Sponsored by the Barcelona City Council.
BICD is free to attend, but save time by registering in advance here.
Following a year of uncertainties, isolation and quarantines, it can be challenging for expats in Barcelona to navigate in the city once again. As Barcelona returns to more familiar methods of interaction, Barcelona’s International Community Day returns. Celebrating its seventh year, BICD’s focus is on restoring connections and addressing the concerns of expats working in the city. The event will take place in person on October 23, 2021, with virtual activities occurring throughout the week starting on Monday, October 18.
After offering an online variation of International Community Day last year, Barcelona City Council is eager to welcome expats into the Barcelona Maritime Museum, where the in-person event will be held on Saturday the 23rd starting at 10:30 and ending at 19:00.
BICD Returns
With over 50 activities on the agenda, international community members can expect to hear from industry professionals, gain opportunities to network, sit in on presentations and enjoy opening and closing concerts. International Community Day will also host a trade fair featuring over 70 exhibitors, with seminars covering topics including “Barcelona through the eyes of an expat,” “Speed Networking” and “How will my job be in the post-Covid era?” Activities will be held in English, with Spanish and Catalan offerings as well.
Each year BICD selects hosts representing the diversity of expat Barcelonians, and this year the hosts comprise:
- Othmane Mouhssine from Morocco shares his passion for sports via Digi-Sports Group. Othmane and his wife quickly embraced Barcelona and have championed Catalunya since their arrival. They have even been selected to serve as ambassadors representing Catalunya at international sports events.
- Jessika Kingspor from Sweden is founder of Nordics in Barcelona and the director of Performance Prime Cities. She connects Nordic innovation to Barcelona's ecosystem and tech hub.
- Oxana Lapuzina from Kazakhstan is an employee experience specialist at Preply. Previously Oxana worked at exciting startups in the fintech sector, building on her experience in private banking.
- Dr. Lia Wei from China is a sommelier, representing cellars from Priorat and Ribeira Sacra to engage tourists from China. She is also an active member of an association of Chinese women entrepreneurs in Spain.
- Gabriele Palma from Italy is the director of the prestigious Casa Seat and possesses a passion for architecture, music design and mobility.
- Sam Zucker from the United States of America is a multi-talented Barcelonian. Widely known for his eye-popping photography and gripping food critiques at ZuckerAndSpiceTravel.com, Sam trained as a chef at the Culinary Institute of America and was a former team member at Barcelona Metropolitan for over five years, writing on various themes, including travel, culture, wine and restaurant reviews.
Barcelona City Council is committed to providing a safe experience for expats, with a COVID-19 vaccination point being set up outside of the activities. For those who prefer to attend from a distance, many of the activities will be live-streamed for participants to view from home. Under the slogan of “Back to (net)work!”, this year’s focus on reintroducing expats to the city simultaneously aims to celebrate the talents of international community members.
Local business owners are equally excited to return to International Community Day’s in-person events. Gert-jan Geerse from BCN Business Services says, “We are 100% cloud based, and it is very effective, but it is always a joy to meet people in person and to connect in the old-fashioned way.” After attending International Community Day in 2019 as an exhibitor, Gert-jan talks of the importance of rekindling relationships with other attendees. “Of course we also meet existing and new clients, providers and business partners but developing a meaningful relationship is a process and does not depend on one single event.”
Some business owners have gained experience at BICD both as attendees and as exhibitors. Lia Mashaka from BCN Life details her personal story with the event, saying, “I had only been here for a couple months and we went to International Community Day just as people wanting to learn a little bit about what’s happening in the city. The great thing about the event is that it really brings together all sorts of different companies that support international people that are moving to Barcelona.”
Exhibitors understand the value that BICD has for expats as many exhibitors are expats themselves. Mackenzie Banker, one of three co-founders at Verdantips, speaks on what International Community Day means to her and her team. “We are an international founding team, so I think we really resonate with what International Community Day is about,” she says. “That’s about bringing together people who aren’t from Barcelona and connecting them and making sure that they are integrated into society here and have a voice and can be successful living here.”
Beyond what International Community Day offers for expats, business owners also recognize the value that the event has for promoting their services. Roya Sayadi of Sayadi Law says, “I offer services globally and my clients come from anywhere in the world, so for me, especially when I have such international outreach, it is very valuable.”
Expats can anticipate that there will be many opportunities to speak with different teams and learn about the services they offer. Leigh Matthews from Therapy in Barcelona will have a team of ten at the event who are ready to greet attendees, and she makes note of the sense of unity that arises as a result of International Community Day. “Sincerely, it is important for a community of people who are on foreign soil, enjoying the delights and grappling with the challenges of expat life to come together and support each other in our shared languages, in our shared 'otherness,' because we all have one commonality—we are internationals!”
The Barcelona City Council cites that roughly 28% of individuals in the city were born outside of Spain, saying, “We are firm believers in this international talent that culturally, socially and economically enriches our city through ideas and businesses, helping us to grow and become recognized as an attractive, welcoming, open and tolerant city.” The council’s City Promotion Director Mario Rubert, describes International Community Day as just one effort that is part of a larger plan of drawing talent into the city. “To attract and retain talented people from abroad—this is the goal of the International Community Day.”
To learn more about the events and offerings, visit Barcelona International Community Day’s webpage.
Sponsored by the Barcelona City Council.