Barcelona International Community Day returns, gathering city’s global talent

Barcelona International Community Day, the premiere gathering for the city’s global talent ecosystem, is back this month.

The annual event will take place for the eleventh time on Saturday 28 September, a month earlier than in previous years. 

You can sign up for your free ticket for the event here. 

Organized by Barcelona City Council, the event is now firmly positioned as the leading welcome and networking space for professionals from around the world who have chosen to live and work in Barcelona.

The professional fair also fosters connections between locals and internationals by inviting anyone interested in engaging with this talented community and helping them to integrate into their new home.

This year’s slogan, ‘Unique work-life balance’, celebrates one of Barcelona’s most valued attributes among its international community – the perfect balance between work and personal life. 

With more than 5,000 registered participants from 123 nationalities in 2023, this year’s event will take place once more at the Barcelona Maritime Museum. 

There will be a trade fair with 80 exhibitors including Catalan News, alongside other companies, public institutions, foreigners’ associations and clubs, and international schools, offering services, products and initiatives for the international community. Notably, almost 30% of these exhibitors will be taking part in the event for the first time.

The event programme will offer more than 60 activities for all audiences, including informative talks, workshops, panel discussions, networking activities, musical and other types of performances and children’s activities. The activities will be conducted primarily in English and will feature around 90 speakers and experts from a variety of nationalities. 

They will revolve around three main themes. Firstly, arriving and settling in the city, with practical sessions on tax issues for the international community, understanding Barcelona’s healthcare system, managing the emotional aspects of relocation and finding schools for children. 

Secondly, business and work, with professional activities on topics such as securing funding for entrepreneurs, starting a business, digital talent in tech hubs, recruiting international talent, and creating a CV or doing a job interview with the help of AI. Barcelona Activa’s resources for finding a job and starting a business will also be presented. 

Finally, enjoying and socialising in the city, with activities aimed at exploring Barcelona and making new contacts. Highlights include a language aperitif (known locally as a vermut) that combines learning Catalan with networking, a workshop on leadership and communicating to connect with your audience, speed networking for professional women and another for the French-speaking community.

The event will also see the launch of an updated look and feel, now more in line with Barcelona International Welcome, the City Council’s year-round service to welcome and integrate international talent into the city, and the Barcelona International Welcome Desk, its personalised assistance service. 

The venue will be open from 10 am to 7 pm, with free entry with registration at barcelona.cat/internationalcommunityday. 

Representatives from a variety of sectors will be there to discuss property, relocation, talent management, legal and financial consultancy, insurance and medical services, among other topics. Participants will also find public and private cultural and social organisations offering products, services and initiatives to help them enjoy the city and become an integral part of it. The education sector will be represented by stands set up by various schools offering international curricula and qualifications, as well as business schools and other educational institutions.

The event will also have a festive and family-friendly aspect, with new and engaging activities for everyone, including a giant (Gegants) display to celebrate the 600th anniversary of this tradition. In addition to the display, live concerts and performances will take place in the garden of the Maritime Museum, and a children’s play area will be set up inside the venue to host various activities for the little ones. 

This year, a space devoted to the 37th America’s Cup will give the public a closer look at the regatta. As usual, the Barcelona International Welcome Desk will be present with a stand offering personalised information and advice. This is Barcelona’s year-round welcome and support service for international talent that has recently arrived in the city.  

After the success of the last two years, the big closing party will be back from 6 to 7 pm. This time there will be a DJ set in the Ágora room and a concert in the garden of the Maritime Museum.

Host ambassadors

As every year, the event’s host ambassadors will take part in the programme of activities. These are six professionals from different countries who have settled in Barcelona, launched their professional projects here and are keen to share their experiences of the city with attendees. In addition to taking part in the day’s activities, they will share why they chose Barcelona and how the city has helped them to achieve their professional ambitions in a video interview that will be published on Barcelona International Welcome’s social media channels and the event’s website.

This year’s host ambassadors are Deepika Bhoolabhai from South Africa-India, founder and director of the SOAR school; Alexa Ramírez from Costa Rica, global finance project leader at Bayer; Amal Rahmeh from Lebanon, Pompeu Fabra University researcher at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park; Joe Woodward from England, culinary trainer and founder of Delicious English; Miroslav Stibůrek from the Czech Republic, artist, designer and entrepreneur; and Nats Sisma from the Philippines, editor of The Filipino Expat Magazine. 

Organization and support

Barcelona Activa, the city’s economic development agency, offers Barcelona City Council support in organising Barcelona International Community Day, along with various other organisations, entities and professionals that help to make its organisation and dissemination possible. The event is a testament to public-private collaboration, as it is supported by premium sponsor Banc Sabadell and sponsors ERES Relocation Services (international mobility management for workers) and Entre Trámites (tax and legal advice for SMEs, self-employed individuals and foreign companies wishing to set up in Barcelona).

Additional support comes from the Barcelona International Schools Association (BISA), Maremagnum Shopping Center, HLA Hospital Group, ArticketBCN (cultural passport), The Old Irish Pub and The Nanny Line (a nanny service).

The event in 2023

In 2023, Barcelona International Community Day had 5,072 registered participants, 76% of whom were first-time attendees. This major international event attracted students, entrepreneurs, members of research teams, business owners, artists and families. 

In terms of visitor diversity, 73.61% were foreign nationals and 26.39% were Spanish nationals. There were participants from 123 different countries, with the United States, France, Italy and Russia being the top four countries of origin. Nearly 50% of all attendees had been living in Barcelona for less than three years.

A total of 64 activities were held, with 93 speakers and experts and 80 exhibitors. Satisfaction among those who attended was very high, at 8.3 out of 10.

A diverse, enriching community

The international community now accounts for more than 25% of Barcelona’s population. One out of every four residents is a foreigner, which fuels Barcelona’s diverse, intercultural spirit. The city is home to 180 nationalities other than Spanish, with the largest groups coming from Italy, Colombia, Pakistan, China and Peru. 

These newcomers are good for the city in a number of ways: 

• Their talent, work, investments, companies, professional projects and economic and commercial activities help to generate wealth. 
• They help to boost the city’s competitiveness and productivity by coming up with new ideas, techniques and innovations. 
• They are the first point of contact for new investors, entrepreneurs or professionals in their home countries: they help them make investment decisions and attract talent to our city. 
• They are Barcelona’s economic ambassadors in their home countries.

Welcoming and integrating them is essential and a priority for positioning Barcelona as an open, diverse and cosmopolitan city in the world. This is why Barcelona City Council’s International Economic Promotion Area has had a plan in place for some years now to attract, welcome, retain and stimulate international talent through Barcelona International Welcome. This is the city’s website for foreigners wishing to live and work in Barcelona, with practical information on arriving in the city and a detailed explanation of the obligatory and important procedures to be carried out. It also offers a programme of activities throughout the year to help these people develop their full potential, get to know the city and connect with other members of their own community. 

The Barcelona International Welcome Desk has also been in operation since November 2021. This is a pioneering international talent welcome service in Spain that facilitates the arrival of talent with personalised information, advice and assistance with paperwork in multiple languages. Users can receive support both in person and via video conferencing.

(Catalan News is not liable to third parties for any information in this statement)