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The two events converge with tools, ideas, resources, advice and training offers which are useful for entrepreneurs, the self-employed, SMEs, startups as well as those who are looking for work or redirecting their professional careers. Bizbarcelona and the Saló de l’Ocupació mark the resumption of the trade fair institution’s physical activity.

Jaume Collboni, Deputy Mayor for Economy, Work, Competitiveness and Finance of Barcelona City Council, highlighted the desire to “use all the tools and resources available to reduce the impact of this crisis and contribute to the reactivation of the city’s economy. We are convinced that these events will offer answers, support and opportunities to SMEs, professionals, the self-employed as well as to people who are in the process of looking for work,” he assured at the presentation of the two events held this morning.

Similarly, the General Manager of Fira de Barcelona, Constantí Serrallonga, made reference to the importance and significance of the return of the trade fair activity “currently focusing on greater local participation and proximity, although still with the desire to progressively intensify looking forward into 2021.” Serrallonga emphasised that “our objective is to resume the fair activity with all the prevention and safety measures in place for the participants, in order to facilitate that the attendance by companies to an event may contribute to relaunching their business and giving them the possibility of networking as well as reaffirming our own role as an economic driving force.”

Revitalizing and adapting businesses

Bizbarcelona and the Saló de l’Ocupació will each have their own programme of activities, setting up common spaces, thereby increasing the value content for the visitor. At the same time, the physical format of the fair will be combined in Hall 8 of the Montjuïc venue with the streamed broadcast of the conferences and advisory sessions through a virtual platform to extend the scope and audience of the events.

This year, Bizbarcelona, the benchmark event for entrepreneurs and SMEs, structures its conferences, personalised advisory points and networking activities around six core themes: Entrepreneurship; Growth; New Challenges, New Realities; Startups & Business Innovation; Talent Arena; and Sustainable Development Goals (SDAs). It will also include an area with about 30 stands represented by different entities, institutions and companies offering tools, resources and solutions for businesses, company management, marketing and sales. Similarly, there will be the Bizfranchise area, with brands and consulting firms presenting their business concepts and portfolio of franchising formats.

The almost 120 conferences planned in Bizbarcelona will deal with the essential issues entrepreneurs should take into account, with ideas or ongoing business projects by SMEs and startups in their consolidation and growth phase. All of this is framed in the new reality that has emerged with the pandemic, which demands a transformation and adaptation of businesses to the technological, social and business trends that will mark the post-Covid economy. In this context of change, successful experiences carried out by entrepreneurs and company owners will be shared and the SDGs will also be presented as an opportunity to reactivate the economy in a responsible and sustainable way, having a positive social impact.

Among the almost 150 confirmed speakers are people such as the Chairman of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Joan Canadell; the President of PIMEC (SMEs in Catalonia), Josep González; the Director of Digital Transformation for DAMM, Laura Gil; the Chair and CEO of Savills Aguirre Newman Barcelona, Anna Gener; the investor, consultant and co-founder of B-wom, Helena Torras; the CEO of Seat:Code, Carlos Buenosvinos; the Director of Research & Technology Transfer at the University of Girona, Pere Condom; the executive and journalist specialising in startups in Llorente and Cuenca, Mar Galtés; and the Chairman of the Multi-sectoral Association of Spanish Electronic and Communication Companies (AMETIC in its Spanish initials), Pedro Mier.

As a new feature, within the Bizbarcelona framework, an event will be held to recognise the best entrepreneurial initiatives and solutions provided by SMEs in recent months which have helped to address the health emergency.

Talent, Opportunities and Inclusion in the Workplace

Given the current situation, the traditional Saló de l’Ocupació Juvenil (Youth Employment Show) will become Saló de l’Ocupació for people of all ages, open to anyone looking for work, self-employment formulas or for those looking for a change in profession. The Saló de l’Ocupació will offer participants the opportunity to obtain information, advice and find out about the most in-demand jobs in various sectors. The more than 125 activities will include talks, conferences, workshops to successfully face the task of finding employment, individualised advice spaces, as well as personalised services for employment guidance and the defence of workers’ rights. There will also be a section where participants can to get to know entities and employment options in the third sector and a specific area for professionals from the employment sector in which they can share ideas, strategies and good practices in human resources, the transformation of work and insertion into the job market.

The space that will serve as a link between Bizbarcelona and the Saló de l’Ocupació will be the Talent Arena. This shared area aims to respond to the challenges of attracting and retaining talent in companies, as well as showing and offering new job opportunities to professionals from different sectors. Conferences will be held in the Talent Arena which will analyse trends in talent management and around thirty companies will explain their recruitment needs and most sought-after profiles. To complement this, there will be networking activities to generate employment opportunities.

Similarly, the “Sí i Millor” di-Capacitat i Talent Fira d’ocupació (a fair promoting the inclusion of disabled people in the workplace) organised by the Special Work Centres of Catalonia Federation (FECETC in its Catalan initials) with the support of Barcelona City Council is integrated into the Saló de l’Ocupació this year. “Sí i Millor” will provide conferences and interviews aimed at facilitating the insertion of people with disabilities and helping companies with more than 50 employees to comply with the legal obligation to reserve 2% of the jobs offered for this group of people.

Access to visit both Bizbarcelona and the Saló de l’Ocupació is free of charge, with prior registration through the website. Both events involve the collaboration of public and private institutions and entities which promote economic and business activity, entrepreneurship and employment. In addition to Barcelona City Council, through Barcelona Activa, the Generalitat of Catalonia, the Barcelona Provincial Council, PIMEC, the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the Barcelona Metropolitan Area all have significant involvement in the events.

Covid Less Event Protocol

In order to hold these events whilst providing maximum safety guarantees for those attending, Fira de Barcelona will implement a specific prevention protocol, prepared in collaboration with experts in risk management and advice from the Hospital Clínic, and which will be audited by the consultancy firm KPMG.

Large conference spaces and rooms that guarantee physical distance, artificial intelligence to control the flow of visitors and the capacity, traceability of the contacts of the attendees, temperature control at the entrance points and reinforced ventilation and air renewal systems are just some of the measures that will be implemented during the Bizbarcelona and Saló de l’Ocupació event.

Barcelona, 18 September 2020

View the Bizbarcelona and Saló de l’Ocupació Presentation press conference held today here

Maria Dolors Herranz / Albert Sas
Tel. 93 233 25 41 – 23 78
mdherranz@firabarcelona.com
asas@firabarcelona.com