CCIB ENDS 2010 WITH A POSITIVE BALANCE SHEET

Barcelona, February 2011.- The Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB) has ended 2010 with a positive balance sheet, beyond all expectations. This is confirmed by the increase in overall numbers of visitors and delegates, which were 12.74% up on the previous year, 2009, and the rise – around 29% – in overall turnover. “We are very pleased,” stated Marc Rodríguez, “Because the results confirm the good response from our clients to a commercial strategy based on adapting our services to meet their needs, improving the quality of the facilities and fostering innovation, while holding our rates steady.”

Despite the initial uncertainty about 2010 in terms of economic recovery, the increase in budgets allocated to holding events was confirmed, particularly in the corporate sphere, following the drastic cutbacks of 2009, mostly in areas such as catering and technology – two areas where CCIB has focused some of its distinctive efforts. In this respect, according to Marc Rodríguez, “Its leading-edge technology, the degree of specialisation of its technical staff and the design of its facilities, with natural light and sea views, are the main factors in choosing CCIB. We should add to this the fine range of food prepared and served by the Centre’s catering staff and the excellent selection of hotels in the immediate area.”

CCIB’s activities in 2010 were marked to a large extent by major congresses and conventions for global names in the technology, computer and telecommunications industries. In this respect, SYMANTEC held its second conference, “Vision 2010”, for 1,600 of its customers and partners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in the CCIB’s facilities, from 4th to 7th October. The multinational was so satisfied that it decided to choose CCIB as the venue again for its event in 2011.

The CCIB calendar also included other important dates with global leaders in the technology industry including MICROSOFT, AVAYA, SAP and HP.

A highlight among the events in the biotechnology and medical sector hosted by CCIB was the first edition to be held in Barcelona of the biennial BIO-Europe Spring conference, which was attended by some 1,800 professionals from over 1,000 firms – 101 Spanish companies among them – plus 62 exhibitors and delegations from 43 countries.

A special mention must also be made of other international events. One of these was United European Gastroenterology Week (UEGW), which from 23rd to 27th October brought together 14,000 professionals in what is considered to be the most prestigious event in Europe in this specialist field of medicine. Others included EBCC (the European Breast Cancer Conference) from 23rd to 27th March, attended by 10,600 delegates, and GI Cancer (the World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer) from 28th June to 3rd July 2010, which will be returning to the CCIB’s facilities for the seventh time in 2011.

CCIB also put Barcelona on the cultural map once more, at the very top level, when it hosted the Anna Lindh Forum 2010 from 4th to 7th March. This was a memorable event, as it was the first time this foundation has brought together most of the institutions, NGO’s and associations that make it up together in a single public forum. It featured leading personalities, academics and regional networks, coming together to raise proposals aimed at building confidence in the dialogue between people of the Mediterranean.

The adaptability of CCIB’s facilities and its extensive technical resources enable it to host events of enormous creative complexity. In 2010 this was the case with the event organised by the car manufacturer AUDI, which brought together over 4,000 staff dealers from all over the world on twelve consecutive days to present the company’s latest innovations. The extraordinary, original set designs for the event involved an arduous process of setting up which required the convention centre auditorium to be transformed into a huge exhibition track.

While all the forecasts point to a marked decline in congresses for the medical sector in Barcelona in 2011, the high level of the events connected with the fields of medicine and healthcare should nevertheless be stressed. Thus, in the course of this year CCIB will be hosting the World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer (GI Cancer) for the seventh consecutive time on its site, as well as the first Congress of the Confederation of European Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery from 3rd to 6th July and the seventh European Congress on Tropical Medicine & International Health (FESTMIH 2011), from 2nd to 6th October. Apart from these, the Association for International Press Distribution, Distripress, will be holding its annual congress at CCIB for the second time, from 17th to 20th October.

Also worth highlighting is the repeated choice of CCIB by major technology companies such as SAP and Symantec, as well as the first international conference hosted by this centre for the American multinational Citrix.

“Our aim,” states Marc Rodríguez, “is to carry on cooperating actively with local institutions and stakeholders in the sector to help to keep Barcelona positioned among the top international destinations for business tourism. We will also go on working to reach strategic cooperation agreements with intermediaries and end customers.”

To round off this information, it is worth emphasising that, since beginning its activities in November 2004 (following the end of the Universal Forum of Cultures), CCIB has hosted 558 events attended by more than 2,790,000 delegates, with a total turnover in excess of €166M. Moreover, its activities have generated an economic impact on the city of over €1,500M.