When the pandemic turned the world upside down, there were those who questioned the future of fairs and conferences. Why travel to present a product when with a video and a virtual meeting you can already sell it?, they asked themselves. But once the covid was over, those doomsaying forecasts were wrong. In business, the relationship of trust established face to face with the interlocutor continues to be very important. Also touch and try what you want to acquire.
That is why the fair sector, traditionally very important in Barcelona, ??is making a comeback. Between fairs and conferences, Fira de Barcelona will host more than a hundred events this fall. It is 10% more than the past. And they expect a complete recovery of visitors next year. In parallel, they are preparing to grow with the expansion of Fira Gran Via.
“We are in a growth phase, with a lot of activity throughout this year. It has come back strongly after the pandemic,” considers Constantí Serrallonga, general director of Fira. For example, in the month of May the spaces managed by this institution had full capacity, which forced the schedule to be tightened. However, in terms of visitors, 2023 will not end with pre-pandemic numbers. Serrallonga explains that factors such as restrictions in Asian countries are still noticeable.
And the power of the city as an organizer of this type of events is based on its tradition and its positioning as a “meeting point between Asia, the United States and Europe.” “We act as a neutral place,” says the general director of Fira. Added to this are good restaurants, hotel offerings, transportation, favorable weather… attributes that also add to the attractiveness of Barcelona as a city of fairs and conferences.
However, one of the characteristics of Barcelona fairs is the high proportion of foreign visitors. “One of the great successes of Barcelona is its internationalization,” considers Serrallonga. Another peculiarity is the variety of sectors.
For the general director of Fira, “Barcelona is playing the Champions League” in this area. It competes with cities like Paris and Milan. The German fairs, supported by the German industry and with a more local character, are another league.
In the specific area of ??congresses the situation is similar to fairs. “The sector has recovered stronger than expected. Congresses have more attendance than before the pandemic and digital is decreasing,” says Christoph Tessmar, director of the Barcelona Convention Bureau. Since 1983, this Turisme de Barcelona organization has promoted the city as a destination for conferences and conventions.
Tessmar explains that Barcelona will close 2023 with around 450 conferences. “These are similar numbers to last year and practically the same as before the pandemic,” he says. This activity has a high rotating component due to the conferences that are held from time to time. For this reason, Tessmar says, 2023 will end with attendance at conferences “somewhat lower than last year and 2019, which was the record year for the city of Barcelona.”
As also happens with fairs, conference clients value the “high level of professionalization.” “If it is done in Barcelona, ??it turns out well. Conferences tend to grow in attendees,” says Tessmar. “Public-private collaboration is greatly appreciated, which does not occur in all places,” she adds.
In the intense autumn calendar, important fairs will be held such as the Smart City Expo World Congress, the Boat Show or CPHI, the world’s leading exhibition for the pharmaceutical industry. Yesterday, Alimentaria Foodtech opened its doors, specialized in technology and machinery for the food industry. In addition, until the end of the year, conferences such as the European veterinary conference or the neurosurgery conference, among others, await.
But in Fira they are preparing to continue growing. The arrival of Vitafoods in 2025 has already been confirmed. It is the world’s leading exhibition for the nutraceutical industry, dedicated to areas such as dietary supplements and sports nutrition. Labelexpo, about labels and packaging, will also arrive in 2025. “They are two very global fairs,” says Serrallonga.
By the last quarter of 2026, the works to expand the Fira Gran Via venue in l’Hospitalet de Llobregat are expected to be ready. “Everything is going according to schedule, now work is being done on the foundation,” says Serrallonga. “It will be very important to attract new fairs and for the current ones to continue growing,” defends the general director of Fira. The strategy is also that now incipient sectors, such as artificial intelligence or aerospace, have the necessary infrastructure to organize large exhibitions.
