fair

The BIZBarcelona fair, geared towards ‘solutions for SMEs and entrepreneurship’ has begun, taking place at the Fira de Barcelona fairground facilities in Montjuïc. Since its opening on Wednesday, the number of accreditations has already increased by 30% compared to last year, according to director of the event Aleix Planas, showing a large number of young people in attendance. BIZBarcelona is ideal for entrepreneurs who want to speak to all the people necessary to start or grow their business, but in a matter of hours instead of weeks. However, according to the director, the crowd is “very heterogeneous”, as attendees range from all ages, including seniors. As regards the economic and unemployment situation of the country, Planas adds that the fair is a true picture of reality

At this year’s edition of the Warsaw Book Fair, where Barcelona along with Catalan culture and literature were guests of honour, 1,700 people attended activities meant to promote the culture of the region. The activities were organised by the Institut Ramon Llull (IRL), which is a public institution in charge of promoting Catalan culture and language. A total of 72,000 visitors attended the Book Fair, which was held from the 19^th to the 22^nd of May. 800 booths from 25 different countries participated in the cultural event, and the booth specifically dedicated to Catalan literature saw the participation of 580 people in its activities. The activities were led by a coalition of Catalan writers composed of Sebastià Alzamora, Blanca Busquets, Jaume Cabré, Jenn Díaz, Rafel Nadal, Marc Pastor, Jordi Puntí, Care Santos, Màrius Serra and Jordi Sierra i Fabra, whose goal was to promote Catalan literature and contemporary creation. 

Catalonia and Barcelona are guests of honour at the 2016 Warsaw Book Fair in the Polish capital. Catalan literature is to be represented by ten Catalan authors, who will attend the 6^th edition of the book fair along with 800 booths representing 25 different countries. The Catalan presence at the book fair will consolidate existing relationships and create new ties with Polish literature circles as well as promote the translation of Catalan works into Polish. At the fair, Catalonia will be represented by a booth, a professional programme and a series of literary events. This year will be the 6^th edition of the Warsaw Book Fair, which last year saw 860 exhibitors from 29 different countries, gathering up to 800 authors from around the world and more than 72,000 visitors.

A record 118,000 visitors attended Barcelona International Comic Fair, 5,000 more than in 2015. One of the main attractions of this edition was he 80th anniversary of Spanish comic book artist Francisco Ibáñez, who created the famous Mort & Phil. Another mayor exhibition, 'Comics on wheels', included some 200 originals works from around the world that showcased the relationship between two realms: comics and vehicles. Many professionals, comic fans and schoolchildren did not want to miss the opportunity to enjoy the opening of the event, which also drew together the video game industry and manga. Barcelona International Comic Fair was held from the May 6^th until the 9^th of May at Fira Barcelona Montjuïc venue. 

From the 6th until the 9th of October, Barcelona will host the main annual video game fair in Spain, which until now has been held in Madrid. This was announced by the Spanish Video Games Association (AEVI), which will host the event along with Fira de Barcelona. The video game-centred fair is called ‘Barcelona World Games’, which will replace the original name ‘Madrid Games Week’. The event will take place at the Montjuïc exhibition centre, and will gather together the leading companies in the industry, which are to present the new products to be expected for the Christmas season. The general director of AEVI, José María Moreno, released a statement saying that that the fair will be "an opportunity to find new audiences and markets, generate synergy between industry professionals and discover the potential of gaming in the fields of economy, culture and education".

From the 25th to the 28th of April, Barcelona Gran Via will host a new edition of Alimentaria, one of the most important trade fairs in the world focusing on food and drinks and the second most important in the Catalan capital after the Mobile World Congress. Amongst the newest trends to be featured in 2016 are superfoods, local food and organics. The event is also celebrating its 40^th anniversary with several novelties, the most prominent of which is the Multiple Foods trade fair, a more diverse exhibition which will bring together different companies. Additionally added are beverage and frozen food manufacturers in Restaurama, Vinorum Think, and Halal Concept. The exhibition has a projected economic impact of 170 million euros for Barcelona, already manifesting in the high hotel reservations. 

In Napa Valley, California, 8 companies, 7 wineries, and 2 chefs from Catalonia will participate in the World of Flavors conference on the 22^nd of April. The event is renowned as the leading conference in the field of gastronomy in the United States. This year, 800 restaurant chains, hotels, chefs, and operators will attend the conference to check out the latest culinary trends and techniques. Catalonia’s participation in the conference is part of a business mission led by ACCIÓ, a project of the Generalitat to promote Catalan business competition, innovation and cooperation around the world. Catalan Ministry for Business and Knowledge Jordi Baiget will also accompany the culinary participants to the United States, making several stops in California, Miami, and Washington D.C. to discuss Catalan business expansion in the country. 

Local gastronomy and wine form the focus of Catalonia’s tourism strategy for this year. Coinciding with its selection as the European Region of Gastronomy 2016, the Catalan Tourism Agency (ACT) is promoting a wide range of routes, mainly designed to do by bike, which combine sport, nature and the main wine denomination of origin areas. ITB Berlin is the biggest tourism fair in Europe and one of the most important in this sector worldwide. “We have to be here”, stated ACT’s President, Xavier Espasa. Regarding the German market, which is the third country of origin in terms of number of tourists, this is “getting more sophisticated” and appreciates Catalonia as a diverse destination, more than just the usual attractions, which reinforces the idea that it goes further than sun, beaches and Barcelona.

The 17^th edition of Barcelona’s 080 Fashion week started this Monday and is taking place at the iconic Casa Llotja de Mar in Barcelona throughout the week. The opening catwalk featured the previous edition’s National Award to Emerging Designer winner CarlotaOms. The eventwill combine offerings from newcomers such as Pau Esteve with those of consolidated firms such as Custo Barcelona and Sita Murt. Besides the fashion shows, 080 Barcelona Fashion will also host many other parallel activities bringing together different points of view on fashion. One of the highlights of this edition is the presence of Manolo Blahnik, the shoe designer and global icon, who will present his book ‘Fleeting Gestures and Obsessions’. The event will also pay tribute to designer Pedro Rodríguez.

The Manga Fair opened its doors this Thursday in Barcelona and will be the meeting point for comic and Japanese culture lovers until Sunday. This year the event has increased both the number of visitors and that of the companies and professionals taking part, and consequently the fair’s exhibition space in Montjuic’s Fira de Barcelona has been extended to 60,000 m². The fair commemorates this year the 30^th anniversary of one of the most iconic characters of Japanese culture and the international video games industry: Super Mario Bros. Another outstanding exhibition at this 21^st edition shows the influence of Gaudí’s architecture within Japanese culture and the work of Japanese architects in Barcelona. The 70^th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings is also a topic which is taken into account at the fair and around which some exhibitions are centred. The organisers of the fair expect to welcome more than 130,000 visitors. A good sign of this high participation is the tickets for the weekend, which have already sold out. 

Manresa, a small city 50 kilometres away from Barcelona, will host this week host the 18th edition of 'Fira Mediterrània' ('Mediterranean Fair') a professional meeting oriented toward analysinge and improvinge the cultural sector in Catalonia. This year’s' edition will focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. Throughout the 10 sessions programmed from the 15th to the 17th of October the potentiality of culture in the social, economic, urban and communitarian areas will be discussed and the relationship between popular cultural and social actions will be analysed. The venue 'La Llotja' will also host meetings between artists and programmers, national and international companies' showcases and 200 'speed datesings', quick meetings between professionals.

From the 14^th to the 18^th of October, Barcelona will host a new edition of the International Boat Show. 260 exhibitors from all over the world will present their wares in sports and recreational boats, distributed throughout the 50,000-square metre exhibition, with the biggest being displayed afloat and the floor hosting smaller boats and components. The Fair's President, Luis Conde, forecasts a "spectacular edition" this year, as the nautical sector "is recovering, in line with the rest of the economy". In fact, the number of boats registered this year has increased by 10%. According to Conde, the Barcelona International Boat Show "is the main platform of the nautical sector in Spain" and a must in any boat lover's agenda.

From the 10^th to the 14^th of October, the German city of Cologne will host Anuga, the world’s most important Food and Agriculture Fair which gathered together, in its last edition, nearly 7,000 exhibitors from 100 countries. Catalonia’s food industry will be represented through two main sectors; olive oil and nuts on the one hand, and cold meats on the other. The Catalan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fishery and Food is aware of the importance of the EU market, as more than 50% of Catalonia’s food and beverage production is exported there. Moreover, the EU is the biggest consumer of food and beverages, ahead of the US and China.

“Barcelona and Catalan literature will be the main focus” at the Warsaw Book Fair 2016, stated the Director of Institut Ramon Llull (IRL), which is a public institution in charge of promoting Catalan culture and language, Àlex Susanna. Next year it will be time to “set the coveted invitation” to the Bologna Book Fair, he added and declared that IRL is “working hard” on a possible “Catalan landing” in the multidisciplinary Edinburgh Festival in two years’ time. Susanna admitted to be optimistic regarding Catalan culture’s international projection and highlighted that this development coincided with the economic crisis.   

Barcelona’s International Art Fair, ‘Swab’ aims to make the contemporary art scene more accessible to the general public and this year it had a new focus on African and Caribbean artwork. A record number of 65 galleries from 22 countries around the world took part in the 2015 edition of the event and over 200 emerging artists will present their work. In addition to the overall programme, the 2015 edition of the art fair sees the opening of “Swab Gate” from the Fundació Lluís Coromina, which consists of individual presentations from African and Caribbean artists with a focus on painting.