Tourism

The interesting speakers set to attend Barcelona International Community Day include entrepreneurs, lawyers, linguists, coaches, economists, physiotherapists, and many more. Here are some of them. Don’t miss their sessions!

Successful expats: practical tips for success in immigration and taxation

Starting a life in Barcelona is motivating, but completing all the necessary immigration and tax formalities can prove to be a challenge. Louis Williams had first-hand experience of the above when he arrived in the city from the United Kingdom and embarked on a path as a venture builder, launching different startups. During the process, he realised how difficult it was to understand the administrative procedures to set up a business as an expat.

This is how Entre Trámites came into being as an online management concept to provide advice to SMEs, self-employed people, entrepreneurs and foreigners in general on immigration procedures and accounting, legal, employment and tax matters. “Nowadays, it’s no longer necessary to visit an administrator’s office in person, as you can do almost everything online with digital certificates. We know that, within the next 10 to 15 years, two thirds of Spain’s offices will close or evolve towards the digital world and the market will change”, declared Louis.

On Barcelona International Community Day he’ll outline which immigration and tax procedures need to be borne in mind when moving to Barcelona, which visas and alternatives exist, what requires assessment in order to launch a startup, how to get benefits as a result of the Beckham Law and much, much more.

11:45 am, in Room 1

Linguistic Vermouth

Would you like to start speaking Catalan or practising while you enjoy a vermouth in the true Catalan tradition? Sign up for the linguistic vermouth organised by the Centre de Normalització Lingüística de Barcelona.

The session will reveal features of Catalan that are not widely known, such as the fact that it’s a language spoken and understood by 10 million people and that, as a result, it’s not a minority language. While having a vermouth with other members of the international community, you’ll learn simple resources to as to use the language in your everyday life in Barcelona.

“What we do is light a small spark in the brains of foreigners who are unaware of the day-to-day reality of Catalan, in such a way that their curiosity is awakened, enabling them to advance in their knowledge and use of the language”, explained Txell Pujol from the Centre de Normalització Lingüística de Barcelona.

Catalan can open many doors in the city!

12:00 pm, in Room 5

Want to start a business? Barcelona Activa is here to support you

Are you coming to live in Barcelona, have a business idea and want to launch it straight away? Hold on! First, you need some pointers about how to start up a business in Barcelona (and Spain). This is the purpose of Xavier Dumont’s session. Xavier is the director of Barcelona Activa’s entrepreneurship services.

“When Barcelona Activa started offering support services in English, we received many people from abroad looking for advice on how to sell street food. Unfortunately, city regulations prohibit street food vending. The point is, no matter how good your business idea might be, you need some basic knowledge to start a business in the city”, explains Xavier.

He will talk about the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, share some business success stories and explain the different phases of the entrepreneurial process and how to deal with them, taking into account the particular features of the city of Barcelona. You will also be able to learn about the services and programmes offered by Barcelona Activa to advise you on legal requirements, administrative procedures or financing, in addition to other resources for entrepreneurs.

5:30 pm, in Room 1

Open yourself up to an intercultural exchange experience

Arriving in a new city can often prove to be a cultural shock. It’s important to be open to learning about the new culture, but also to contributing cultural wealth via your origins and encouraging cultural exchange. This is how Almendra Staffa-Healey, an intercultural trainer, coach and member of SIETAR, explained it.

“Being part of a city like Barcelona is also about generating an exchange. It’s about looking for ways of understanding how you can fit into the city, what its culture can bring you and what you can bring to the culture. We’ll be giving some presentation and self-knowledge exercises and provide tools to navigate Barcelona’s culture much better. It will be fun and highly interactive!”, explained Almendra.

The activity will be conducted by SIETAR, which stands for the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research. It’s an international association with representation in different countries, made up of professionals from companies, multinationals, consultancy firms, NGOs, universities and other bodies. The platform encourages connections, exchanges and the generation of knowledge in areas such as diversity, inclusion and intercultural aspects.

3:45 pm, in Room 4

How does healthcare work in Barcelona?

Are you familiar with the healthcare options that are available in Barcelona? During this session, two professionals from the sector will provide an overview of your medical care options, explaining how to gain access to them and introducing you to innovative health services. One of the speakers at the session will be Dutchman Koen Willems, a physiotherapist and the director of Physiotherapy Barcelona and Running Barcelona.

He came to Barcelona because of love and he’s created two businesses in the field of health that he provides at a single centre. “Physiotherapy Barcelona focuses mainly on the foreign public. All our professionals have been trained in Holland and we offer a more Nordic-style service. The aim is to provide a high-quality service that’s more individualised and in different languages”, explained Koen.

Moreover, Running Barcelona offers services focused on this audience, including physiotherapy, specific training, health and mental coaching.

He’ll share the session with Jaime Rondón, a professional insurance and financial products agent at MAPFRE. They’ll explain how health is organised in Catalonia and Spain and the differences between public and private healthcare, with some advice to help you to decide which kind suits you best.

4:30 pm, in Room 3