Catalonia, with Barcelona, in the world ranking of cities with the largest number of participants in international congresses
While in 2014 Barcelona was placed as the second city in the world with the largest number of participants in international congresses, Catalonia has its foot on the accelerator in attracting professional events of an international sphere
According to the annual report that the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), in 2014 Barcelona occupied second place in the ranking of cities with the largest number of participants in international congresses. The report also places the Catalan capital among the top five cities in the world where more congresses are held. In economic terms, these figures represent an income of 1,469 million euros for the city and two million hotel stays (77% of which were foreigners).
The rest of the territory is committed to and works to attract international professional events in the different destinations of the network of congresses in Catalonia. Some examples of cities that hosted international events 2014 and 2015 are:
• Three big events (the IX European Conference of Archives, the Annual Conference of the International Council of Archives and the XIII Conferences of Image and Investigation) in Girona, with a total of 922 people registered from 90 different countries
• A French cardiology congress with 40 participants in Val d’Aran
• The International Forum of Education and Technology and the International Congress of University Teaching and Investigation in Tarragona, with a total of 600 attendees
• The World Congress of Travel Blogs (TBEX EU 2015) in Lloret de Mar, with 700 participants.
For more information, you can consult the executive summary of the report.
New round of regional meetings
During July, the cities of Girona, Barcelona and Sant Cugat del Vallès hosted the second round of regional presentations of the Ambassadors Programme.
At these meetings, the 41 candidates for ambassador have met each other through Patrick Torrent, executive director of the Catalan Tourism Agency (ACT), and Sònia Serracarbassa, director of the Catalunya Convention Bureau (CCB), and studied the contents of the programme regarding the organisation of professional events.
After the summer, meetings were held in the cities of Lleida and Tarragona.
We remind you that, in the case of knowing someone who could be an ambassador —professionals recognised in their field and active members of associations, institutions and national and/or international professional associations—, we would be grateful if you could let us know by writing to ambassadorscatalunya@intermedia.cat.
281 Congresses until 2021
Catalonia has confirmed, for the present, the holding of 281 professional events up to 2021. This figure could increase once the candidatures are decided for new congresses and which are currently to be decided. More specifically, the city of Barcelona already has guaranteed the holding of 223 congresses, which will represent the arrival of at least 753.000 delegates.
Meetings tourism in Barcelona closed 2014 with a slight drop in the number of delegates attending congresses, conventions and conferences, specifically 0.7%, and with 580,000 delegates. Nevertheless, we should take into account the cyclic nature of some congresses which are held in a different city each year. In the same period, the hotel stays of congress delegates increased by 7% due to the prolongation of permanence in the city.
The report that is produced annually by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) placed the city of Barcelona in 2014 in fifth position in the world ranking of organiser cities of professional meetings.
Regarding the rest of Catalonia, at present 58 professional events have been confirmed until 2021. Among them feature the Congress of Practical Paediatrics and the FUNCA Congress – 40th Meeting of the Registry and Epidemiology of Cancer Group of Spanish-speaking countries, which will take place in the city of Reus, as well as the Congress of the Spanish Society of Oncology Nursing and the National Congress of Oenological Investigation, which will be held in the city of Tarragona.
New regional meetings
On the 7, 8, 9, 10 and 14 of July 2015 there will be a second round of regional meetings in which the programme will be presented to possible new ambassadors in Catalonia.
The meetings, which will be of a similar format to those of last year and will be completely exclusive, will be held so that the candidates for ambassador can find out first-hand about the programme and its advantages, and to respond to all the doubts that those attending may have.
If you know someone who could be an ambassador —professionals recognised in their field and active members of associations, institutions and national and/or international professional associations—, we would be grateful if you could let us know by writing to ambassadorscatalunya@intermedia.cat.
