The Business Support Office (OAE in its Catalan initials) is an initiative led by Barcelona City Council, sponsored by the Area of Economy, Enterprise and Employment through Barcelona Activa. It also enjoys the collaboration of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, which will handle front-office functions of support to entrepreneurs, through the new figure of Barcelona Business Agents (ABE in its Catalan initials).

THE OAE is one of the five strategic measures of Barcelona Growth that will come onstream at the Barcelona Growth Center (Media-ITC Building), to promote and facilitate the city’s business activity and to enhance companies’ competitiveness.

THE OAE’s mission is to make Barcelona an easy place to do business, providing a direct, specific and differentiated point of contact for the city’s business activity, concentrating a set of value-added services for companies.

THE OAE is designed for any business wishing to carry out its activity in Barcelona, including the initiatives of international businesses interested in setting up in the city.

The two basic types of action of the OAE will be:

• Support to and orientation of businesses through the ABE, who will join a front-office to respond to business demands, depending on their level of complexity and the resources required.
• Services specialising in different business areas, including everything relating to compliance with regulations and municipal procedures.

The OAE will have its own, custom-designed area to attend to businesses and carry out its advisory and business procedure services, and a separate area, the showroom space, specifically reserved for explaining economic aspects of the city of Barcelona, available to local companies and international delegations.

ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL DATA

• Location: hall of the Barcelona Growth Center building (Media-ITC)
• Surface area: 900 m²
• Startup: second quarter of 2014
• Budget for works to refurbish the hall: €1,032,517