PRESS KIT / Do it in Barcelona A global initiative to attract entrepreneurs and human capital
DO it IN BARCELONA / PRESS KIT
A pioneer city / A pioneer global talent attraction programme / www.doitinbcn.com www.bcn.cat/barcelonabusiness
SUMMARY
1.Welcome to Barcelona 2.DO IT IN BARCELONA programme - Start-up - Work - Research - Study
3.Landing SERVICES 4.testimonials
DO it IN BARCELONA / PRESS KIT / WELCOME TO BARCELONA
1.Welcome to Barcelona ... one of Europe’s top five business cities
Biggest metropolis of the Mediterranean, Barcelona is currently one of five leading business venues, behind London, Paris, Frankfurt and Brussels (Cushman & Wakefield “European Cities Monitor 2010”). Barcelona is the political and economic capital of Catalonia, the powerhouse of the Spanish economy and one of the EU’s four most dynamic economic regions (alongside Baden-Württemberg, Lombardia and Rhônes-Alpes). Business and leisure visitors are attracted to Barcelona on a large scale. Be it as the 1st Mediterranean port and the 4st in the world in terms of cruise ship traffic (Port de Barcelona 2010) or as the world’s 2nd city hosting most meetings (after Vienna), according to the International Congress and Convention Association. Ranking high on lifestyle and quality of life, the influx of foreign students is steady and fuelled by two of Europe’s best business schools bringing in the world’s future management elite. The world meets in Barcelona.
BUSINESS DISTRICT MEETS QUALITY OF LIFE 500 senior managers of leading European companies consider Barcelona is the: • 1st European city in quality of life for employees • 2nd European city making most progress • 5 st European city for business Cushman & Wakefield “European Cities Monitor 2010”
DO it IN BARCELONA / PRESS KIT / WELCOME TO BARCELONA
Fascinating,vibrant, innovative and an irreplaceable quality life Barcelona of is in many people’s good books!
Many want to come and many already came to stay in the Mediterranean metropolis: Barcelona is the 4 st most visited city in Europe and 16 st in the world (“Euromonitor International’s top city destinations ranking 2009”). A singular and contrasted geography, with sea and mountains at eye level, meets the footprints of more than 2,000 years of history. Medieval narrowness, splendid avenues and modern skyscrapers tell a story of industrious merchants, visionary entrepreneurs and creativity. Barcelona has a unique lifestyle and feeling: Mediterranean in pace and climate but vibrant at the same time. The city’s entertainment and leisure agenda is diversified while the cost of living is competitive. All these ingredients come into play when one defines quality of life. All these ingredients add up to a satisfying work-life balance attracting entrepreneurs, qualified professionals, researchers and students from all over the world. A visit to the city beaches, a quick detour to ski slopes just 2 hours by car, a hike in national parks surrounding the city, a visit to one of the many concerts and Mediterranean cuisine for dinner. All this can be done in one single day. But you can only do it in Barcelona.
DO it IN BARCELONA / PRESS KIT / WELCOME TO BARCELONA
You want to establish in Barcelona? The city welcomes your talent! Talent and entrepreneurship are received
with open arms and many helping hands.
Barcelona’s track record in terms of innovative city development inspired to open a new chapter in economic promotion at the height of the global recession, in 2009. Realising entrepreneurship and talent are decisive assets for a competitive economy; Barcelona decided to launch a novel talent attraction programme. Novel because it is comprehensive and global, a hub for entrepreneurs, skilled professionals, researchers and the world’s best postgraduate / MBA students. As the global quest for talent intensifies, Barcelona got all of the city’s stakeholders and public-private platforms on board and positioned itself swiftly by offering more than other cities: services backed by an all-encompassing programme, going beyond traditional economic promotion, city marketing and single talent initiatives. While competitors awake, DO IT IN BARCELONA already welcomed 1,000 participants at start-up support and career development sessions, companies led by foreign entrepreneurs at city’s business incubator have risen to 33% and an overall of 1,500 businesses were created in 2010 with the support of the City’s Entrepreneurship Centre.
“[...] Barcelona Activa’s “Do It In Barcelona” program provides non-financial support, such as coaching, English-language access to local resources, training, and various office and business spaces, including a venture incubator and venture-friendly temporary space. Hundreds of foreign start-ups have shown interest, and 60 current residents of Activa's venture incubator (representing one third of the total) are foreign-mostly from Germany, US, UK, and Netherlands.” Daniel Isenberg, executive director of the Babson Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Project and professor of Management Practice, Babson Global, distinguished DO IT IN BARCELONA in a recent article (“New Gold: Mining For Entrepreneurs”), published by The Economist and The Huffington Post).
DO it IN BARCELONA / PRESS KIT / DO IT IN BARCELONA PROGRAMME
2. DO IT IN BARCELONA
Talent attraction: pioneer, global, hands-on
Barcelona reaches out for more entrepreneurship, talent and human capital by making everybody’s arrival as swift and comfortable as possible. DO IT IN BARCELONA is an initiative aimed at attracting entrepreneurial, creative and innovative human capital as well as added-value activity to Barcelona. As an entry hub for the skilled and professional wishing to carry out added-value activities in Barcelona, DO IT IN BARCELONA features a landing services portfolio and exploits synergies by distributing the incoming talent with a global mentality to specific existing services. There are four specific itineraries for foreign entrepreneurs who want to set-up or expand a business, skilled professionals looking for added-value job opportunities or career development, global excellence researchers, and the world’s best postgraduate / MBA students. One of the first-of-its-kind, DO IT IN BARCELONA goes beyond traditional economic promotion and city branding, making it a pioneer talent attraction programme.
DO it IN BARCELONA / PRESS KIT / DO IT IN BARCELONA PROGRAMME
A comprehensive programme backed by the whole city Set up in 2009 by Barcelona City Council’s local development agency, Barcelona Activa, DO IT IN BARCELONA is further powered by the Government of Catalonia and the European Regional Development Fund, the city’s universities and research centres (Talència & Barcelona University Centre), its leading business schools (Esade Alumni and IESE), international entrepreneur networks in the city (Gild International), relevant public-private industry cooperation platforms and city stakeholders such as Fira de Barcelona (International Trade Fair Barcelona), Turisme de Barcelona (Barcelona Tourism Consortium), Barcelona Hotel Association, AENA and the Metropolitan Strategic Plan of Barcelona. According to the deputy mayor of Barcelona, Mr Jordi William Carnes, “Barcelona has faced the recession knowing that only innovation enables us to overcome this situation. We have to attract and retain more talent to create more future jobs".
DO IT IN BARCELONA PROGRAMME FACTS • Set-up in 2009 • 1 general landing support service • 4 specialised landing tracks for entrepreneurs, skilled professionals, researchers and postgraduate students • 1,000 participants at start-up support and career development sessions • Companies led by foreign entrepreneurs at city’s business incubators have risen to 33% • 1,500 businesses were created in 2010 with the support of the Glòries Entrepreneurship Centre
The “Eurocities Award for Innovation 2010” distinguished the innovative approach of DO IT IN BARCELONA programme in successfully implementing a novel approach for talent attraction and making a creative use of financial and practical resources.
DO it IN BARCELONA / PRESS KIT / DO IT IN BARCELONA PROGRAMME / START UP
Customised services For dynamic, globalfor business set-up
minded entrepreneurs
DO IT IN BARCELONA offers a specialised service for entrepreneurs wishing to set-up or expand a business. Companies led by foreign entrepreneurs at city’s business incubators have already risen to 33%, and an overall of 1,500 businesses were created in 2010 with the support of the Glòries Entrepreneurship Centre.
BUSINESS SET-UP SUPPORT • Online and on-site welcome sessions, the starting point to create a company in Barcelona • Executive training sessions about specific aspects of business creation • BarcelonaNetActiva (www.barcelonanetactiva.com) for people with business ideas who want to start a company or make it grow in Barcelona • Online tools and resources to start-up: - TestIdea, an online tool helping assess a business idea (also available in English, Chinese and Arabic) - Online Business Plan, an online tool helping elaborate and write a good business project - The Keys to Start-up, to work attitudes and skills that contribute to the success of a business project - Practical Guides available on-line to learn about company finances, legal forms, etc. • Permanent and temporary office spaces to settle in Barcelona • International social network for entrepreneurs (www.biznetbarcelona.com)
Click here to download “Setting up in Barcelona - A practical guide”
DO it IN BARCELONA / PRESS KIT / DO IT IN BARCELONA PROGRAMME / WORK
Career opportunities and development For skilled professionals
DO IT IN BARCELONA provides services and resources for professional orientation and career development through the Centre for Career Development, Porta 22, focussing on the person, the markets and the necessary tools. Personal orientation guidance helps clarify professional interests, key skills, educational needs and the definition of one’s professional project. Job market advice, on the other hand, informs about Barcelona’s economic sectors and job profiles, current opportunities, trends in the job market, statistics and legal aspects relating to employment. Finally, practical tools train candidates in knowing where to look for work, how to prepare CVs, cover letters and interview to advice on how to plan the job search process strategically. Specific seminars and informative sessions are available for foreign professionals looking to develop their professional project in Barcelona.
CAREER SUPPORT • Database featuring more than 900 job profiles and related job offers • Job market informative sessions about: - Resources and counselling for job seeking in Barcelona - Job opportunities in Barcelona’s emerging industries - New strategies and tips for job seeking - Counselling services for CV / cover letter writing and job interview preparation • Online tools to prepare and plan a successful professional career and to test one’s professional potential, interests and skills • Industry reports focused on job opportunities and labour market trends
DO it IN BARCELONA / PRESS KIT / DO IT IN BARCELONA PROGRAMME / RESEARCH
Research capital of south-western Europe Welcoming global researchers
Catalonia is consolidating as one of the leading knowledge hubs of the Mediterranean thanks to clear support strategies launched by the Government of Catalonia. According to Talència, Catalonia’s research promotion institution, and Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, Catalonia is the EU’s fifth region in terms of personnel dedicated to science and technology. DO IT IN BARCELONA provides researchers coming to the city with a specialised helpdesk service, a researchers’ guide featuring detailed information about Catalonia’s research infrastructure, a platform to check job opportunities, calls and grants for research, and a social network of researchers to make them feel at home and ready for research.
RESEARCHER SUPPORT • Researcher’s Support Office, a personalised counselling service covering accommodation, visa and work permits, recognition of qualifications, etc. • Guide on basic formalities for the research community featuring complete information about entry procedures and formalities applying to foreign researchers, etc. • Information about official calls and grants for research • Espai Talència, the social network of researchers in Catalonia • Connexió Talent, a platform gathering job opportunities of the RDI sector in Catalonia • Researcher’s Guide, featuring information about the Catalan research system and its institutions
DO it IN BARCELONA / PRESS KIT / DO IT IN BARCELONA PROGRAMME / STUDY
Global excellence education For postgraduate and MBA students
Barcelona receives approximately 25,000 foreign university students every year and is the only European city home to two of the top business schools in the world, IESE Business School and ESADE Business School (ranked 2nd and 4th according to FT “Executive Education 2010”). In 2009, the Barcelona City Council and the Metropolitan Strategic Plan of Barcelona identified worldwide reference masters offered by universities and other higher education institutions in the Barcelona area compiled in the study report "Global Excellence Master's Degrees". These masters degrees attract the best students from all over the world in their corresponding disciplines and are available on www.doitinbcn.com.
STUDENT ORIENTATION SERVICES • Student’s guide, with all the necessary information to study and live in Barcelona • Housing service for students, to find the most suitable accommodation in the city (www.bcn-housing-students.com) • Barcelona's Global Excellence Masters' Degree, a postgraduate studies guide with all the master’s degrees available in English • SARU, University qualification recognition mentoring service of the Government of Catalonia to inform, advise and mentor people in the process of getting their qualifications from foreign universities recognised
DO it IN BARCELONA / PRESS KIT / LANDING SERVICES
3. LANDING SUPPORT For all!
Furthermore, a common landing support service aims at making everyone’s start in Barcelona swift and hassle-free by providing tools and guidance services focussing on residence permits, housing, citizenship and everyday life as well as education. To make things easier, the compact and handy “Welcome to Barcelona Practical relocation guide for business people” provides complete information about practical aspects to bear in mind when moving and establishing in a new city.
Download the guide at
www.doitinbcn.com
DO it IN BARCELONA / PRESS KIT / TESTIMONIALS
4. TESTIMONIALS Click to view a brief testimonial giving you an idea why people have come to stay in Barcelona. Entrepreneurs Ricard Söderberg, Sweden Managing partner, Active Capital www.youtube.com/watch?v=unM3faz-XMs
Skilled professionals Damian Harris, Australia Managing director, Gocar Spain www.youtube.com/watch?v=amrshTUvJvk
Researchers Valerie Crowley, Canada Phd researcher, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS6BaZOQ1eM
Postgraduate students Wei Qin, China Master’s degree at University of Barcelona (UB) www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIo87LylNG4
DO it IN BARCELONA / PRESS KIT
MORE INFORMATION For more information on DO IT IN BARCELONA, please contact: Mr Kolja Bienert +34 93 236 09 00 kbienert@webershandwick.com www.doitinbcn.com www.bcn.cat/barcelonabusiness