Barcelona is the world’s 1st city with most conference participants
Barcelona, the vibrant capital of Catalonia, has once again claimed the top spot in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) rankings, solidifying its position as the world’s premier destination for conference attendees. According to ICCA, the Catalan capital also ranks 4th globally in the list of best cities based on the number of congresses hosted, behind only Vienna, Lisbon, and Paris.
Barcelona’s reign as a global congress destination spans over two decades, with 2022 marking another triumphant year for the city. The catalytic growth of the city’s conference industry is evident in its consistent first-place position in the delegate count for the period from 2013 to 2022.
Barcelona’s consistent domination of the ICCA rankings stands as a testament to the city’s unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation in the MICE industry. As the industry continues to evolve, Barcelona remains an unbeatable choice for event organizers and attendees seeking an extraordinary and enriching experience.
The ICCA 2022 ranking also includes five other Catalan cities: Girona, Lleida, Tarragona, Lloret de Mar, and Banyoles. The inclusion of these cities underscores the diversity and richness of the congress landscape in the region, providing organizers and attendees with a wide range of options to find the perfect destination that suits their needs and preferences.
Catalonia, Mobile World Capital Barcelona and the Roca Brothers present a phygital gastronomic experience at IMEX Frankfurt
- The Catalonia stand (E430) will host a unique experience to reflect on the impact of technology in the way we communicate, interact and perceive reality.
- IMEX visitors will be able to taste chocolate bonbons created by the three-Michelin-starred Roca Brothers in a scenario that fuses digital and physical reality (phygital).
Mobile World Capital Barcelona and the Roca Brothers from Girona’s El Celler de Can Roca come together to create a gastronomic journey that breaks down all the barriers we know today. “Taste the technology” will be presented at Catalonia’s stand at IMEX Frankfurt and is part of “Feel the Technology” project, an initiative by Mobile World Capital Barcelona presented for the first time at MWC Barcelona 2023 where users were able to enjoy a unique experience to reflect on the impact of technology in the way we communicate, interact and perceive reality.
The Catalunya Convention Bureau invites each visitor to taste a chocolate bonbon with acid flavour (lime ganache and passion fruit) created by the Roca Brothers and their Bean-to-Bar chocolate factory Casa Cacao in a setting where digital and physical (phygital) reality converges. The latter marks the start of a digital journey, led by the master chocolatier of Celler de Can Roca (Damian Alsop), with virtual reality glasses that combines AR and VR. In total, 1,000 chocolates will be produced for this experience.
According to Francesc Fajula, CEO of Mobile World Capital Barcelona: “We brought the limits of technology further with a proposal that mixes the physical and digital worlds to produce new user experiences. We designed the experience for MWC Barcelona and now we are proud to share it internationally for the first time here in Frankfurt. Travelling through the flavours created by the best chefs in the world, the Roca Brothers, is now a reality that connects us to the latest technological trends.
In the words of Jordi Roca, one of the 3 brothers in charge of the Celler de Can Roca: “Technology allows us to play in a new field in gastronomy. With virtual reality we can enrich the experience of tasting bonbons. All this while we are on a sensory journey halfway between the real and virtual worlds. It’s amazing!”
Narcís Ferrer, Director of the Catalan Tourist Board, emphasizes: “Catalonia has a thriving technology ecosystem and a strong focus on innovation, with numerous technology companies and startups based in the region. This provides a fertile ground for the development and integration of cutting-edge technologies into the MICE industry. ‘Taste the technology’ experience is a good example of this positive alliance between meeting tourism and technology.” According to Ferrer, “Business tourism is a market segment that brings visitors with high potential economic return for the country and interaction with the local businesses. In addition, it is a catalyst for new opportunities, which is the change we are looking for in the Catalan tourism model”.
The experience has been possible thanks to the support of Futura Space, a studio specialized in the conception and production of immersive environments, interactive experiences and innovative projects.
ABOUT MOBILE WORLD CAPITAL BARCELONA
Mobile World Capital Barcelona is an initiative driving the digital advancement of society while helping improve people’s lives globally. With the support of the public and private sector, MWCapital focuses on four areas: the acceleration of innovation through digital entrepreneurship, the transformation of industries through digital technology, the rise of digital talent among new generations and professionals and the reflection on the impact of technology in our society. Collectively, our programmes are positively transforming the economy, education and society.
MWCapital hosts MWC in Barcelona and founded 4 Years From Now (4YFN), the startup business platform, present at MWC events around the world.
RETHINK MEETINGS
The Catalunya Convention Bureau stands up for innovation and technology as one of the main points of its strategy to consolidate Catalonia as a world leading MICE destination. Due to its continuous innovation spirit, Catalonia is firmly committed to use technological developments (VR, AR, touchless, big data, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things…) as a transforming driver for the meetings industry. The Catalunya Convention Bureau is together with the strong and growing local ICT industry in order to provide forward-looking professional events, to rethink meetings.
Catalunya Convention Bureau releases new Meeting Planner Guide
The Catalunya Convention Bureau is proud to announce the release of its new improved Meeting Planner Guide, featuring a dynamic and functional format designed to streamline the event planning process.
The new guide offers a comprehensive overview of Catalonia’s many meeting and conference venues, accommodations, and transportation options, as well as providing in-depth information on the region’s business culture and destinations. With its intuitive layout and user-friendly design, the guide is an indispensable resource for event planners seeking to organize successful Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions in Catalonia.
Catalonia turns into global hotspot destination for mobility events
Catalonia, with Barcelona as main host of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology Urban Mobility, is one of the world’s leading destinations in capturing and boosting associative and corporate events related to the mobility industry. Check the upcoming Automotive & Mobility focused meetings and events:
👉Rapid Applications for Transport Summit: entrepreneurial city challenge-based competition for start-ups and SMEs to help solve critical urban mobility issues (11 May, Barcelona).
👉Automobile Barcelona: the Fira de Barcelona International Motor Show (13-21 maig, Barcelona).
👉UITP Global Public Transport Summit: world’s leading international congress on public transport organized by the International Association of Public Transport (4-7 June, Barcelona).
👉FISITA World Congress: the world’s largest gathering of automotive and mobility engineers (12-15 September, Barcelona).
👉EuroBrake: the international braking technology community & event (12-14 September, Barcelona).
👉Euro Mobility Festival: under the umbrella of the Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona (22-24 September, Girona
👉e-Mobility Experience: an experiential fair focused on electric mobility (7-8 October, Circuit Barcelona Catalunya)
👉Tomorrow.Mobility Expo World Congress: organized by Fira de Barcelona and EIT Urban Mobility; held within the framework of Smart City Expo World Congress (7-9 November, Barcelona).
👉International Mobility Congress: a professional meeting point to understand the new mobility, and make it safe, inclusive and sustainable (new dates to be confirmed, Sitges).
👉Barcelona Superblock International Meeting: gathering of the network of cities in the European project Tune Our Block (22-25 March, Barcelona).
Best-practice ideas to make meetings industry more inclusive
With this new guide, the Catalan Tourist Board through the Catalunya Convention Bureau, wants to make the world of meetings more accessible to everyone. With 14 very specific steps, meetings can be held taking into account all people and their needs before, during and after the event. The guide also includes an annex where you can find potential service providers to make the event even more accessible.
Meet Catalunya 2022
Catalonia is committed to consolidating itself internationally as a leading destination for meeting and event tourism. For this reason, the Catalan Tourist Board through the Catalunya Convention Bureau held a new edition of Meet Catalunya, the major benchmark business meeting for the Catalan MICE sector.
This event has led to more than 1,500 business meetings being held between 90 Catalan companies and entities and more than 60 tourist operators from 14 European countries (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom and Sweden).
The dimension of the Catalan sector in the field of meeting tourism (with more than a thousand spaces suitable for hosting these types of business events), its tourist experience in other segments and the positioning of the city of Barcelona, which for more than twenty years in a row has been among the top 5 in the ranking of cities that organise congresses compiled by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), make Catalonia well-positioned internationally and mean it has high potential regarding the development of this activity. The Catalunya Convention Bureau is working to respond to the needs of a constantly evolving market, which calls for innovation and more experiential and personalised meetings, with the aim of positioning Catalonia as a world reference in this segment.
After the event, the buyers went on a tour to get to know the Catalan meeting tourism sector in situ, through various fam trips. Specifically, 8 trips were made to visit spaces equipped to host business meetings.
The legacy of the Olympic Games
30 years ago, Barcelona and Catalonia used the platform of the Olympic Games to transform the face of the city and the region, and to carry out large-scale projects to promote the practice of sport and boost the local economy. The benefits that the Games left behind are often cited as a positive example of Olympic legacy.
Do you want to discover it and organise your next event in an Olympic facility?
Olympic Canal
The sports facilities and areas of the Olympic Canal are the setting for an innovative range of team building activities.
Olympic Ring
The Olympic Ring is an incomparable setting made up of the Olympic Stadium, Palau Sant Jordi and the Olympic Esplanade, Barcelona’s Olympic Ring is a space of great beauty, the venue for a multitude of events of all kinds.
CAR Sant Cugat
The High Performance Sports Centre of Sant Cugat del Valles (CAR) offers its facilities to companies and organizations to carry out various activities within a distinctive and elite environment. Surrounded by high performance sports, they offer a large range of sports facilities with capacity to accommodate any kind of event.
Olympic and Sport Museum
The Joan Antoni Samaranch Olympic and Sport Museum offers several versatile and segregable spaces with ideal features for hosting different types of events: conferences, assemblies, press conferences, parties, etc.
Olympic Park
The Olympic Park offer a range of facilities and activities in the Pyrenees, enabling company groups to enjoy emotions and thrills in an unparalleled setting. Rafting is the star activity. This activity involves four descents in the Olympic white water channel. The first two are to gain knowledge, training and adaptation to the environment and the last 2 are timed descents.
Port Olímpic
Built in 1990 to host the sailing competitions of the Barcelona ’92 Olympic Games, the Port Olímpic has become an emblematic space of the city. Its gastronomic and leisure offer make it a point of attraction for MICE travellers.
Olympic Games: Sport team building
Olympic Games Experience is a thrilling sports team building, an activity for companies that makes you the protagonist of a competition full of action and emotions. The arrival at the stadium. The opening ceremony. The warm up. The challenge of each event. The record of the marks. The support of your team. The coronation of the winners. The closing ceremony. There is no lack of detail in an experience that you will never forget.
New Catalunya Convention Bureau members
The CCB welcomes 14 new members. These companies strengthen the wide and diverse range of MICE suppliers in Catalonia.
| Company | Type | City |
| Castell de Raymat | Venue | Lleida |
| Formula GT | Complementary service | Vic |
| Circuit de Calafat | Venue | Calafat |
| Hotel Hilton Diagonal Mar | Hotel | Barcelona |
| Hotel Castell de l’Empordà | Hotel | La Bisbal de l’Empordà |
| Hotel CMC Girona | Hotel | Girona |
| Hotel Don Candido | Hotel | Terrassa |
| Hotel Jou Nature | Hotel | Guardiola de Berguedà |
| Hotel Terraverda Empordà | Hotel | Gualta |
| Jolly DMC | DMC | Calella |
| Restaurant Windsor | Restaurant | Barcelona |
| SM Experiences | Complementary service | Sant Cugat del Vallès |
| Viatges Viñolas | DMC | Roses |
| World Trade Center | Venue | Barcelona |
#CatalunyaInspires MICE influencers campaign
The Catalunya Convention Bureau has launched an influencer marketing campaign aiming to highlight Catalonia as an innovative, safe and sustainable MICE destination. #CatalunyaInspires key message focuses on hybrid and nature-connected events, and on applied-to-MICE new technologies. The campaign is led by the German events and tech passionate, Sina Bünte, a CMP-certified meetings professional with extensive knowledge in organizing hybrid, online and in-person events. Bünte is Co-founder & Director Events at SheSharp, which aim it is to foster diversity and inclusion in technology and entrepreneurship, and manager at EventProfsBreakShit, a passion project to bring event professionals together to test Event Tech.
The campaign has started in July with Sina’s attendance to the Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2021 (first big in-person trade show since the pandemic started) followed by a site visit to Catalunya with the support of: Barcelona Convention Bureau, Baix Llobregat Convention Bureau, Sitges Convention Bureau, Costa Daurada Convention Bureau, Girona City Convention Bureau, Lloret Convention Bureau and Costa Brava Girona Convention Bureau. Throughout the campaign for the next few months, Bünte will be posting about her trip experiences and meetings with Catalan event professionals.
“I’ve noticed that the entire region really focuses on technology and innovation. Everybody is somehow connected in this network of tech startups. But not only that. Within a couple of minutes or hours you are in the nature. So that makes this region truly unique”.
