The Spanish capital is ahead of Vienna, Barcelona, Singapore and London
Madrid – The volume of congress and convention activity undertaken by IFEMA in 2013 was a major contributing factor to the improvement of Madrid’s position on the global ranking of international conference destinations.
According to a list published recently by the ICCA, the International Congress and Convention Association, the Spanish capital took second place in 2013 (second only to Paris) and maintained its position as the top conference tourism destination in Spain.
Over the last five years, Madrid has risen from 22nd to the top three conference tourism cities in the world, even beating Vienna (top of the ranking since 2009) and such other cities as Barcelona, Singapore and London. The city also posted record figures again in terms of conference activity – 186 global events, representing growth of 13% on the previous year.
These results show the increasing success of the Spanish capital in terms of its capacity to host such events, with IFEMA playing an active part as a major operator of international specialist professional conventions and fairs, and one of the main drivers of business tourism in the city. Over the course of 2013, IFEMA managed the organisation of many important congresses and conventions – 382 events in total, which brought 109,050 people to Madrid from all over the world.
Feria de Madrid also hosted a large number of international events, including the World ATM Congress from 12 to 14 February that brought together major players in the world of aviation. Another important event was the 28th FEA International Aerosol Congress from 24 to 26 February, at which over 100 exhibiting companies from all over the world met for a series of conferences on the current situation in the aerosols market. Also, the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) – a prestigious European forum in the field of science and clinical medicine – held its 2013 Congress at IFEMA from 12 to 15 June. Other major events included Microsoft TechEd Europe (attended by 5,000 people), Infosys ILO Europe Event and AIA Thailand Annual Convention, among others.
In 2014, IFEMA’s congress and convention activity continued to grow in importance on the international stage, with the Feria de Madrid site hosting nine major global and European congresses over the course of the year. Five of these were related to the field of science and medicine, which, together with another two important national congresses in this sector, make IFEMA one of the leading entities worldwide in the organisation of events in the specialist field of science and medicine. The organisation of these congresses will bring approximately 50,000 professionals to Madrid from all over the world (85% from abroad), in turn representing a significant economic injection for the capital by filling an average of 150,000 hotel beds.
Another 10 international congress events have already been confirmed for 2015, which will bring a further 65,000 professionals to the city of Madrid.
IFEMA boasts one of the most modern congress and convention sites in Europe, with 12 halls and 200,000m2 of available indoor exhibition space, as well as 14,000 parking spaces, fully equipped infrastructure and unbeatable access by both road and the Madrid metro. It is also located very close to Madrid-Barajas International Airport, with numerous international flights.
