BNEW, Barcelona New Economy Week, organized by the Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium, begins on October 5. An initiative that aims to consolidate itself as the great multi-sector B2B hybrid event of reference of the new economy. We interviewed Blanca Sorigué, general director of the Consorci, about the news of this second edition.
With what objective did BNEW emerge last year? Is it still valid in this second year?
Blanca Sorigué: “The BNEW started in the middle of the pandemic last year. It has been an internal creation of the team (of the Consorci); we wanted to go back to be the ones who reactivate the economy. The Barcelona Free Zone Consortium is a public institution and is one of the main economic agents of the city and the territory. That is, part of our DNA is precisely economic promotion in different sectors of activity, promoting opportunities and generating business.
We had the vision of holding the BNEW, which is an event that adapted to covid in a very complicated situation. The hybrid format was totally essential. We designed the entire product in two and a half months.
What have we done this year? Last year it was a great idea that all the companies bought from us. In this second edition the challenges we had were to double the numbers. Why double the numbers? Because it We want to position Barcelona as the great capital of the economy and the new economy. linked to the whole world, in different sectors of activity.
Last year we had five sectors: logistics sector, digital industry, economic zones, e-commerce and real estate. And this year we expanded to five more: mobility, sustainability, talent, science and the city, which we did last year but this year we have reinforced it.
What is the common element of BNEW? It is the new economy, how we relate again after covid, how we communicate, the communication part of this event is very important. The Barcelona New Economy Week is neither a fair nor a congress, it is a disruptive event in an innovative format that projects Barcelona to the world, at a business level, B2B, where knowledge, networking and startups are more present than ever.
20% of attendees are startups; Last year we had more than 1.000 startups and this year too. The important thing is not so much the quantity but the quantity and above all the segmentation of these startups. What startups are even growing and getting started in the covid situation? In the digital industry sector there are many, in real estate too, mobility... There are many companies that are making a very important disruption of the business model right now. It is a formula that is working very well; In fact, we are going to give out some awards, like last year we gave out five, this year we are going to give out nine awards for startups on Thursday, October 7.
“BNEW is not a fair or a congress, it is a disruptive event”
What the Consortium does is promote new opportunities; make BNEW a communication and acceleration platform. The BNEW has greatly accelerated the economy, and we believe that a public administration like the Free Zone has to continue betting to reactivate each of the sectors.
At the level of knowledge we went from 400 speakers to 800; Among these 800 speakers, there is 50% internationality. We have continents more present than others; Where we dominate is in America and Latin America, we have many alliances for many years, and obviously also Africa.
The schedule for Barcelona New Economy Week is the same as last year, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., so that all continents, especially the American continent, are more present than ever, which is why there are more registrations.
Parity exists because BNEW is an event that truly believes in the 2030 Agenda, and practices it.
We have done 87 alliances to help us communicate and find the best speakers in each of the verticals. For us it is essential because without these alliances it is very difficult to organize it.”
And BNEW also has a prominent networking part, right?
BS: “This is not a fair, there are no stands, it is not held in a fairground, and it is not a congress, you do not go to an auditorium to be part of an audience. There is a conference program on television sets where there is no powerpoint and the inspiration is more television.
And networking... Last year more than 11.000 professionals registered. These professionals are the great decision-makers of these companies. We have invested a lot of money to make a technological platform, this year we have improved it. It is a platform that combines knowledge, at the same time you can decide which channel you choose, I want the sustainability channel and I connect, from wherever you want, with your device. Apart from listening and watching, you can change the channel, you can chat with the entire audience, more than 11.000 professionals. If you now register as an attendee, we ask you what you are looking for and what you offer; Based on these keywords and an algorithm, we suggest which people may be interesting and which people may be interesting to you. Then you can contact whoever you prefer.
We have been doing all this since September 6, so that until the 5th (October), you could make all these contacts. It is an event that lasts a month. I'm telling you all the things that assistants can do, video calls, etc. When you go to a conference you can't do this, you can do it in the cafe that lasts 20 minutes, there are a lot of people, and at that moment you can only say 'hello, here is my card'. Speaking of cards, last year we had more than 23.000 contacts.
We are not against physical events, because in the middle of the pandemic last year we always bet on the physical part, hence the buildings. We did it in unique buildings, we went from three to seven: we added Roca Barcelona Gallery, the old Damm factory, La Pedrera... BNEW breaks all the schemes, it makes us accelerate out of the comfort zone in all areas: buildings that were museums and that were only seen by tourists, we went there to talk about the economy, like we are going to do with La Pedrera...
And BNEW City is about gastronomy, design and culture, because these three characteristics really define Barcelona.”
For those who still want to register for the event, how should they do it?
BS: “I invite you to participate in the Barcelona New Economy Week, from October 5 to 8, you can register right now on our website; You can also try to make a reservation to participate on the sets, because this television dynamic is very interesting to see, II encourage everyone to participate and generate a lot of business and a lot of networking.g ”.
