More meetings but fewer participants during 2012 in Spain

The latest report from the Spain Convention Bureau points to an appreciable increase in congresses, conventions and conferences in Spain in 2012, up 10.5% over the previous year. On the other hand, the number of participants barely exceeded 3 million, 4.9% less than in 2011. In addition, the sector increased its economic impact by 1.7%.

The data revealed by the SCB, which groups together 57 Spanish destinations  Spanish oles, show an economic movement of the meetings industry in our country of 5,110 million euros. During the past fiscal year, the country hosted 19,913 meetings and each participant spent an average of 322 euros on registration, another 233 on travel, 97 on accommodation and 90 on extras.


The increase occurred in the three types of meetings catalogued by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces: congresses, which account for 14% of the total, conventions (33.5%) and conferences (52.5%). According to the SCB, the overall average number of participants per session was 152.


By sector, the medical-health sector and the economic-commercial sector are still the most important in the market. Both accounted for 42% of the meetings held in Spain last year. In terms of venues, 35% were held in hotel rooms, while events held in conference centers grew by 2.5%, accounting for 27% of the total. The duration experienced a slight decrease compared to 2011, to stand at 2.44 days.