Business trip to Barcelona, Spain

• Communication:
  Use formal names, professional and academic titles. Remember that hierarchy is important
  The Spanish are not direct, they prefer subtlety to directness.
  People might interrupt you while talking. It is a sign that that person is interested in what you say.
  Dress formal and conservative.
  


• Meetings and negotiations:
  When making appointments use the 24-hour clock time format to avoid misunderstandings.
  Be very punctual, if you suspect you will late, call and explain the situation.
  Never cancel a meeting at the last minute.
  Shake hands with everyone upon arriving at the meeting and leaving.
  Remain standing until invited to sit down or others do so.
  Agenda’s are used but usually not strictly followed.
  First appointments are more socially oriented but still formal, Spaniard’s would like to know you a bit better at first.
  Keep your presentation as short as possible, to the point, accurate and precise, do not exaggerate.
  Follow up a meeting with a letter or an e-mail with all agreements outlined.
  


• Table manners:
  If unsure on how to behave, mimic the behavior of others.
  Wait until you are appointed a seat.
  Avoid alcohol if possible, otherwise drink little.
  If making a toast, stand up.
  Put a napkin on your lap, eat not too much but finish your plate.
  Keep your hands above the table when eating.
  After finishing your plate lay your knife and fork parallel on your plate with the handles to the right.
  Thank your host at the end of the meal.
  

The centre-right government of former prime minister José María Aznar had worked successfully to gain admission to the group of countries launching the euro in 1999. Unemployment stood at 7.6% in October 2006, a rate that compared favorably to many other European countries, and especially with the early 1990s when it stood at over 20%. Perennial weak points of Spain’s economy include high inflation, a large underground economy, and an education system which the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reports place among the poorest for developed countries, together with the United States and UK.

However, the property dream that had begun building from 1997, fed by historically low interest rates and an immense surge in immigration, imploded in 2008, leading to a rapidly weakening economy and soaring unemployment. By the end of May 2009 unemployment had already reached 18.7% with a rate of even 37% for youths.

The Spanish economy had been credited for having avoided the virtual zero growth rate of some of its largest partners in the EU. In fact, the country’s economy had created more than half of all the new jobs in the European Union over the five years ending 2005, a process that is rapidly being reversed. The Spanish economy had been until recently regarded as one of the most dynamic within the EU, attracting significant amounts of foreign investment. During the last four decades the Spanish tourism industry has grown to become the second biggest in the world, worth approximately 40 billion Euros, about 5% of GDP, in 2006.

More recently, the Spanish economy had benefited greatly from the global real estate boom, with construction representing an astonishing 16% of GDP and 12% of employment in its final year. According to calculations by the German newspaper Die Welt, Spain had been on course to overtake countries like Germany in per capita income by 2011. However, the downside of the now defunct real estate bubble was a corresponding rise in the levels of personal debt; as prospective homeowners had struggled to meet asking prices, the average level of household debt tripled in less than a decade. This placed especially great pressure upon lower to middle income groups; by 2005 the median ratio of indebtedness to income had grown to 125%, due primarily to expensive boom time mortgages that now often exceed the value of the property.

In 2008 and 2009 the credit crunch and world recession manifested itself in Spain through a massive downturn in the property sector. Fortunately, Spain’s banks and financial services avoided the more severe problems of their counterparts in the USA and UK, due mainly to a stringently enforced conservative financial regulatory regime. The Spanish financial authorities had not forgotten the country’s own banking crisis of 1979 and an earlier real estate precipitated banking crisis of 1993. Indeed, Spain’s largest bank, Banco Santander, took part in the UK government’s bail-out of part of the UK banking sector.

According to Spain’s Finance Minister, “Spain faces its deepest recession in half a century”. Spain’s government forecasted the unemployment rate would rise to 16% in 2009, others even predicted a percentage of 20.

Product tip: There are also nice looking laptop bags on the market! A laptop bag doesn’t have to be a dull conservative black bag. There are lot’s of great looking bags on the market these days. Special laptop bags with the protection that is needed for your laptop but also with nice designs in models and materials.

Address
Barcelona Airport
08820 El Prat de Llobregat
Spain
Telephone: +34(0)932 983 838
Fax: +34(0)932 983 737
Email: bcninformacion@aena.es
Website: http://ww.aena.es

Airport codes
IATA airport code: BCN
ICAO airport code: LEBL

Lost property
To claim property lost in airport terminals you can call the airport Lost Property service, phone 932 596 440. The opening times for collection are every day from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm. The airport’s lost property office is located on P0 in T1.

For objects left on aircraft, please contact the corresponding airline’s office.

Train
The airport has an excellent rail connection with Barcelona via the RENFE train line. Cercanís Train Station is accessible via the walkway between Terminals A and B. Trains leave every 30 minutes and stop at the stations Sants-Estaçio, travel time is 17 minutes, Plaça de Catalunya, 23 minutes, Arc de Triomf, 26 minutes and Clot-Arago, 30 minutes. A ticket for these destinations cost € 2,30 and there is a connection to the subway at each of those station.

Taxi
There are taxi stands at every terminal, the cost for a ride to Plaça d’España in Barcelona is approximately €15.00, and the cost to Sagrada Familia is €21.00. Prices during nights and weekends are a little bit higher, the trip time is about half an hour.

All official Barcelona taxis are black and yellow and are required to charge you only the value on the meter.Additional there can be a surcharge including a supplement for travelling from the Airport, or to or from the port and also for each suitcase. All surcharge rates are displayed in the back of the taxi. The taxi service in Barcelona is generally very good, clean and reliable.

Windsor
In the space of just a decade the Windsor restaurant has consolidated its reputation as a gastronomic must in the city of Barcelona, thanks to its understanding of how to successfully mix tradition with modernity. The restaurant is enthusiastically managed by a young team who take respect for elegance and etiquette as their starting point and then, by introducing innovative ideas, have created a fresh and impeccable setting in a contemporary environment. If you are on a business trip to Barcelona, this is a great restaurant for entertaining your hosts.
Carrer de Còrsega, 286
08008 Barcelona
Tel. 932377588
www.restaurantwindsor.com

Daps
Contemporary art and good cooking; a combination that goes down well with everyone. Daps is a restaurant where you will feel at ease, dining out with your partner or celebrating with friends, or even for enjoying a quiet lunch. Large windows through which the light flows into its magical rooms with their paintings by well-known contemporary artists.
Avda. Diagonal,
469 08002 Barcelona
Telephone: 93 410 90 89
www.angrup.com/daps

L’Azina Restaurant
Combination of traditional and modern Catalan cuisine using seasonal produce through out the year. L’Azina has a wide variety of snail dishes with different meats and vegetables and pulses. There are plenty of other dishes to choose from. Traditional grilled meats and fish, finest modern style cuisine and a select few vegetarian dishes.
Rosselló 110
Barcelona 08036
Tel: (0034)934522776
www.alzinarestaurant.com

Zenit Hotel Barcelona
The Zenit Hotel Barcelona is a modern and stylish four-star accommodation located in the center of the business and commercial center of the city which is very convenient during a busy business trip. Centered amongst many of Barcelona’s most popular attractions for business and leisure travelers, there are many shops, industrial centers, and restaurants located only a short walk or bus ride from the hotel.
Santaló, 8
Barcelona, Spain
More info about Zenit Hotel Barcelona

Vincci Arena Hotel Barcelona
Located in the Sants-Montjuic district, between Calle Consell de Cent and Calle Bejar, Vincci Arena Hotel Barcelona is a few metres away from the underground station of Plaza Espana. It is also one of the areas with the longest shopping tradition in the city, down the buzzing main street of Calle Creu Coberta.
C/ Concell De Cent 51-53
Barcelona, Spain
More info about Vincci Arena Hotel Barcelona

NH Les Corts Hotel Barcelona
With modern and functional decoration and offering all the comforts and services of a great hotel, NH Les Corts Hotel Barcelona is ideal for business or for pleasure. NH Les Corts Hotel is situated in the Les Corts district, just few minutes away from the commercial centre of Barcelona, la Illa Diagnol and the Cortes Ingles.
Travessera De Les Corts, 292
Barcelona, Spain
More info about NH Les Corts Hotel Barcelona

The best shopping areas in central Barcelona are Passeig de Gracia and the streets to its southwest, including the Bulevard Rosa arcade just north of Carrer d’Arago, and Barri Gotic streets such as Carrer de la Portaferrissa, Carrer de la Boqueria, Carrer del Call, Carrer de la Llibreteria and Carrer de Ferran, and around Placa de Sant Josep Oriol.

Department-store bargain-hunters should note that the winter sales officially start on or around 10 January and their summer equivalents on or around 5 July. The big department stores (such as El Corte Ingles) and shopping complexes (such as El Triangle) tend to open from 9am or 10am through to 9pm or 10pm at night, Monday to Saturday. Smaller shops often close for a few hours at lunchtime (around 2pm to 4pm).

Sagrada Familia
Of course the most famous Gaudí attraction is the Sagrada Familia. This gigantic cathedral has been under construction since 1882 and they’ve still got another 30 to 80 years (depending on funding and resources) to go before it will be finished. Some people love the Sagrada Familia and some people hate it but whatever you think I guarantee it will cause a reaction one way or the other.

Every part of the design of La Sagrada Família is abundantly decorated with Christian symbolism, as Gaudí intended the church to be the "last great sanctuary of Christendom". Its most noteworthy aspect is its spindle-shaped towers. A total of eighteen tall towers are present, representing in ascending order of height the Twelve Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary and, tallest of all, Jesus Christ. The church plan is that of a Latin cross with five aisles. The columns of the interior are a unique Gaudí design. Besides branching to support their load, their varying surfaces are the result of the intersection of various geometric forms.

Güell Park
Designed by Antoni Gaudí i Cornet the Güell Park was built from 1900 to 1914.The assignment of this project was done by the count of Güell. The result had to be an aristocratic city-garden with single-family residences. The project wasn’t a success in the end and consequently it became a municipality property and since 1923 being transformed in a public park. The main gateway shows two administrative pavilions made in stone, Catalan vaults and covered of "trencadis", surfaces covered with irregular ceramic pieces, which are also widely present in the park and in other Gaudí works and Art Nouveau architecture as well. Both the roofs of the pavilions are crowned by original domes remembering mushrooms, the left building show a stylized tower with the Gaudí typical four branches cross.

Modernisme bicycle route
Beside these major Gaudí attractions there are several buildings in the city that are build under the architecture of Antoni Gaudí. When you want to see more there is a cycle route designed for you to discover some of the foremost landmarks of Catalan art nouveau, or modernisme, particularly those by Gaudí.

Barcelona FC Museum
When you are not into this architect stuff, you might be interested in the Barcelona FC Museum. If you are a footie fan then this museum is a must see during your business trip. The museum shows wall to wall trophies, pictures and statues of the greatest. You can buy a ticket for the museum and to see the stadium or you can buy a dual ticket where you get to see the museum and behind the scenes at the club e.g. changing rooms, VIP lounge, press conference areas etc.

Rambla de Mar in Port Vell (Old Harbour)
When you have more than enough time for sightseeing during your business trip to Barcelono, take a stroll through La Rambla. La Rambla is not one street but rather a seamless series of pedestrian avenues stretching from the Monument a Colom on the waterfront to Plaça de Catalunya in the centre of the city.Lined with trees, cafes, restaurants, flower stalls, shops and newspaper stands, La Rambla is the perfect place in which to stroll and soak up the unique Barcelona atmosphere.

Attractions along the way include Gaudí’s first major architectural project, Palau Güell (Güell Palace), in Carrer Nou de la Rambla, just off the main drag. Plaça Reial, also just off La Rambla, is one of the most attractive squares in the city - elegant 19th-century houses look down on palm trees, lampposts designed by Gaudí, and an eclectic mix of people enjoying the lively atmosphere at outdoor cafes. Some of La Rambla’s most captivating attractions are its famous street entertainers who delight the crowds with their weird and wacky shows. Other points of interest are the Gran Teatre del Liceu and the legendary Café de L’Opera opposite, as well as La Boqueria, Barcelona’s wonderful, bustling food market.

The 112 service is in Spanish, but in tourist areas is also offered in English, French and German.

Only 5% of those over the age of 25 have an advanced level of English. So be sure to know if you need an interpreter.

Also some Spanish phrases can always come in hand....

How are you?	¿Cómo está usted?
I’m fine, thanks. And you?	Bien gracias, ¿y usted?
What’s your name?	¿Cómo se llama Usted?
My name is ...	Mi nombre es ...
Pleased to meet you	Mucho gusto Encantado
Good morning	Buenos días
Good afternoon/evening	Buenas tardes
Good night/evening	Buenas noches
Goodbye	Adiós
Cheers/Good health!	¡Salud!
Bon appetit	¡Buen apetito!
I don’t understand	No comprendo
Please write it down	¿Puede escribirlo, por favor?
How do you say ... in Spanish?	¿Cómo se dice ... en español?
Excuse me	¡Perdone!
How much is this?	¿Cuánto cuesta esto?
Thank you	Muchas gracias
You’re welcome	De nada
Where’s the toilet?	¿Dónde están los sanitarios?
Yes / No	Sí / ¡no!