The convention is celebrating its 29th edition. It hopes to gather a total of 100,000 comic fans during the four-day fair. This year the largest exhibition is devoted to creatures of the living-dead.
The Catalan Government is cutting the Healthcare System’s expenditure by 10% because the public deficit needs to be drastically reduced this year. Health professionals started protesting last week because they fear a worsening of services and working conditions. The Catalan Minister for Health, Boi Ruiz guaranteed basic health services, but the protests continue.
Catalonia’s International Tourism Fair is currently taking place and will run until this Sunday. Barcelona broke all records in 2010 regarding visitors. 7.3 million tourists visited the Catalan capital and there were 14 million hotel nights booked by visitors. The Catalan Minister for Business and Employment, who is in charge of tourism, expects 2011 for Catalonia to be “exceptional”.
The strike threatened by Spanish airport staff was finally cancelled as an agreement was reached between the ministry and trade unions. Air Berlin announced a flight increase in Barcelona: 38 flights per week will link the Catalan capital with Düsseldorf. The Spanish Minister for Transport insisted that the tender process to manage the airport will be issued before the end of the year.
At the end of January, the Japanese motorbike company announced its decision and this week it issued its mass layoff plan. Yamaha will concentrate all its European production in its French factory. The Catalan factory was making profit and trade unions have stressed that the decision is only based on the company’s strategy. Yamaha will keep its commercial offices in Catalonia.
The famous Catalan chef Ferran Adria was speaking at the Gastronomic Forum in Girona today. He said he would not be participating in conference for the next three years as he will be concentrating on his own brand new foundation. The Gastronomic Forum is a leading congress on cuisine that brings 30,000 people from all the world together.
This year’s edition of the world’s leading congress on cell phone technology, which was celebrated in Barcelona for the 6th consecutive year, had 20% more visitors than in 2010. More than 60,000 people attended the congress.
International media focus on the world’s leading congress on mobile phone technology.
From this Monday to the coming Thursday, the Catalan capital is hosting the annual world’s most important cell phone technology event, the Mobile World Congress. About 55,000 people and 1,300 companies will attend the conference, which will generate more than 200 million euros of profit for the local economy. Barcelona needs to do its utmost best this year, as the host city from 2013 onwards is still not decided.
The Catalan Minister for Agriculture Josep Maria Pelegrí visited Berlin this week to greet the 23 Catalan companies that were exhibiting at the Fruit Logistica fair in Berlin. Catalonia has a significant fruit production industry and it exports fruit all over Europe.
Barcelona is hosting lawyers and legal experts from all over the world this week for the international legal trade fair and the Euro Mediterranean's annual conference for lawyers.
Despite the financial crisis, six well-known Catalan brands showcased their products at the most important urban fashion fair of the year, the Bread & Butter trade fair in Berlin.
The Mobile World Congress will be held in the Catalan capital for the seventh time. It will take place between 14th and 17th of February and will bring have an economic impact of 200 million euros on the city. Visitors are predicted to occupy 30,000 hotel rooms, 25% higher than last year. However, Barcelona could lose the Mobile World Congress’ organisation contract as the current one ends and other cities put forward their candidature.
Fira de Barcelona has just approved a new strategic plan for the next four years. The plan foresees increasing the turnover rate by around 50% and includes taking the Fira de Barcelona brand name to countries around the world.
The international trade fair on old vehicles is one of the most important in Europe. According to Fermín Sulé, the President of 'Auto Retro, the trade fair 'widely' exceeded the expected number of vehicle sales.