Barcelona’s springtime weather is fantastic and we hope you are all taking advantage of these beautiful days! It allows us to take some of our events outdoors, so make sure to participate. Here is a recap of April’s events and a preview of what we have in the works:

Happy Hour on Wednesday, April 16th had about 3000 people show up! OK – not that many, but a lot! We saw a lot of new faces, which is always exciting, and it was really great to see everyone again.

The Olive Oil Tasting on Saturday, April 19th was a big hit, and once again reached our maximum number of people allowed to an event. We sampled representative “shots” of olive oil from various regions of Spain, got a small lesson on olives and had a chance to see some familiar faces in the lovely Santa Caterina Market. Thanks to all who came to make it a success as well as to Michael Mueller for putting another cool event together…and to Olisoliva for their patience and expertise in everything olive.

The Convergencia Democratica de Catalunya (CDC) invited an ASB representative to their roundtable discussion on American Politics held on Monday, April 28th. Victor Horcasitas joined Andrew Davis and Avui director and journalist Toni Cruanyes. Thanks to Marc Guerrero i Tarrago and Victor Cullell for coordinating and hosting the event to help locals get a view of the developments in American Politics. They have also confirmed their willingness to assist the ASB members understand the implication of the recent election results in Spain and Catalunya in a forum to be hosted by the ASB (details still being negotiated).

Other initiatives under way…
The Bad Golfers Club is for beginners and terminally bad golfers. More info to be sent out soon, we have NOT forgotten about all of you who have signed up!
Membership cards to be distributed – corporate logos to be featured on the reverse side of the card.
ASB Network – we are identifying local area businesses willing to give ASB members purchase discounts.
Driving School – we are lobbying various businesses to offer ASB members advantageous rates.
Expat issues conference to address topics such as Taxes, Social Security, Licenses, Business Setup, Health Care and Education.
Financial Planning Seminar sponsored by Barry Davys from the Spectrum IFA Group. Details to be released soon, but we are targeting an early to mid June date!
Understanding Catalan and Spanish Politics - the ASB plans to host a group of local political “militants” to help the expat community assess the results of the March election…
4th of July – We’re shaping up our annual event celebrating US Independence Day.

As always, don't be shy and please contact any of the Board Members directly with any questions, ideas or suggestions.

Victor
ASB Board Member


Interested in membership?

Did you know that you don't have to be American to be a member of the American Society?

The membership of the American Society of Barcelona is a wonderful mixture of nationalities; we are about half American and half European, the largest group of Europeans being Catalan. What draws most people to our organization is a desire to be involved in the English speaking community of Barcelona, both for social interaction and business networking. We sponsor a variety of gatherings throughout the year such as business luncheons, cultural outings, traditional American and local events and celebrations, informative speeches and much more.

Would you like to volunteer?

The American Society is a non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers. If you have ideas you’d like to share let us know! As always, we look forward to hearing from you; and, if you have a little time, we’d love to have you pitch in. The American Society only exists because of the wonderful, talented people who volunteer their time and resources. So, if you have an idea about how you’d like to improve the American Society, don’t be shy, jump right in! It’s a lot of fun and a great way to meet people in the community.


Refund Policy
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In order to cancel a reservation for an event, please contact admin@amersoc.com
at least 48 hours prior to an event. During peak holiday or conference periods cancellation and amendment charges may occasionally vary due to some hotels or venues having more strict cancellations policies that the ASB must assume. In these cases we will advise you by email.

It is the policy of the ASB not to provide any refunds for cancellations unless the party communicates their decision in writing via email to admin@amersoc.com at least 48 hours prior to an event. In order to organize activities, the American Society is asked to make financial commitments on behalf of its membership and guests. When people sign up and register for ASB activities, the Society makes advanced payment to venues, hotels, transportation services, caterers, support staff, etc. Signing up for an event also hinders others from attending when there is limited capacity for an event.

The ASB is a non-profit organization managed by a volunteer staff, and we are delighted to host events of interest to the American and English speaking community of Barcelona.

We appreciate your understanding. We not only look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events, we would love to have you support us in managing an event.

Thank you.