Talent Arena: Barcelona's hub for digital talent and innovation

Barcelona is hosting Talent Arena, the first event in Europe dedicated to digital talent coinciding with the MWC25 mobile trade show taking place in the Catalan capital. 

At the three-day event, running from Monday to Wednesday, digital professionals will meet with global technology companies and education institutions to create a hub for learning, networking, and professional growth. 

Aside from networking, there are several key conferences, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak's focused on software development, and Garry Kasparov, AI-expert and World Chess Champion, on artificial intelligence.  

The event's atmosphere is clouded with the future of technology. Set in a dark space and decorated with purple, pink, and blue LED lights, Talent Arena exudes an ultramodern vibe.  

Topics vary from software development and cloud computing to artificial intelligence and future trends, making it a diverse place where digital professionals can expand their knowledge and broaden their network in the world of technology.  

Visitors can follow a variety of workshops in order to extend their expertise on a wide range of different topics. The Talent Arena also hosts and official hackathon, an event in which the event's visitors can engage in collaborative computer programming. 

The event also hosts a mentoring-area. Here, tech professionals listen to someone's goals and challenges. They offer free, tailored advice, helping people to the next step in their career. With initiatives like these, the event highlights the importance of young, digital talent and therefore Talent Arena's main purpose. 

Walking through the connection area, different areas of interest can be found for anyone wanting to broaden their network. The area's vary from tech experience, to hotspot, and plug-in talks.  

A stand by CaixaBank, one of the main partners of the event, demonstrates how a mobile office works, and how the bank can guarantee banking services across the whole of Spain, including small villages.  

Another highlight of the event is the Tesla Cybertruck, where a long line is waiting for the opportunity to take a look inside the hyperfuturistic vehicle.  

Schneider Electric, a multinational corporation that specializes in digital automation and energy management, is also present at the tech event. Eva Roca, Talent Director at this company explains why a company like theirs is present at the current event: ''Sustainability, technology and talent are so much directed. 

There is a clear purpose from our side to keep building and attracting the best talent in the digital aspect to make the most of our energy and digital solutions.'' 

One of the other companies where a queue can be found is ScentXP. A technology startup where clients can discover more than 28,000 perfumes in a constantly updated database. 

''We are using both the fragrance world and the innovative world to further the fragrance discovery experience through these technologies,' Lucía Viñuales told Catalan News. She is an innovation digital technology graduate at the company. ScentXP is part of the Catalan Puig beauty group. 

This year's event is inspired by sustainability. For example, creating this edition's promotional tote bags from last year's banner canvas to the sustainability of materials used at the event.  

Eva Roca, from Schneider Electric, comments on how technology can be combined with this year's sustainable inspiration: ''The only way to make scalable solutions sustainably is through technology. We need the people with the ability and the skills to make the most of how digital transformation can help into energy transition or digital transition with sustainability,'' she states.