BNEW 2026: the new economy of the future

Discovering how to pilot an F-18 fighter jet, operating a surgical robot, or interacting with humanoid robots are experiences that hardly seem within everyone's reach. At the Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW), however, these and other experiences will become a reality. The event, which will hold its seventh edition from October 5th to 7th, will combine the transmission of knowledge with high-level experiences that will allow attendees to see, touch, and experience some of the most advanced technologies up close.

Once again, Barcelona will become the international meeting point for those leading the economic, technological, and social transformation, in a new edition of BNEW that returns to DFactory Barcelona with a renewed proposal that expands its content, incorporates new strategic sectors, and bets more than ever on face-to-face experience and valuable connections.

Organized by the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB), BNEW is consolidated as a global platform to anticipate trends, generate business opportunities, and connect the protagonists of the new economy. This year, the event takes a step further by incorporating five new verticals: AI, Energy, Agrofood, Science, and Gaming, which join Talent, Aviation & Space, and Health, thus configuring a transversal vision of the sectors that are redefining the future.

Eight crucial sectors

The 2026 edition will bring to the table some of the major debates that will define the coming decade. From the impact of artificial intelligence on employment and business, to the energy transition, scientific advances and open innovation, healthcare automation, the food of the future, or the evolution of the video game industry beyond entertainment.

For the executive president of the CZFB, Pere Navarro, “this evolution responds to the same spirit of BNEW: a living event, capable of adapting to changes and reflecting the trends that are transforming the global economy”.

The program will bring together nearly 270 speakers from home and abroad, who will participate in more than 50 panels, debates, and sessions, distributed across three television sets from which all content will be broadcast in a hybrid format for a global audience. The AI, Agrofood, and Science sessions will take place on Monday, October 5th, while the Talent, Aviation & Space, and Health sessions will be held on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, on Thursday the 7th, the program will focus on Energy, Gaming, and the pitches of the start-ups.

Among the expert voices, there will be Fernando de Santos, IAON coordinator at Ibercaja; Alfonso Cossío, Director of Applications Iberia at Oracle; Diego Perino, Director of IA Factory at Barcelona Supercomputing Center; Consuelo Rebolledo, Talent Manager at MWC; Laia Parellada, HR Manager Spain and Portugal at Easy Jet; Antoni Paz, Executive Director at KIMBCN; Jorge Juan Fernández, Chief Innovation Manager at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona; Antoni Gilabert, Director of Innovation at Hospital del Mar; Gemma Marfany, Professor of Genetics at the University of Barcelona; Olga Martínez, Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Bimbo EMEA; Olga Escriu, Director of Business and Corporate Banking Solutions in Catalonia at BBVA; Joan Francesc Bañó, Executive Director at GameBCN and Susana Jiménez-Murcia, Head of the Clinical Psychology Service and Professor of Psychology at Hospital de Bellvitge, among others.

Live experiences

This edition will feature the BNEW Experience, a new initiative that aims to go beyond knowledge itself to turn knowledge into a tangible experience. The commitment intends for attendees to be able to experience what the future will be like, beyond theoretical explanations. The program will deploy more than 40 experiential activities that will complement the content agenda and offer new opportunities for networking in a closer and more participatory environment.

Visitors will be able to sit in the cockpit of an F-18 fighter jet and operate its controls, observe the operation of a surgical robot live, interact with humanoid robots, learn about autonomous surveillance robots, or participate in experiences linked to collaborative robotics and autonomous mobility.

As the general director of the CZFB, Blanca Sorigué, summarizes, at BNEW not only will there be talk of the new economy: it will also be possible to "touch it and experience it live".

Technology, creativity and networking

The experiential proposal will also reserve a prominent space for creativity and cultural industries. Fashion, design, architecture, art, and dance will be part of a program featuring immersive exhibitions, 3D printing demonstrations applied to ceramics, artistic creation through robots, and painting experiences assisted by collaborative robots.

All of this will be complemented by gastronomic and leisure proposals that will allow discovering the cultural richness of Barcelona while generating professional connections in an environment different from that of traditional congresses.

All content will once again be streamed through the event's platform, encouraging participation from anywhere in the world, and registered users will have access to networking tools, contact exchange, meeting agendas, and the virtual assistant BBot, designed to facilitate interaction between participants and maximize collaboration opportunities.