access to potential partners, clients or businesspeople in the same sector, whilst also enabling them to selectively promote their business, services and special offers.
New generations and human relationships
One of Skål’s major challenges is to attract new generations of professionals. Given the opportunity to build a club practically from scratch, how do you intend to ensure that young managers and entrepreneurs also find their place within it?
Firstly, we must raise awareness of Skål International, as, regrettably, this seems to be an unresolved issue for a professional and business organisation with over ninety years of history. Next, we must ensure that people are aware of the club’s existence in Valladolid and that the standing we aim to achieve within one or two years is, in itself, an attractive enough reason to join. We must offer the opportunity to benefit from the experience of seasoned professionals, create mentoring programmes, establish systems and projects for professional training that complement or serve as an alternative to academic education, and encourage the exchange of knowledge within the group. At the same time, we must demonstrate that joining Skål International Valladolid can be an ideal platform for advancing members’ projects and professional lives, instilling the confidence that business opportunities with other members can be possible, viable and profitable.
Historically, Skål has been about doing business amongst friends. In an increasingly digital and fast-paced business environment, do trust, personal knowledge and relationships built up over time still hold the same value?
I don’t believe that any form of artificial intelligence or technological advance can replace a conversation amongst friends over a good meal, accompanied by a fine wine and rounded off with a relaxed and friendly chat. I sincerely believe that trust, personal knowledge and interpersonal relationships built up over time and through genuine human interest will continue to be fundamental pillars of social interaction and valuable business relationships. They will remain irreplaceable and will ensure that personal, face-to-face contact is always preferable, however much virtual and technological progress there may be and however much convenience a video conference may offer.
Valladolid within the Skål network
You are part of a national and international organisation through a club that has only just set out on its journey. What do you expect from your relationship with the other Skål Spain clubs, and what can Valladolid contribute to the organisation as a whole?
Since our formal establishment as a Skål club, I have had the opportunity to take part in meetings of a number of clubs, as well as in national gatherings and activities. My relationship with the other clubs — that is, with their officers and members — has been very rewarding. I have received recommendations, advice, suggestions and sincere offers of support, from both officers and members, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. They have shown solidarity, warmth, humanity and camaraderie, raising any expectations I might have had of Skål International. For the time being, Valladolid, as a new club, can contribute by establishing a new club in north-western Spain, strengthening the group wherever possible. Our aim is to collaborate sincerely and effectively, to put forward initiatives, to provide support where necessary and to ensure the expansion and growth of Skål International. In the future, as we grow and gain experience, we will be able to consider making more specific and targeted contributions to the organisation.
To conclude, behind the president of Skål International Valladolid and the businessman stands Jesús San José. What has tourism given you personally, and what would you like to be able to say in a few years’ time when you look back and remember that you played a part in the founding of this club?
As a user, tourism — or, rather, those who work in the industry — has given me the chance to visit places I never imagined existed. It has provided me with accommodation, support and services that are sometimes essential and irreplaceable. It has also allowed me to meet people and learn about lives that have made me reflect on and appreciate the opportunities my own life has afforded me, as well as to enjoy experiences that form part of my intangible wealth. As an entrepreneur, it has enabled me to organise and generate material and human resources, and to contribute in some way to shaping the economic and social structure of my province. When I look back, I would like to see that Skål International Valladolid is still going strong; that it has succeeded in becoming that influential, dynamic and essential club which brings together the finest professionals and businesspeople in the province’s tourism sector; and that the idea and purpose I conceived in the Riviera Maya became a reality with the help of others. It would be enough for me to feel that it has been useful: that would be reward enough.
