Back to (net)work!
The Museu Marítim, at the former Royal Shipyards, will play host to the 7th edition of the Barcelona International Community Day on 23 October. The initiative, organised by Barcelona City Council, is the flagship event for members of the city's international community, but also for everyone who wants to connect with this international talent.
In 2021, the initiative is held under the slogan Back to (net)work! and aims to bring everybody back together and to strengthen the ties and growth of this international community that enriches Barcelona and makes it such a diverse, attractive and open city. Barcelona International Community Day offers all the necessary tools, knowledge, experiences and contacts to help the international community to continue to grow.
Barcelona International Community Day 2021 will open its doors at 10 am, following all the health protocols designed to protect the safety of participants, and all activities will be held between 10:30 am and 7 pm, with workshops, round tables, conferences, briefings, activities and participatory spaces. Access is free of charge and tickets are available by registering online at the event's website.
At the last face-to-face event, in 2019, 4,023 people from 133 countries enrolled at the event. Of these, 76.7% were foreign nationals, 24% were Spanish nationals and 69% of all them were attending for the first time. In 2020, the event turned virtual, becoming Barcelona Expat Week, which had more than 2,600 participants. 2021 edition will see a combination of face-to-face and virtual activities.
6 host ambassadors, 50 activities and over 70 exhibitors
Once again, Barcelona International Community Day 2021 will also involve the figure of the host ambassadors, six people who arrived in the city a number of years ago, who have set up here and have been able to fully develop their personal lives and professional careers: they are: Jessika Klingspor, Founder and CEO of Nordics in Barcelona, from Sweden; Othmane Mouhssine, Partner and Ambassador for the Digi-Sports Group in Spain, from Morocco; Oxana Lapuzina, a Human Resources Specialist at Preply, from Russia; Gabriele Palma, Director at Casa Seat, from Italy; Lia Wei, a sommelier, from China; and Sam Zucker, gastronomy and ‘lifestyle' photographer, author and film-maker, chef and tour guide from the USA.
The more than 50 scheduled activities will be focused on different areas such as personal landing, work and doing business, enjoying the city and making contacts, entertainment activities and networking. They will also highlight current topics such as housing, job seeking, self-employment, volunteering, public transport or carrying out official procedures.
The fair will host more than 70 exhibitors, which include companies, public bodies and associations, which will be distributed at stands and information points. They will represent a variety of sectors, such as professional and business relations, cultural and educational services, social and cultural relations, sporting and leisure activities, property and relocation services, recruitment and talent management services, financial, legal and corporate services, language services, communication and the media, insurance, and medical and health services.
The event adapts to the context
Throughout the day, a mobile COVID vaccination point will be set up outside the Museu Marítim to provide expat residents with access to vaccinations, with the aim of facilitating this service for expats, who often experience more difficulty accessing the health system and their information.
Other new developments this year are also related to the new backdrop created by the pandemic, and include activities offered in online and hybrid format: the week prior, a daily activity will be held online and on the same day as the fair, the entire schedule of one of the activity rooms will be streamed live on the event's website.
As in previous editions, Banc Sabadell provides significant support as a premium sponsor, and the other sponsors of this year's edition are Clínica Corachan (medical and health services) ERES Relocation Services (handling the international mobility of workers), MAPFRE (insurance), Page Personnel (international human resources consultancy), and the special presence of the Catalan Sailing Federation and Barcelona International Schools Association (educational services).
