The IBTM Trade Fair Confirms Barcelona's Leading Position in the Business Tourism Sector

31-12-2018 | Barcelona Convention Bureau

Organising conferences and meetings is one of Barcelona's strengths. This was observed at the IBTM fair, the main international conference and trade fair event, held in Barcelona in November each year, and bringing together over 3,000 event and convention organisers from 150 countries.

In the two and a half days the fair lasted, 48 members had a presence at the Turisme de Barcelona stand, and 130 working meetings were held. This figure, combined with the predictions for next year showing that the city already has 30 conferences with over one thousand delegates confirmed and a total of 350,000 delegates, make us optimistic about 2019. Business tourism is an extremely strategic segment with a very high impact on the city (?1.8bn in 2017, 21.2% higher than the previous year).