Fira de Barcelona
Fira de Barcelona is Barcelona’s trade fair institution and one of the most important in Europe. Every year, it organises numerous trade shows and congresses, which bring together leading companies from different economic sectors to showcase their new products, exchange experiences and promote business.
Information of interest
It has a portfolio of 70 trade shows (annual, biannual, biennial, triennial and quadrennial), brings together 30,000 companies (direct and represented) and 2,5 million visitors. It is a leading organiser of industrial trade shows held in Spain and 15 of its fairs are benchmark events in Europe. Fira generates an economic impact of 2.5 billion Euros. Each year, around 500 events are held within the setting of its shows.
Fira de Barcelona has delegations with representation in 43 countries and works to develop new opportunities for overseas business, especially in Asia and Latin America, geared to increasing the participation of Fira exhibitors in events in other countries, replicating some shows that are held in Barcelona and selling services, technology, management and advice to other organisers and exhibition centres.
History
Barcelona’s trade fair tradition dates back to the Exposición Universal of 1888 and the Exposición Internacional of 1929.
In 1932, Fira Internacional de Barcelona was officially constituted, declared for public use and, in 2000, the Generalitat de Catalunya was incorporated in the government organs, together with the Barcelona City Council and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce. In 2010, it revised its strategic plan named “new value proposal” in order to anticipate the future demands of the market, based on reinforcing the ranking of its shows, promoting innovation and knowledge and boosting international business.
Two large exhibition centres: Montjuïc and Gran Via
Fira de Barcelona has 400,000 m2 of exhibition floor space and is one of the largest in Europe, divided into two large exhibition centres: the emblematic Montjuïc and the modern Gran Via, designed by the Japanese architect Toyo Ito.
Shows
The main shows held in Fira de Barcelona are: Mobile World Congress; Alimentaria; Hispack + Bta Food Technologies; EIBTM, Business Travel, Congresses and Incentives Show; Carbon Expo; International Swimming Pool Show; Hostelco, International Catering Equipment Show; Construmat; Expoquimia, Equiplast and Eurosurfas; Barcelona Bridal Week – Noviaespaña; Graphispag; International Motor Show; International Boat Show of Barcelona; Smart City Expo World Congress; Seafood Barcelona.
Other important events are Bizbarcelona, the show for business owners and entrepreneurs; Barcelona Meeting Point; International Logistics Show (SIL); International Tourism Show of Catalonia; MIHealth; International Comic Show of Barcelona; Saló de l'Ensenyament; and Caravanning.
Congresses
Fira de Barcelona hosts numerous congresses and business, social, cultural and institutional events in the facilities of the Montjuïc and Gran Via exhibition centres, where the Palau de Congresos de Barcelona and the Centro de Convenciones are located, respectively. In July 2011, GSM Association, which represents the interests of over 800 mobile phone operators worldwide and over 200 companies in the extensive mobile ecosystem, chose Barcelona as Mobile World Capital for the 2012-2018 period.
Barcelona Mobile World Capital is an initiative to turn the city into the permanent world centre of mobile communications, where people, companies and institutions work together to exploit the potential of mobile technologies as an element to transform daily life and create new business opportunities.
Promoted by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, the Catalan Generalitat, the Barcelona City Council and GSMA, it is based on the MWHub and MWCongress, concerned with industrial and business development, MWCentre and MWFestival that impact people and their social life.
Among other important events, Fira hosted the World Cardiology Congress in 2006 and the European Cardiology Congress in 1999 and 2009, organised by the European Society of Cardiology; the 14th World AIDS in 2002, organised by the International AIDS Society; The International Rotary Club Convention in 2002, organised by Rotary International; the United Nations meeting on Climate Change in 2009 and ITMA, the world's largest international textile machinery exhibition held in 2011.
Public transport
Fira Montjuïc
Metro: Lines L1, L3 and L8 Espanya Station.
Bus: Lines D20, H12, V7, 9, 13, 27, 37, 50, 65, 79, 91, 109, 150 and 165
Train: RENFE Barcelona Sants Station (500m) and FGC Plaça d'Espanya station, Lines: S8, S33, R6, R5 and S4
Fira Gran Vía
Metro: Line L9, Fira station or lines L8 and L9 Europa-Fira station.
Bus: Line 79 links Gran Via to Montjuïc and other areas of the city.
Train: Lines S8, S33, R6, R5 and S4. Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC).
Direct service between Plaça Espanya (Montjuïc Exhibition Centre) and Europa-Fira (Gran Via Exhibition Centre) stations.
External links
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- Fira de Barcelona (English) (Catalan) (Spanish)
Coordinates: 41°22′27″N 02°09′04″E / 41.37417°N 2.15111°E