Barcelona 2010 Meetings Increase

The number of business meetings and incentive programmes held in Barcelona during 2010 increased by more than 15%, according to latest figures from the city’s convention bureau. During last year, the Catalan capital hosted 2,138 business events for around 616,833 attendees. The activity represented an economic impact of €1.3m (£1.2m), based on 2.5m overnight stays.

Other statistics released by the Barcelona Convention Bureau reveal that 70.4% of these events arrived from overseas and the average number of delegates had grown from 40 in 2009 to 99 last year. “Medical and healthcare congresses remained at the forefront and business events from the pharmaceutical sector predominated, accounting for more than 27%,” said Barcelona Convention Bureau marketing manager Mercedes Garcia. “One out of every four international conventions held in Barcelona were organised by a company or business from the UK. The United States ranked second.”