Bizbarcelona brings together entrepreneurs and SMEs at an edition set to boost the Social Economy

Bizbarcelona by Barcelona Activa closes its sixth edition this afternoon at the Montjuïc Exhibition Centre, having consolidated itself as the benchmark event for galvanising the business sector and entrepreneurial activity in the city and in Catalonia. This year has been notable for a more professional visitor profile as over half the attendees are entrepreneurs or self-employed professionals. The remaining percentage was made up of entrepreneurial people with business ideas or recent start-ups, including a growing number of people interested in social economy initiatives.
Over two days of intensive activity, Bizbarcelona witnessed the huge potential of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and business activity in Barcelona and Catalonia, and showcased the tools and support offered by different public and private organisations which promote programmes and services in support of both incipient and consolidated businesses all year round.
Early results point to over 2,000 contacts between entrepreneurs and representatives of around 30 investors in the Financing Market; 620 meetings took place between SMEs interested in exporting and experts in internationalization from the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and CaixaBank; 532 personalised advisory sessions were held; plus over one thousand Speed Dating contacts, around 200 meetings in the Reempresa area, and more than 1,500 messages on The Wall. This year, the event – which for the first time included the Social Economy sector – welcomed a total of 13,890 visitors, 12% more than in 2015.
This year, Bizbarcelona – divided into the areas of Bizemprèn for entrepreneurs, Bizpimes for SMEs, Bizeconomía Social to promote initiatives and business with a social impact, and Bizfranquicias, featuring franchise brands looking to expand their business networks in Catalonia – featured a total of 200 conferences, 366 speakers, 25 networking sessions and 85 exhibitors.
The inclusion of a dedicated area on the social economy enjoyed great success with visitors. This segment included conferences, networking sessions and specific advisory meetings on this particular topic and was visited by over 1,300 people.
In this respect, the councillor for Enterprise and Tourism at Barcelona City Council, Agustí Colom, highlighted what a good idea it was to include new content related to the social economy in Bizbarcelona and the added value it brings to the show. ‘The idea was to foster and promote a more plural and inclusive business model that embraces entrepreneurship, SMEs, big innovative companies and also the cooperative, social and solidarity economy,’ says Colom
Aleix Planas, the director of Bizbarcelona, also expressed his satisfaction with the interest that these transformative economics aroused at the show. Planas highlighted the role of Bizbarcelona as an ‘melting pot of ideas’ and its ‘usefulness not only for those embarking on a business venture but also for those who want to create and maintain a business activity in the long term.’ According to Planas, this can be seen in the greater professionalization of visitors and in the consolidation of the collective of SMEs and self-employed professionals at the show.
However, the large proportion of entrepreneurs at Bizbarcelona is still a key factor, borne out by the fact that Catalonia has an entrepreneurial rate (6.42%) much higher than that of the Spanish average (5.7%), according to the GEM-Cataluña 2015 Report, which was presented at the show yesterday. The survey reveals a change in the economic cycle and that people are now enterprising more for reasons of opportunity than need. This means that the projects of Catalan entrepreneurs are more solid and of higher quality than before.
At this year’s edition, a special focus was put on the Bizfranquicias section which attracted some 60 franchise brands from the restaurant, fashion, services and retail sectors looking for franchisees in the Catalan market. This business option was also presented at various conferences as a formula for starting a business with less risk or as a means of self-employment, as well as a system of expansion for SMEs.
The trade show Bizbarcelona by Barcelona Activa, organised by Fira de Barcelona, is supported by Barcelona City Council, the Catalan Government, CaixaBank, Barcelona Provincial Council, PIMEC and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce. More than 100 other entities that form part of the Bizcommunity also collaborate by providing content and promoting the event.
The next edition of Bizbarcelona will be held on 31 May and 1 June 2017.
Barcelona, 2nd of June 2016