5 reasons to work with a local event planner in Barcelona
As the business world becomes increasingly globalised, with companies opening branches in all four corners of the world, it’s no longer unusual to spend much of your time jetting back and forth between countries to maximise sales and awareness. But in our highly-competitive times, being able to stand out from local businesses as well as international competitors is one of the biggest challenges, causing many companies to invest heavily into their overseas marketing, hosting events on their clients’ home turf to demonstrate their passion and loyalty. In addition, an event to either thank or motivate your team is another way of showing your confidence in them.
We’re proud to offer corporate events in Barcelona, and as well as helping brands host their seminars and conferences at sites such as Sant Pau, Casa Batlló or the National Palace, our team specialises in fun, engaging activities like walking and food tours, wine tasting, dance lessons, sailing…
As a brand travelling to Barcelona on business, why should you work with an organisation such as ours, rather than hosting an event yourself? We’ve rounded up reasons to hand over the responsibilities to the experts, so you can enjoy everything Barcelona has to offer.
Local knowledge
Perhaps the most obvious benefit to working with a local event planner when you want to host an activity or function in Barcelona is that you can benefit from their local knowledge and expertise.
No amount of Googling can match our decades of cultural experience or contacts, and doing it on your own means you’ll miss out on the real Barcelona as you’ll be chasing what you read about online instead.
Our city is culturally-rich and ever-evolving, and though our guides to Barcelona go some way in showing you the city’s uniqueness, you can only experience it when you visit yourself – and rely on a tour guide to show you the ropes.
When you’re meeting with clients, it would be pretty challenging to show them around a city you know little about, unless you’ve spent months in advance researching and planning your visit. You’ll come off as unprofessional and perhaps even waste their time. Instead, by giving the reins to a local chaperone, you can rest assured that your tour will go off without a hitch.
Hidden gems
Local tour guides are always on the ground, getting involved in the action, exploring every nook and cranny and finding those hidden gems that most people overlook or can’t see.
And that’s what travelling is all about – looking beyond the tourist traps and exploring through your own eyes and making your own mind up about its people and culture. If you plan to entertain guests in the city, a local event planner will be able to recommend a restaurant or cafe for a catch-up, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, so you can avoid the crowds.
Cost-effective
Though you may think planning a tour or event on your own would be the cheapest option, by working with a local event planner, you’ll gain access to the contacts and suppliers you need at the best possible prices. Of course, you can source tickets for the El Gran Teatre Del Liceu opera house online or via the box office, but working with a local tour guide will allow you to order in bulk and save money in the process, keeping the cost of your trip down.
Once you land on Spanish soil, you’re effectively a tourist, and you’ll find tour operators, taxi drivers, hoteliers and ticket offices will want to take their cut, charging you more for services than you should really pay. By outsourcing the responsibility of booking tickets, conference rooms, dinners, hotels, and excursions to a local tour guide, you’ll likely save big.
Impressive support
Let’s face it: planning an event in another country is a pretty daunting exercise – especially if you’re planning it from your office and not on the ground. Not only do you have to battle the language barrier, but you need to consider currency exchange rates, dates, transportation, accommodation, food, insurance, entertainment, staffing, and more. All in all, it can prove to be pretty stressful and time-consuming, and there’s no doubt that something will get lost in translation. When you enlist an event planner to host a function on your behalf, they’ll have everything in control, and you can check-in when you need some reassurance it’s on track.
The best event planners in Barcelona will be available to contact throughout the week via phone and email, like the friendly team here at Barcelonina. Don’t settle for anything less, and consider testing your event planner before you hire them by sending emails and seeing how long it takes for them to respond. The quicker they are, the more reliable they’ll be!
Fluent guides
As we’ve already touched upon, the language barrier can make doing business abroad a little intimidating. You might need to pay an invoice in Spanish, talk to someone over the phone, or even apply to the local council for a permit or permission for your event. Sure, it’s not impossible to do this on your own – after all, Google Translate changed the world! – but it makes far more sense to let a local event planner manage the organisation on your behalf.
With guides who can speak your language and know the area like the back of their hand, it will be far easier for you to organise your event and keep your bosses and clients happy. If you have a question, a concern, or a complaint, you’ll know it will be dealt with promptly by your local guide, and if they can’t fix something, they’ll be able to offer you an alternative.
Introducing Barcelonina from Barcelonina on Vimeo.
As a small or medium-sized business, organising an event in Barcelona can prove to be a lucrative exercise, but it’s important that you do it properly. If you have any doubt about your ability or need a helping hand, don’t hesitate to reach out to the team here at Barcelona. With more than eight years of experience, hundreds of satisfied clients and more than 75 activities to suggest, we’ll help you plan a corporate event that delivers results, every time.