How to network in Andorra when you know no one

The same statistics note says the population grew by 1.9% in a year, with 1,715 more residents than in July 2025. Part of that growth comes from people with Spanish nationality (372 more) and French nationality (252 more).

New people arrive every season looking for contacts too, so a newcomer at a business event is nothing unusual. You will not be the only person in the room who knows nobody.

Everyone knows someone

In a big city you can have a bad conversation at an event and never see that person again. Here you will almost certainly see them again, and they probably know the people you want to talk to. Reputations form quickly.

Someone who has watched you help another person without asking for anything back will find it easy to recommend you. Someone you handed your whole catalogue to after two minutes will find it much harder.

Two practical tips follow from this. First, introductions from a third person carry a lot of weight. If someone from your association or your coworking space tells you "you should talk to so-and-so", ask them to introduce you in writing or at the next event.

Second, regular attendance beats bursts of effort. Going to one event a month for six months gives you more useful contacts than five events in one week followed by nothing.

Which language people speak at events

Catalan is Andorra's only official language. Llei 6/2024, the law on the country's own and official language, requires companies to use it on signs, employment contracts and advertising.

At events, the language depends on who organises them. The Andorra Economic Forum presents itself as an international Spanish-speaking gathering, while the agendas of Espai Dona i Empresa, Hive Five and CONAND are published in Catalan.

It helps to understand Catalan even if you do not speak it yet, and to have your introduction ready in at least two languages. What the law requires and what you will hear in each sector is covered in the guide to languages for doing business in Andorra.

The places where you meet business people fall into four groups. Each one has its own rhythm and its own way in.

If you know nobody, use your first week to set up the routine. Five steps are enough:

1. Open the events calendar and sign up for an open event this week or next. For your first time, a breakfast for twenty people is better than a forum with hundreds.
2. Browse the association profiles and pick one that fits your sector. You do not need to join on day one: going to one of their events tells you whether the atmosphere suits you.
3. Write your introduction in four sentences and say it out loud in the two languages you will use most.
4. List five companies or profiles you would like to meet in the next three months. At every event you can then ask "do you know anyone at…?", which is the question that opens the most doors.
5. Create your profile in the community directory with your sector and what you are looking for, so that the people you meet can find you later.

If you have also just moved here, the guide to meeting people when you are new in Andorra adds sport, resident groups and a plan for your first four weeks.

At a business breakfast nobody wants to hear a list of services. What people remember is who you help and one concrete case. A structure that works has four sentences: who you are, who you help, a real example and what you are looking for today.

A made-up example, just to show the shape: "I'm an employment and payroll adviser. I work with restaurants in Encamp and Canillo that hire for the winter season. Last year I helped one get all its staff registrations done before December. Today I'd like to meet people in hospitality from Pas de la Casa."

The last sentence is the most useful one, because it gives the other person something to do: think of someone they know. Then ask about their business and let them talk. The full structure, with examples by sector and in four languages, is in the guide on how to pitch your business in one minute.

A conversation from an event goes cold within a few days. In the 48 hours after it, send a short message that recalls what you talked about and suggests one thing only: a coffee, the link you promised or an introduction to someone else.

If there is nothing to suggest, say thank you and agree to see each other at the next event.

Keep a note of where you met each person and what they were interested in. You will cross paths again, and remembering what they told you makes a better impression than any business card. Do not add them to your mailing list without asking first, either. Andorra is small enough that people notice.

Almost every mistake comes from treating an event like a sales fair:

• Handing out cards before you have talked. A card without a conversation ends up in a drawer.
• Selling in your first sentence. If the other person feels you only see them as a customer, they move on to the next group.
• Sticking with people you already know. It is comfortable, but you leave with the same contacts you came in with.
• Disappearing afterwards. Without a message in the following days, the conversation is lost.
• Speaking badly of competitors. In a market this size, the person you are talking to probably knows them.

These are the next networking events published on networking.ad. The list comes straight from the calendar and updates itself.

For your first event, two pages are enough: how to pitch your business in one minute and the events calendar to pick a date. Then create your profile in the community directory so the people you meet can find you.