The Talent Arena is an open-access space set to bring together 200 expert speakers to share their vision on the evolution of technology and innovation. Participants include the co-founder of Apple, Steve Wozniak; the former chess world champion and AI promotor Garry Kasparov, and the open source expert and former worker with Microsoft Azure Office, Sarah Novotny.

The Talent Arena makes this the largest edition of the fair to date, adding the branch of talent to and event which is already a leading fair for the industry and for start-ups.

The City Council will also have a space in the Talent Arena for the  Barcelona International Welcome Desk, the municipal support service for international talent. This space will have an auditorium with a capacity for forty people, with various presentations to be held, along with talks on the future of the microchip, digital health and quantum computing.

Participants include Barcelona Activa’s IT Academy, which trains students in web development and big date profiles; the 42 Barcelona project, by the Fundación Telefónica, with the collaboration of the City Council and the Government of Catalonia, which trains students in programming using an innovative methodology, and XTalento, a pilot project promoted by the Fundación ONCE and the City Council and offering digital training for people with disabilities.

Fourth edition of BEAT Barcelona

The official after-work space at the congress is open to everybody and will again be the place to be, with a combination of content, networking, music and gastronomy linked to the spirit and positioning of the city.

BEAT is located in an outside area of 1,600 square metres, in the inner gardens in Hall 8, at the entrance to 4YFN at the Fira Gran Via site, with a floral design by the Institute for Environmental Vocational Training in the Bon Pastor neighbourhood. The space includes a forum area for sessions on audiovisual robotics, the blue economy, the rollout of 5G in the city, deep tech, quantum tech and more.

35 local start-ups at 4YFN

Barcelona Activa will again have its own space at the eleventh edition of 4YFN (Four Years From Now), which promotes new projects through connections, visibility and investment opportunities. The municipal stand will have 200 square metres of space, a forum area and spaces for the UX Laboratory, the Barcelona International Welcome Desk and a showroom with innovative projects by three Barcelona start-ups.

Barcelona Activa will also be accompanying a further 32 start-ups at the congress, at the Espai Village, consolidating its presence at 4YFN as a valuable partner for tech start-ups and deep tech, particularly when projects are in their early stages.