Barcelona Retail Tech Open Innovation Safari

Barcelona Retail Tech Open Innovation Safari

Explore one of Europe’s most dynamic ecosystems of retail, consumer experience and digital innovation

Location: Barcelona – Themes: Retail Tech / Customer Experience / Omnichannel / AI – Duration: One Day

The Barcelona Retail Tech Open Innovation Safari is a one-day immersive experience designed for professionals who want to explore how technology is transforming the retail sector and consumer behavior.

Led by Certified Innovation Safari Sherpa Francesc Saldaña, this Safari introduces explorers to the retail innovation ecosystem of Barcelona and Catalonia, where global brands, startups and innovation hubs are redefining the future of shopping through digitalization, data and new customer experiences.

During the experience, explorers will discover how retailers are integrating physical and digital channels, leveraging data and AI, and creating new formats that enhance engagement, personalization and operational efficiency.

Explorers will explore topics such as:

  • retail tech and digital transformation
  • omnichannel and phygital experiences
  • AI and data-driven personalization
  • new retail formats and customer journeys

Innovation Safaris allow professionals to experience innovation where it actually happens.

The experience

The Safari combines curated exploration with interactive activities designed to encourage learning, discussion and inspiration.

Explorers will explore key innovation hotspots across Catalonia’s retail ecosystem:

  • Mango – A global fashion retailer leading digital transformation, omnichannel integration and data-driven retail strategies.
  • Desigual – A brand known for experimenting with customer experience, retail formats and digital engagement.
  • Girona Next – A regional innovation hub connecting retail, tourism and digital transformation initiatives.
  • La Roca Village – A benchmark in experiential retail, combining physical retail with premium customer experience and tourism-driven innovation.

Participants will:

  • explore innovative retail environments and flagship stores
  • meet professionals and innovators shaping the future of retail
  • join an innovation workshop with other explorers focused on customer experience, digitalization and new business models
  • discuss how retail innovation can inspire transformation across industries

This immersive approach helps participants better understand how Retail Tech ecosystems operate in practice.

What explorers will gain

Explorers will learn and design by:

  • discovering emerging trends in retail and consumer behavior
  • understanding how technology transforms customer experience
  • connecting with key players in the retail ecosystem
  • generating ideas and inspiration for new retail concepts and business models

Who Should Join

  • corporate innovation leaders
  • retail and e-commerce professionals
  • marketing and customer experience managers
  • entrepreneurs and startup founders
  • digital transformation leaders
  • professionals from any sector interested in customer-centric innovation

Participants from different sectors are encouraged to join and share perspectives.

Join this Open Safari

Limited group to ensure a high-quality exploration experience.

Barcelona Creative Industries

Barcelona Creative Industries Open Innovation Safari

Explore one of Europe’s most vibrant creative innovation ecosystems

Barcelona is one of Europe’s leading hubs for creative industries and cultural innovation. From design and digital media to fashion, architecture, audiovisual production and immersive technologies, the city has built a dynamic ecosystem where creativity meets technology and entrepreneurship.

This one-day Innovation Safari offers a curated immersion into the organisations, studios and innovation spaces shaping the future of the creative economy.

During the safari, explorers will meet founders, creators and innovation leaders who are redefining how creativity drives economic value, brand experience and digital transformation.

The safari includes:

• Introduction to the Barcelona creative ecosystem
• Visits to innovation hotspots in design, media or creative technology
• Conversations with founders, creators or innovation leaders
• Guided reflection using the Innovation Safari methodology

The Experience

Explorers will explore key innovation hotspots in Barcelona’s creative ecosystem:

  • Barcelona Design Hub (DHub) – One of Europe’s most important centres for design and creative industries. DHub combines museum, innovation space and industry platform connecting designers, companies and institutions.

Key insight: Design as a strategic driver of innovation and competitiveness.

  • Mediapro / MediaPro Studios Innovation Hub – A global leader in audiovisual production, media technology and immersive storytelling. The visit explores how content creation, media production and digital technology converge to create new forms of entertainment and communication.

Key insight: The industrialisation of creativity in the media economy.

  • Sónar +D / Barcelona Music & Creative Technology Ecosystem – one of the world’s most influential platforms for creative technology, music innovation and digital culture. The hotspot visit explores how artists, technologists and entrepreneurs collaborate to shape the future of creativity.

Key insight: Where art, technology and entrepreneurship intersect.

  • IDEAL Centre d’Arts Digitals – IDEAL is one of Europe’s most advanced centres dedicated to immersive digital arts and audiovisual experiences. The space combines creative storytelling, immersive technologies, virtual reality and large-scale projections to create new forms of cultural expression.

Key insights: Visitors can explore how artists, technologists and designers collaborate to produce next-generation creative experiences that blend art, technology and entertainment.

  • OFFF Barcelona / Creative Digital Culture Ecosystem – OFFF is one of the world’s most influential communities in digital creativity, design and visual innovation. Through events, collaborations and international networks, OFFF connects designers, studios, brands and creative technologists.

Key insight: Creative communities as engines of innovation ecosystems.

Who Should Join

This Innovation Safari is designed for explorers interested in:

• creative economy
• brand innovation
• digital media
• cultural entrepreneurship
• design-driven innovation

After this safari, explorers will:

• understand how creative industries generate economic value
• discover how creativity drives innovation across sectors
• learn from organisations combining design, technology and storytelling
• identify new opportunities for collaboration with creative ecosystems

Explorers from different sectors are encouraged to join and share perspectives.

Join this Open Safari

Limited group to ensure a high-quality exploration experience.

Barcelona AI & Deep Tech Corporate Open Innovation Safari

Barcelona AI & Deep Tech Corporate Open Innovation Safari

A strategic immersion into Artificial Intelligence and Deep Tech innovation

Location: Barcelona – Themes: Artificial Intelligence / Deep Tech / Data Innovation – Duration: Two Days

The Barcelona AI & Deep Tech Corporate Open Innovation Safari is a two-day strategic immersion designed for organizations that want to explore how artificial intelligence and deep technologies can accelerate innovation and transformation.

Led by Certified Innovation Safari Sherpas Francesc Saldaña & Oriol Ribera, this Safari combines ecosystem exploration with collaborative workshops to help organizations understand emerging technologies and identify opportunities for innovation.

Participants will explore how Barcelona’s innovation ecosystem is driving breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, supercomputing and deep technology. The Innovation Safari combines visits to leading research institutions with expert discussions and structured reflection activities designed to translate insights into strategic opportunities for participating organizations.

Participants will explore topics such as:

  • Artificial Intelligence ecosystems
  • Deep Tech innovation models
  • Advanced computing infrastructure
  • AI-driven transformation strategies

Innovation Safaris allow professionals to experience innovation where it actually happens.

The experience

Participants will explore two leading AI research institutions in Barcelona:

  • Barcelona Supercomputing Center – home of one of Europe’s most powerful supercomputers and a leading research institution in artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and data science.
  • EURECAT – A leading European technology center focused on applied research and technology transfer.

Explorers will:

  • Exploration walk at the supercomputing facilities and innovation spaces
  • Meet startups and innovators working on new AI technologies
  • Innovation workshop with other explorers
  • Technology demonstration session
  • Roundtable discussion with ecosystem experts
  • Expert Keynote: Participants will meet an invited expert from Barcelona’s AI ecosystem such as: AI researcher, Deep Tech entrepreneur, Venture capital investor focused on AI, Corporate innovation leader
  • Mapping opportunities for AI adoption
  • Identifying collaboration opportunities with the ecosystem
  • Defining potential pilot projects or partnerships
  • Participate in discussions about emerging trends in AI & DeepTech

The experience also includes a facilitated reflection session to translate insights into practical opportunities for the participating organization.

What explorers will gain

Explorers will learn, design & engage by:

  • discovering emerging trends in artificial intelligence and deep technologies
  • understanding how AI research ecosystems operate
  • connecting with researchers and innovation organizations
  • generating ideas and inspiration for future innovation projects
  • AI applications for industry and business
  • Advanced data analytics and intelligent systems
  • Collaboration models between research centers and companies

Who Should Join

This Innovation Safari is designed for professionals interested in emerging technologies and innovation, including:

  • corporate innovation teams
  • digital transformation leaders
  • R&D departments
  • technology strategy teams
  • public sector innovation units

Participants from different sectors are encouraged to join and share perspectives.

Join this Open Safari

Limited group to ensure a high-quality exploration experience.