Barcelona reaffirms its global leadership in congresses

It's the city in the world that attracts the most delegates and has been among the top five for 24 years, according to the leading international ranking.

Barcelona consolidates its leadership in business tourism , which encompasses conferences , corporate meetings, and incentive trips for executives and senior managers. This is according to the benchmark ranking in the sector, which was released this month.

The report, prepared by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), ranks the Catalan capital as the city in the world that brought together the most delegates and had the greatest economic impact. It also leads in a strategic area, medical meetings, and ranks fifth in technology, whose flagship event is the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which it will continue to host until 2030.

In other variables, such as the number of conferences, Barcelona is in fourth place. It's worth keeping in mind that in its study, the Icca doesn't consider all events, but only international ones that rotate between three cities. This excludes the MWC or other of its most emblematic fixed fairs, such as ISE or SeaFood . Vitafoods Europe 2025 kicked off this Tuesday, making its debut in Barcelona after 26 years in Geneva. It's a trade show specializing in a field that hasn't stopped growing: scientifically backed nutritional products.

As for future plans, Turisme de Barcelona is optimistic. Its business tourism division, the Barcelona Convention Bureau , has 300 events confirmed through 2027—which will bring together more than 700,000 delegates—and is working on new applications.

In 2024, the economic impact of business tourism as a whole surpassed the €1.3 billion mark, according to the latest data from Turisme de Barcelona , ​​the consortium dedicated to tourism promotion. The president of this organization, Jordi Clos , praised the investments being made in the Gran Via and Montjuïc exhibition centers. Meanwhile, the deputy mayor for economy, Jordi Valls (PSC), highlighted the "solidity of a very important sector for the city and one that positions it as a benchmark."

Barcelona & Partners, the investment acquisition agency of Barcelona Global, has promoted the arrival of the Pocket Gamer Connects video game event, which will be held for the first time in the Catalan capital on June 3 and 4. One of the most important mobile gaming events, the event is expected to attract a thousand industry professionals.