News and press releases

At the show – held in Halls 1 and 2 of the Montjuïc Exhibition Centre – SMEs, entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals will find advice, networking, financing and genuine solutions to help them grow their business quickly and efficiently. In total, Bizbarcelona will involve 143 conferences, 220 speakers, 9 special events, 26 networking sessions and a financing market, as well as the offerings of some one hundred exhibitors.

Bizemprèn will concentrate all the tools, services, advice, workshops, conferences and activities for those looking for business ideas or formulas for self-employment. The topics will be structured according to the phases reached by the project, which the organization has defined as Vision, Passion and Execution.

Discussions in the Vision section, for example, will include the differences between business accelerators, incubators and builders; what mentoring means; how to create new products based on Wallets and Wearables; tools for innovating; business opportunities in wine-related tourism and even in space; social enterprises and cooperatives, and services and resources for doing business in Catalonia, amongst other topics.

In the section on a passion for enterprise, supported by the Incyde Foundation, Bizbarcelona will feature a panel of speakers to inspire and motivate attendees and help them to understand themselves and other people. Speakers include consultant Víctor Kuppers; the brains behind Makers of Barcelona, Cecilia Tham; expert in intrapreneurship, Albert Riba; the survivor of the 2004 tsunami, whose story inspired the film The Impossible, María Belón; the president of Spain Startup, María Benjumea; and Christian Gálvez, the presenter of TV competition Pasapalabra, amongst others. Conferences in this section include Failcon, an event that shows how failures can be used as a stepping stones to success, featuring names such as the founder of El Tenedor, Marcos Alves; Christian Rodríguez, the managing director of Byhours, and André Vanyi-Robin, the co-author of the book I Failed, So What?

Finally, moving on from ideas to action, there will be conferences on business creation and management; communications and 2.0 marketing; sales and internationalization; innovations, new trends and opportunities; and financing. There will also be personalized advisory sessions given by experts from Barcelona Activa on these same topics, and networking sessions organized by various entities for finding partners, suppliers and potential clients.

A new edition of the Financing Market is also being organized by Barcelona Activa, with the participation of the Catalan Institute of Finance, Business Angels, venture capitalists, private investors and crowdfunding networks. The show is also hosting the prize-giving ceremony of the Social Entrepreneurship award, granted by Barcelona City Council via Barcelona Activa, which distinguishes a winner and two runners-up.

In the Bizpimes area, thanks to PIMEC joining the array of organizations supporting the show, there will be a much broader response to the needs of small and medium enterprises in the areas of financing, e-solutions, internationalization and business management.

In this respect, Bizpimes will offer more than 50 presentations on alternative sources of finance; arrears management; adapting sales channels to suit new buyers; new trends in online trade; the mistakes to avoid when exporting; corporate entrepreneurship; and how and where to find talent for your company.

As a complementary feature, companies will have access to the special advisory services for SMEs offered by the Business Services Office of Barcelona City Council. There will also be one-on-one sessions offered by PIMEC for answering questions and providing information and solutions on financial products and alternative financing; the recruitment and management of personnel; smart communications; management systems; e-billing; security; business intelligence; the sale and purchase of companies; and formulas for reinstating businesspeople and self-employed professionals who have been out of work for some time.

Bizbarcelona will also offer a Job Marketplace, organized by Barcelona Activa and PIMEC, where professionals from various sectors can submit their applications to companies looking for specific profiles. The Agents&Brokers section organized by the Barcelona Association of Sales Agents will also be offering job opportunities. With the support of various organizations, the show will also host several networking sessions among SMEs looking to increase their network of contacts, attract potential clients or generate synergies and collaborations with other businesses.

Meanwhile, the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and “la Caixa” bank will provide advice and explain their export programmes for SMEs in the Bizexporta area, with tailor-made solutions for each individual company and information on how to get into specific international markets.

Bizbarcelona 2015 is rounded off with activities, conferences and sessions of interest to everyone, whether entrepreneurs or self-employed professionals and SMEs, such as Speed Dating, business transfers, franchises and the financing market, as well as the commercial offering of around one hundred exhibitors offering specific products and services for both markets.

Bizbarcelona by Barcelona Activa is promoted by Barcelona City Council, the Government of Catalonia, “la Caixa”, Barcelona Provincial Council, the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and PIMEC. A further 98 entities which form part of the Bizcommunity also support the event with content and promotional actions.