Practical resources to propel businesses in a Bizbarcelona of 'networking'

To launch a company specialized in event organization; to digitalize an SME linked to sales; to grow an architecture studio with a differential value; to pursue sustainability from a logistics company; to weave networks and new synergies from networking with other professionals. These are the objectives of some of the visitors who fill Hall 8 of Fira de Barcelona's Montjuïc venue until Thursday at the Bizbarcelona fair, complemented by those attending the Saló de l'Ocupació, focused on facilitating new job opportunities.

The two fairs, interconnected both in spaces and objectives, stand out for the practicality and functional nature of their proposal: attendees can not only attend presentations and learn about services of interest at the stands, but also receive personalized advice on their projects and companies, participate in conferences on digitalization, sustainability, and motivation, and get in touch with companies offering a wide range of services. All with one goal: to offer freelancers, SMEs, and businesses tools to grow their businesses.

This is the case of two entrepreneurs who have partnered to promote an architecture studio focused on improving employee well-being through their office spaces. "We have come to do networking and to learn about various services that may be useful to us," they explain as they leave the stand of Barcelona Lidera, Barcelona Activa's program aimed at women, which uses the fair to give visibility to associations in this field, such as Dones que Inspiren.

The situation of both entrepreneurs is what Alexandra Fumanal and Maria Prados occupied a year ago. They attended the fair after having launched a graphic design studio; they approached Barcelona Lidera, and now they exhibit their services from a stand at the fair itself. They do so alongside multiple companies that can contribute to growing attendees' projects in various aspects linked to business management, whether legal, marketing, or digitalization, among many others.

Among these companies are also proposals such as that of Roberta Mibelli and Isaac Barrao, Believe by RM, which organizes team building events and meetings with differential elements that generate immersive atmospheres and turn traditional formats upside down. Their proposal includes unique activities, such as the presence of infiltrated coaches who generate unexpected situations that provoke the reaction of participants without them knowing, to then analyze it: "We have even caused controlled fires or made a car explode," explains Mibelli.

The companies offer a wide range of services in various fields, such as Atmozfer, which organizes remote teams to provide services to companies in fields such as cybersecurity and AI. "We look for tailor-made technological solutions," as explained by its founder, Rodrigo Huertas, who has come to the fair to offer his services and for networking.

A few meters from their stand, dozens of entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals receive advice from 50 experts to launch their businesses or make them grow. The objective is to shape their initial business ideas, help define projects, and set the paths to follow to achieve their goals, with advisors such as the volunteers from the Secot association. Formed by senior professionals with consolidated professional careers, the association offers free advice to entrepreneurs, self-employed individuals, and business owners, as explained by one of its members, Gabriel Santolaria.

The queue to access advice is a good moment for networking, as is every corner of the fair. "We come to make connections and find future partners," explain Lex Doka, one of the startups participating in the fair linked to Aticco. The coworking and investment company attends Bizbarcelona annually because "it is important as part of the city's entrepreneurial community," highlights its representative Francesc Puigdemont.

In search of job opportunities

In Plaza d'Espanya, attendees cross paths with those from the Saló de l'Ocupació, which is held in the same venue with a focus on employment. Queues of attendees, including young people accompanied by their teachers, access the event, also marked by its practical nature. And it is that, in addition to learning about a wide range of job proposals, the fair offers practical tools to improve one's resume, with advice and even photo taking, and to face a job interview.

To do this, the fair provides attendees with sessions with experts, and also virtual advice with avatars that provide feedback after simulating an interview using Artificial Intelligence. And it is that AI has penetrated all social spheres, including employment, either to facilitate job searching or for companies to find suitable profiles more easily.

But interviews are not only simulated at the Saló de l'Ocupació: real interviews also take place with companies that are recruiting and come to the fair looking for talent. They do so in a speed dating format and in various sectors, such as technology, the food industry, and the blue economy.

In parallel, the Saló de l'Ocupació proposes to its attendees to discover career opportunities linked to construction, hairdressing, and food, as well as to Bombers de Barcelona and the Guàrdia Urbana. Renfe, the Port de Barcelona, Mercabarna, and even Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) participate in the fair to publicize job opportunities.