Business and convention tourism in Catalonia generates over €250 million in revenue. This type of tourism is primarily city-based, with an average stay of three to four days, but with significantly higher revenues than the average tourist. This is particularly beneficial for the sector because it occurs year-round, helping to reduce seasonality and creating a multiplier effect.
Catalonia is currently a prime destination for this segment of tourism. In addition to its strong accommodation options, it boasts excellent accessibility, a wide range of complementary services, and a broad spectrum of leisure activities. In fact, the key to success lies in combining the attractions and services that can satisfy the demands of this type of tourism.
In any case, and although the city of Barcelona is the one that concentrates practically 80% of this tourist activity, more and more companies are choosing to move away from the big cities to organize their congresses, conventions and business meetings.
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain and the economic and administrative capital of Catalonia. The Barcelona metropolitan area concentrates most of Catalonia's economic activity and, over the years, has become a major industrial, commercial, and service center.
Barcelona, with its long tradition of organizing conferences, is among the most important congress cities in Europe. The city boasts significant conference infrastructure, including two convention centers: the Barcelona Convention Centre, located at the Fira de Barcelona fairgrounds in Montjuïc, and the Catalonia Convention Centre, inaugurated in early 2000. It also has a number of hotels with the capacity to host conferences.
The Congress Palace of Catalonia
The Catalonia Congress Centre impresses everyone with its architectural beauty and functionality, its spectacular auditoriums, and its state-of-the-art business centers. Its impressive 3800m² kitchen, capable of serving 3500 diners, truly sets it apart.
World Trade Center of Barcelona
The World Trade Center Barcelona, located on the Mediterranean coast, offers a wide range of facilities under one roof, designed to meet the current and future needs of businesses. Its innovative and versatile architectural spaces, such as the 430-seat auditorium, accommodate congresses, conferences, conventions, and many other types of events.
Universal Forum of Cultures 2004
The Universal Forum of Cultures will be held in Barcelona in 2004. It will open on May 9, Europe Day, and close on September 26, 2004, coinciding with the Mercè Festival in Barcelona. The Forum is jointly organized by the Barcelona City Council, the Government of Catalonia, and the Spanish central government, and has the support of UNESCO.
The Forum is defined as a large-scale, international event that aims to advance the renewal of models of coexistence. During its 141 days, the Forum is scheduled to host 45 congresses, debates, conferences, and workshops in the Forum Building auditorium and the new Barcelona International Convention Centre.
The Forum Building will be a unique structure that will undoubtedly become one of Barcelona's most iconic landmarks. It is a triangular building, 180 meters on each side and 25 meters high, that follows the street grid of the converging avenues: Diagonal Avenue, Rambla de Prim, and Ronda Litoral. The project is the work of the Swiss team of Herzog & de Meuron. The building is structured around an auditorium with a capacity of 3.200 people. The seating area is located below the ground floor of Forum Square. The upper section is suspended from the 180-meter-square triangular macrostructure that covers the square and rests on 17 pillars. The exhibition hall and the auditorium roof are suspended from these pillars. Inside, it houses an exhibition hall of almost 5.000 square meters. The roof of the Forum Building will be covered by a sheet of water that will cascade down from the skylights. Beyond the visual appeal of the effect, there is a technological reason: to cool - in an environmentally friendly way - the roof itself, which will be exposed to high temperatures during the summer months.
Barcelona is chosen to host the EIBTM in December 2004
The city of Barcelona has been chosen to take over from Geneva and host the 17th edition of EIBTM, the world's leading trade fair for congresses, in 2004. The Catalan capital will be the venue for the event for a period of five years. Barcelona was selected as the preferred location by exhibitors and visitors, who cited organizational experience, accommodation options, and the public transport network as some of the main reasons for their decision.
The new location will also entail a change of dates, as the fair will move from May, as it has been in Geneva, to December, as it will in Barcelona. This decision is based on recent studies that indicate that April and May are the busiest months of the year for international buyers, while November and December are the most suitable for planning their attendance at a fair of this kind.
According to Tom Nutley, CEO of Reed Travel Exhibitions, the company organizing the EIBTM, upon learning of the decision regarding the new location, "it was a very difficult decision to make, given the high level of all the cities that were vying for it."
In addition to its strong accommodation options, Barcelona boasts excellent accessibility, a wide range of complementary services, and a broad spectrum of leisure activities. Indeed, the key to success lies in combining the various attractions and services that can satisfy the demands of this type of tourism. The selection of Barcelona as the host city for the European Incentive Business Travel and Meeting Exhibitions (EIBTM) represents top-level international recognition of Barcelona's capacity and potential for hosting such events.
Sitges, the second largest town in Catalonia in terms of the number of congresses and conventions
Sitges, located less than 40km from Barcelona and close to El Prat Airport, has positioned itself in recent years as the second municipality in Catalonia for holding congresses, according to the Sitges City Council.
Currently, it hosts around 500 conventions, congresses, seminars, and business meetings annually. It has 14 facilities with rooms equipped for holding congresses and professional meetings, and an auditorium with a capacity of over 1.300 people, one of the largest in the Mediterranean.
Tarragona
Tarragona is located just 7 km from Reus Airport, with international charter connections and regular domestic flights. The city is also only 90 km from Barcelona Airport.
The city of Tarragona, located just 90 km from Barcelona, also boasts a new and modern Trade Fair and Congress Center. Situated in the heart of the city, the center is only 100 meters from the train station and the Rambla Nova, the city's main commercial thoroughfare. Furthermore, the center is conveniently located near several hotels. This unique, recently constructed building features spacious, modern facilities and innovative technologies, situated in the very center of this city, recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With two auditoriums, several meeting rooms, and an exhibition space, this venue is perfectly equipped to host all types of events.
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