In 2013, the Spanish capital outranked Vienna, Barcelona, Singapore and London.
IFEMA’s 2013 congress and convention agenda made a major contribution to Madrid’s top position in the global ranking of international conference destinations. According to the International Congress and Convention Association’s city ranking, the Spanish capital was 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 place to occupy 2nd position in ICCA’s city ranking, even beating Vienna (top of the ranking since 2009) and other cities such as Barcelona, Singapore and London. The city once again broke the previous record in terms of conference activity: 186 global events, a 13% year-on-year increase.
These results endorse the increasing success of the Spanish capital in its bid to host major events, with IFEMA playing an active role as a world-class venue for international conventions and fairs, and one of the main drivers of business tourism in the city. During 2013, IFEMA handled the organization of a large number important congresses and conventions: 382 events in total, which attracted 109,050 people from all over the world to Madrid.
Feria de Madrid also hosted a large number of international events, including the World ATM Congress from 12-14 February, which brought together the global aviation industry’s major players. Another important event was the 28th FEA International Aerosol Congress from 24-26 February, at which over 100 exhibiting companies from all over the world met for a series of conferences on current developments in the aerosol industry. Furthermore, 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 12-15 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 international congress and convention agenda has continued to gather steam, with the scheduled hosting of nine major global and European congresses. Five of these were related to science and medicine, which, together with another two important national congresses in this sector, make IFEMA one of the leading venues worldwide in the organization of events in these specialized fields. The organization of these congresses will attract approximately 50,000 professionals from all over the world to Madrid (85% from abroad), while representing a significant economic injection for the capital with the occupation of around 150,000 hotel beds.
Another 10 international congresses have already been confirmed for 2015, which will bring a further 65,000 professionals to the city of Madrid.
One of the most modern congress and convention venues in Europe, IFEMA features 12 halls and 200,000sqm of available indoor exhibition space, as well as 14,000 parking spaces, fully equipped facilities, and easy access by both road and the Madrid metro. It is also located very close to Madrid-Barajas International Airport, offering numerous international flights.
Feria Madrid - IFEMA
