Countdown to the third joint edition of Bizbarcelona and the Employment Fair, which will take place on November 9 and 10 at Pavilion 1 of the Montjuïc venue of Fira de Barcelona. A dual event designed to promote entrepreneurship, business activity, employment, and talent in the region, bringing together useful tools, resources, knowledge, and connections. We speak with Laura Pararols, the new director of these events, about this imminent gathering in which Autoocupació participates.
- Congratulations on your appointment as director of Bizbarcelona and the Employment Fair. What is your assessment of these two events?
Thank you very much. It is a very exciting challenge focused, above all, on achieving greater integration of these two events which, for the third consecutive year, are held simultaneously and constitute the benchmark meeting in Barcelona and Catalonia for entrepreneurship, business growth, and job opportunities. We have broad institutional support and the collaboration of the entrepreneurial and business ecosystem. This is an important asset to ensure that the tools and resources presented, the activity program, and the topics addressed respond to the real needs of people who want to create a business, grow a company, professionally reinvent themselves, or access the labor market.
- This year marks the third time that Bizbarcelona and the Employment Fair are held jointly. What synergies do they generate?
The essential relationship between the business and labor worlds is more than evident, and we confirm that people’s talent is the link that fosters and enriches this connection. Therefore, at the confluence of Bizbarcelona and the Employment Fair, the area dedicated to talent is where these synergies will be best observed. Because, on the one hand, entrepreneurs and companies need to incorporate the right talent for their new projects or to transform their businesses, and on the other hand, individuals entering or already part of the labor market can develop new skills, professionally reinvent themselves, and adapt to future changes.
- What challenges does this new edition present to you?
The combination of both fairs attracts many visitor profiles, all with diverse professional objectives and interests. This poses a significant challenge for us: to ensure that everyone finds their visit useful, interesting, and above all, beneficial, and that they leave with an enriching and practical experience. We start from the fact that both fairs will share the same pavilion, so the staging must be clear and understandable so that everyone, upon arrival, can identify the spaces and know where to go to find the advice, conferences, entities, activities, and tools that will help them advance their business or professional projects.
- What new features can we expect this year?
We are changing location, crossing Maria Cristina Avenue to occupy Pavilion 1 of the Montjuïc venue, and concentrating the fairs into two days instead of three. This year, we have a program with over 120 conferences and activities. Compared to previous editions, we are increasing the number of workshops, offering more than 40 on topics such as open innovation, digitalization, leadership, communication, and marketing, etc. We believe this is a more proactive and accessible format that helps practically discover and develop new skills. Likewise, we are giving prominence to advice with a large area featuring experts so that visitors can receive guidance and resolve doubts about business creation and management, financing, business reactivation, internationalization, among many other topics related to entrepreneurship or SMEs, as well as specific career and professional guidance for anyone considering new employment opportunities. Additionally, the promoting entities and the Bizcommunity will also provide personalized attention at their stands.
Similarly, conferences will continue to be one of Bizbarcelona’s fundamental pillars. We have shortened the duration of some sessions to streamline the program and include more topics, allowing visitors to take away more knowledge capsules or inspiration. We will have three rooms (Innova, Transforma, and Impulsa) where about 190 speakers will participate. Among them are prominent names such as Noelia Morales, founder of Anna Bonny; Fran Iglesias, general director of the Fundación Épica La Fura dels Baus; strategy and innovation consultant, Xavier Marcet; sales expert and trainer, Mònica Mendoza; the creatives Putos Modernos (Jorge Sandua and Joan Alvares) with their unique way of launching campaigns and advertising actions, or the expert in the art of asking, Silvia Bueso, among others.
- How do you value the role of the BizCommunity?
It is extremely important. The more than one hundred public and private entities and organizations that make up the BizCommunity contribute ideas, knowledge, and experts to Bizbarcelona’s activity program to adapt it to the real needs of the entrepreneurial and business ecosystem. Furthermore, they actively collaborate in disseminating and promoting the event within the environments targeted by the content we offer. Overall, the celebration of Bizbarcelona provides an opportunity to collectively showcase and highlight the diversity, dynamism, and above all, the work that all BizCommunity entities carry out throughout the year to boost economic activity.
- What is your vision for the future of these two events?
I believe that both Bizbarcelona and the Employment Fair have a very promising future together, thanks to public and private collaboration. These events have a clear public service vocation and are very necessary to boost the business fabric and employment, offer transformation tools to SMEs and the labor market, and help foster innovation and competitiveness.
- Autoocupació’s motto is “I am what I want to be.” Are you?
I believe that the decisions we make, and above all, what we do, define who we are and lead us to achieve our goals. We must dare, surround ourselves with good travel companions, prepare, be attentive to our surroundings, and change if necessary. Professionally, I am very happy with who I am and my career at Fira, and at this moment, I find taking on a project of the scope of Bizbarcelona and the Employment Fair very motivating.
