Barcelona New Economy Week will run from 6–9 October and feature 350 top speakers from the business sectors of logistics, real estate, digital industry, e-commerce and economic zones.

The hybrid, business-to-business event – which will take place in physical and virtual forms – is organised by Consorci de la Zona Franca (CZFB) and will showcase the way in which Barcelona is preparing for the post-Covid world and the ‘new economy’. It is the first big business event of the year for the city and aims to help revitalise and restart the local economy.

More than 8,000 professionals from all over the world will take part in the event, which will include 30 debates and panel discussions on key topics. More than 120 sessions will take place in total. Over one hundred companies will participate in the conference, which is an important digital networking event. It will encompass five interconnected events in the fields of logistics, real estate, digital industry, e-commerce and economic zones.

BNEW is described as a new way of developing your know-how, expanding your networks, and promoting innovation and talent.

The special delegate of the Spanish state for the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, Pere Navarro, tells Investment Monitor: “BNEW is completely focused on analysing the challenges and opportunities of the post-Covid stage and on generating new business opportunities that contribute to the economy reactivation. Not only are we going to have top-level experts from different sectors, but we also want to promote networking among participants thanks to a powerful technological platform.

“At Consorci de la Zona Franca we are committed to helping companies in our area, as well as the city of Barcelona, to emerge stronger from this period of uncertainty.”

CZFB has chosen 50 Spanish and international start-ups to take part in the event. All are characterised by a high level of innovation and offer sustainable solutions to economic issues.

Inspirational high-profile speakers include:

  • Cecilia Tham, who will talk about women and diversity in technology
  • Luca Lazzarini on ‘rational optimism’.
  • Alicia Asín on the aims and opportunities of ‘smart cities’ of the future.
  • Mago More on the positive power of change.
  • Sandra Pina on how sustainability is transforming us.
  • Jorge Alonso on the humane future of cities.
  • Pilar Jericó on how to face changes in the post-Covid era.

BNEW will take place in three venues in the city of Barcelona: Estació de França, Casa SEAT and the Movistar Centre. All are open, digital spaces, committed to the UN 2030 Agenda. Estació de França will host the BNEW Logistics, BNEW E-commerce and BNEW Real Estate events; Casa SEAT will be home to the BNEW Economic Zones event; and the Movistar Centre will host the BNEW Digital Industry event.

All the debates and panel discussions will be carried out in person at the three venues and will be streamed live to the more than 8,000 attendees from around the globe that the event is expecting.

The conference is a disruptive and innovative event dedicated to new technologies and opportunities. It will showcase how the Catalan capital has become a centre of innovation and is at the forefront of the knowledge economy. It will explore how the Zona Franca will drive the new economy, the fourth industrial revolution and technological innovation.

The Consorci de la Zona Franca in Barcelona is a consortium established in 1916 by the Spanish government, Barcelona City Council and the Catalan business community to manage the city’s industrial area and free trade zone. It manages the industrial estate of the free zone, which is made up of 12 million square metres of industrial and urban land at various stages of development.

Readers can register for BNEW for free via the ‘Visit Company’ link at the top of this page using the discount code BNEWFREE.