“Beyond inspiring! The women I met who shared their projects, achievements, and life stories gave me the energy I needed for another year of doing my own great things. Thank you SWE!” — Kate Cicchino, WE Local Barcelona Attendee, Senior Director of Project Management at SAVOYE
From May 25-26, 2023, over 425 attendees gathered at the World Trade Center Barcelona to be part of the WE Local Barcelona Conference.
The event is one of many annual WE Local conferences that are organized by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) to create opportunities for engineers and partners to connect through professional development sessions, engaging speakers, and networking opportunities.
2023 WE Local Barcelona: By the Numbers
WE Local Barcelona was truly a global event, with participants hailing from 26 different countries.
The largest proportion of attendees were early in their careers with 0-6 years of experience (35%). Thirty-two percent of attendees had 6-15 years of experience, and 33% of attendees had 16+ years of professional experience.
This nearly-even split among career stages led to insightful cross-generational conversations and opportunities for mentorship, connection, and new ideas.
Keynote speakers for the conference included:
- Stacy Mallon, Site Lead, Global Capabilities Centre Belfast, Wolfspeed
- Monica Gonzalez, CEO, Next Limit Serv
- Cristina Estavillo, Head of Print Firmware, HP
Learn more about each of these incredible women in our blog post highlighting the WE Local Barcelona keynote speakers.
WE Local Barcelona had participation from 75+ organizations, dozens of breakout talks, as well as a poster competition and technical and sightseeing tours.
These tours provided unique opportunities to explore the region, including the HP Experience Center to learn about 2D and 3D printer technologies as well as the iconic Barri Gotic (Gothic quarter).
Attendees also had the opportunity to network with top engineering and technology organizations in Europe at the WE Local Barcelona networking exhibition.
You can explore over 650 photos from WE Local Barcelona in our Flickr album.
SWE organized five WE Local conferences around the world in 2023. You can read our recap of the WE Local Detroit, Hartford, and Seattle conferences here and the 2023 WE Local Bengaluru conference here.
WE Local conferences encompass a diverse group of individuals, spanning from university students to seasoned professionals in various engineering fields.
These conferences also draw in attendees from non-technical backgrounds who share a common interest in these subjects, as well as male allies who contribute to the progress of women in STEM fields.
You can stay updated on future dates and locations on our WE Local website.
