When the pandemic turned the world upside down, there were those who questioned the future of fairs and congresses. Why was it necessary to travel to present a product when with a video and a virtual meeting you can already sell it?, they asked themselves. But after covid, those dire prognoses have been shown to be wrong. In business, the relationship of trust that is established face to face with the interlocutor remains very important. Also touch and try what you want to acquire. That is why the fair sector, traditionally very important in Barcelona, ??is recovering. Between fairs and congresses, Fira de Barcelona will host more than a hundred events this autumn. It is 10% more than the past. And they expect a full recovery of visitors next year. At the same time, they are preparing to grow with the expansion of the Gran Via Fair.
“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 the Fair. For example, in May the spaces managed by this institution were at full capacity, which forced the calendar to be tightened. However, in terms of visitors, 2023 will not end with pre-pandemic numbers. Serrallonga explains that some factors such as restrictions in Asian countries are still noticeable.
The city’s power as an organizer of this type of event 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 director general of the Fair. To this is added the good restaurants, the hotel offer, the transport, the favorable climate… attributes that also add to the attractiveness of Barcelona as a city of fairs and congresses.
However, one of the characteristics of the 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.
According to the general director of the Fair, “Barcelona is playing the Champions” in this area. It competes with cities like Paris and Milan. The German fairs, driven by Teutonic industry and with a more local character, are in another league.
In the specific field of congresses, the situation is similar to fairs. “The sector has recovered stronger than expected. Congresses have more attendance than before the pandemic and the digital is diminishing”, says Christoph Tessmar, director of the Barcelona Convention Bureau. Since 1983, this Barcelona Tourism body has been promoting the city as a destination for congresses and conventions.
Tessmar explains that Barcelona will close in 2023 with around 450 congresses. “They 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 take place every so often. For this reason, says Tessmar, 2023 will end with congress attendance “a little lower than last year and 2019, which was the record year for the city of Barcelona”.
As is also the case with fairs, congress clients value the “high level of professionalism”. “If it’s done in Barcelona, ??it goes well. Congresses tend to grow in attendance,” says Tessmar. “The public-private collaboration is very much appreciated, which does not happen everywhere”, he adds.
In the busy autumn calendar, important fairs will be held such as the Smart City Expo World Congress, the Saló Nàutic or the CPHI, the world’s leading trade fair for the pharmaceutical industry. Alimentaria Foodtech, specialized in technology and machinery for the food industry, opened its doors yesterday. In addition, until the end of the year, congresses such as the European veterinary or neurosurgery, among others, are expected.
But at the Fair they are preparing to continue growing. It is already confirmed that Vitafoods will take off in 2025. It is the world’s leading exhibition in the nutraceutical industry, dedicated to areas such as dietary supplements and sports nutrition. Labelexpo will also arrive in 2025, on labels and packaging. “They are two very global fairs”, says Serrallonga.
By the last quarter of 2026, it is expected that the works on the extension of the Fira Gran Via site, in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, will be ready. “Everything is on schedule, now we are working on the foundations”, Serrallonga reports. “It will be very important to attract new fairs and for the current ones to continue growing”, defends the general director of the Fair. The strategy is also for sectors that are now incipient, such as artificial intelligence or aerospace, to have the necessary infrastructure to organize large fairs.
