Barcelona not only wants to attract international talent, but also to ensure that the people who move to the city integrate, put down roots and take part in its social and economic life. This was one of the key messages at the 13th edition of the Hola Barcelona! Cocktail, Barcelona Global’s annual gathering for international professionals living and working in the city.
Held at Pedralbes Palace, the event brought together more than 1,200 people from 90 nationalities and all five continents. The gathering connects professionals who have recently moved to Barcelona with those who have been building their personal and professional lives in the city for years.
Barcelona Global president Josep Lluís Sanfeliu called for an open understanding of Barcelona’s identity and argued that people who choose the city as their home also become part of it.
According to Sanfeliu, ensuring that international talent can put down roots in Barcelona requires addressing issues such as affordable housing, education, taxation, bureaucracy, connectivity, public services, culture and security. These are, in the organisation’s view, some of the factors that can determine whether professionals who move to Barcelona ultimately build a long-term future in the city.
Josep Lluís Sanfeliu: "Attracting talent is only half the job"
One of the speakers at the event was entrepreneur Dídac Lee, co-founder and Managing Partner of Galdana Ventures, who shared his personal journey and his vision of Barcelona as a base from which to build projects with a global outlook.
Lee stressed the need to go beyond simply attracting international professionals.
He called for a Barcelona where local integration and an international outlook can coexist: “The goal is a Barcelona where no one has to choose, where you can be local and international at the same time, and from where you can reach the world without having to leave.”
Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni closed the event by highlighting that this international community is already part of the city’s present. According to Collboni, more than 400,000 Barcelona residents were born in other countries and now live, work, study or set up businesses in the city. “Barcelona is a city open to the world and, at the same time, a human-scale city that wants to grow and innovate without losing what makes it special: its ability to welcome people, connect them and create opportunities,” Collboni said.
Professionals from 90 nationalities
Participants at this year’s Hola Barcelona! Cocktail came mainly from Europe: 79% were European, while 15% were from the Americas, 4% from Asia, 1.5% from Africa and 0.5% from Oceania. The most represented nationalities included Italian, American, French, British and German, alongside professionals from countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Ukraine, China, Iran and India.
According to Barcelona Global, the typical profile is a university-educated professional working for a local company, particularly in technology, research or healthcare. In many cases, these professionals have moved to Barcelona with their families and, as they establish their lives in the city, become increasingly involved in local culture and community life.
The organisation believes this international talent can contribute to Barcelona’s economic and social growth, but also stresses that the city needs to create the conditions for people not only to arrive, but to choose to stay.
The Hola Barcelona! Cocktail has become one of the main gatherings for Barcelona’s international community and, this year, once again highlighted an issue that goes beyond attracting professionals: how to turn newcomers into Barcelonians and active participants in the city’s future.