The international community of Barcelona continues to grow. So much so that one in four residents in the city was born abroad, in a city where more than 180 nationalities coexist. No less than half of them have been present at the gala with which Barcelona Global has been welcoming foreign professionals for 12 years. Once again, the Hola Barcelona! Cocktail has brought together more than 1,500 professionals from five continents, who have toasted the city in a festive, summery, and multicultural atmosphere.
On this occasion, the event took over the Palau de Pedralbes, which has taken over from the Palauet Albéniz as the setting for the gala, in an edition that coincides with the 15th anniversary of Barcelona Global. The entity, which kicked off the anniversary with the meeting in Pedralbes, now brings together 281 companies and institutions and more than a thousand professionals, including expats or, in Barcelona Global's jargon, barcelonians by choice.
The welcome to international professionals who have recently decided to settle in the city was given by the mayor, Jaume Collboni, and the president of Barcelona Global, Ramon Agenjo. Vueling's CEO, Carolina Martinoli, played a leading role for the second consecutive year; in the last edition, rain forced the cancellation of the speeches, including hers.
In this edition, Martinoli was finally able to share her experience in the city, where she has resided for a year and a half after moving from London: "Barcelona is one of the best-connected cities in Europe, with connectivity that generates economic, cultural, and human value," she defended before the attendees. She did so from a podium on the lawn and framed by the trees of the gardens, in an event enlivened by the music of Fun Dan Mondays by Dan Arisa, winner of the Premi Cultura Catalunya 2024, awarded by Barcelona Global in collaboration with the Fundació Catalunya Cultura.
Martinoli is an example of the many expats who reside in the city and have made it their own. And "Barcelona is a global city on a human scale, which welcomes everyone with open arms," as Collboni claimed. The mayor highlighted that this annual event "demonstrates that Barcelona is a dynamic and diverse city, with a great capacity for innovation and a human quality that distinguishes it."
"We celebrate that Barcelona is a unique city in the world, a place where people want to live, work and prosper," proclaimed the president of Barcelona Global. To experience the city to its full potential, Agenjo invited foreigners who reside and work in the city to "integrate into its culture, its art and gastronomy, and to impact the city with their talent."
This is precisely one of the objectives with which Barcelona Global has organized the Hola Barcelona! Cocktail for more than a decade: to contribute to the integration of the international community in the Catalan capital, and for foreign professionals to act as active citizens committed to the city that welcomes them.
Since the first edition was held, the number of international members of Barcelona Global has grown steadily, and now represents 18% of the association's members. It is a proportion that is approaching the city's figures, and which was reflected at the event through nationalities as diverse as European, Argentine, American, Indonesian, Congolese, Kenyan, Singaporean and even New Zealander, all residing and working in Barcelona, by choice.