Catalan gothic to art nouveau and Gaudi’s famous fantasies, and world- class art collections including the Picasso Museum, the Miro Foundation and the spectacular hilltop palace known as MNAC – Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. MNAC was showcased as a superlative MICE venue to the world’s travel and meetings industry when EIBTM hosted its opening party there in November (see picture, below). During the show, exhibition director Graeme Barnett signed a deal to continue staging EIBTM in Barcelona until 2016. He cites the city’s International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) ranking – third in the world for 2011 – as an illustration that “Barcelona has all the assets required to host major international events, with an impressive array of meetings, conference and event venues, and a mix of high quality and affordable hotel accommodation. These factors help create high satisfaction levels among our attendees, particularly our hosted buyers from around the world.”
WIDE CHOICE OF VENUES As well as the city’s four large-scale convention centres (see box), Barcelona has a large portfolio of hotels, many with extensive meetings facilities. Both the Barcelona Convention Bureau (BCB) and online booking specialist HRS list more than 280 hotels of three- star or above. High-profile properties include the Mandarin Oriental, the W and Ritz Carlton’s Hotel Arts, whose Enoteca restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars for 2013, bringing
the city’s impressive haul of stars to more than 30. The Guild of Travel Management Companies (GTMC) selected the Arts as its venue for this year’s annual conference. GTMC general manager John Williams says: “Our sponsor airline for the event, British Airways, has superb connections to the city, so it’s highly convenient for delegates from the UK. But equally important, it has so much to offer – we’re spoilt for choice in terms of food, settings and attractions, and the Arts is a fabulous hotel.” For all the city’s attractions, cost looks set to remain a key factor in MICE planning decisions. Aurelie
Investment in infrastructure over the last 20 years has helped Barcelona grow a global reputation
Berger heads Barcelona’s MICE division for global destination management company Pacific World. She says: “Barcelona remains a strong destination in the MICE sector and the market remains very stable. But we are seeing an increased level of attention to costs, and the standard of hotels between five and four stars being chosen much more carefully.” Beyond the hotels and conference centres, the BCB cites a wealth of memorable venues for events, including the 14th-century seafront Casa Llotja de Mar, the art nouveau Palau de la Musica and Gaudi’s iconic Casa Batllo, plus the Palau
CONVENTION CENTRES
BARCELONA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE (CCIB) CCIB is a modern space facing the sea, covering a total of 100,000sq m, with capacity for up to 15,000 delegates (www.ccib.es).
FIRA MONTJUÏC EXHIBITION CENTRE This historic venue includes the Barcelona Congress Centre and comprises eight halls with a total area of 115,000sq m, including an auditorium with seating for 1,700 (www.firabcn.es).
FIRA GRAN VIA EXHIBITION CENTRE The modern Fira Gran Via has eight halls covering a total of 198,500 sq m, including a multifunctional meeting and convention space that can host from 100 to 3,000 delegates (www.firabcn.es).
PALAU DE CONGRESSOS DE CATALUNYA Including an auditorium with seating for 2,027, a 2,050sq m exhibition area and function rooms ranging from 25sq m to 1,240sq m, the PCC is also home to the five-star El Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I (www.pcongresos.com).
EIBTM's opening-night party at MNAC
Sant Jordi sports complex, built for the 1992 Olympics. The BCB offers an advisory service for meetings planners, helping them with requests for proposal for venues and services, as well as assistance to organise activities and cultural programmes. It also arranges familiarisation trips for MICE buyers. Lee-Anne Penn is account director at events agency Zibrant. She says the city has become a popular business meeting destination for the pharmaceutical sector, and “this trend is continuing to grow in 2013 with a steady number of events being placed there”. She says the city has offered good value over recent years, and points to the refurbished Hilton Barcelona, which has re-opened with a declassified status, as ideal for pharmaceutical meetings, where compliance is often a challenge. But after talking about economics and compliance, Penn waxes more lyrical: “In its enviable position, wedged between forested mountains and a sweeping expanse of Mediterranean sea, Barcelona is not only stunningly beautiful, but also Spain’s most cosmopolitan city.” ■