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Palau de Congressos de Catalunya
This week, Meliá Hotels International has reopened the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, meaning that Barcelona has recovered one of its most emblematic spaces for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism after being closed since 2020. The reactivation of the conference centre represents a firm commitment to help consolidate Barcelona's leadership as one of the world's favourite destinations for events and conferences.
According to Ramón Vidal, general manager of the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, “With this new beginning, our desire is to position ourselves as a leading venue to attract the growing demand of the MICE sector, besides the experience provided by Meliá Hotels International in this new stage of management, which is confirmed by the growing volume of requests that we're already receiving". Highlighted among the main markets are the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and the national market. As a result, in 2024 it is expected to surpass the positive turnover reached in 2019, before the pandemic and the closure of the facilities.
Strategically located in the Pedralbes district, next to Avenida Diagonal, one of the city's main arteries, the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya is only 15 minutes from Barcelona Airport. The building, which covers an area of 35,000 m2, has been conceived as a modern, bright, versatile and multifunctional space designed to hold all kinds of events: conferences, congresses, meetings, exhibitions and cultural events, to name a few.
For this purpose, it has 39 adaptable rooms of different sizes, an auditorium with cutting-edge technology and capacity for over 2,000 people, another conference room with 357 seats, spacious halls and areas for meetings and coffee breaks, as well as an exhibition hall that covers a surface of more than 4,000 m2. As a differentiating feature, the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya also stands out for its 25,000 m2 of landscaped gardens and outdoor area, without forgetting its iconic hotel with 391 rooms –born as 'Rey Juan Carlos I' in the 1992 Olympic Games- which Meliá is going to reopen after a complete refurbishment at the beginning of 2024 under its luxury brand, Gran Meliá.
The Palau de Congressos de Catalunya facilities have also been improved with insulation, ceiling protection and renewed furniture, but especially in the technology area, to offer state-of-the-art technology and audiovisual services. Standing out among the new features are the 18-metre-long screen in the main auditorium, the incorporation of the latest new sound equipment, and new lighting systems, among others. In addition, a professional team works exclusively to assist the customers that come to the Palau, covering all event production requirements, such as audiovisual services, streaming, simultaneous interpreting, scenography, event logistics, entertainment staff, etc.
Furthermore, unlike other venues, the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya has its own Food and Beverage team, which focuses on the customer's needs in a personal and flexible way, with Meliá Hotels International's signature innovation, sustainability and quality philosophy. The aim is to bring Meliá's hotel excellence to the food and beverage services at the conference palace, thus offering added value to the customer.
The incorporation of the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya and its hotel into the company's portfolio also strengthens the presence of Meliá in the area, where it now has a total of nine hotels with over 2,300 rooms and 166 meeting rooms. This leadership boosts its capacity to accommodate groups of any size in the Barcelona area, offering a comprehensive and flexible response to the demands of event organisers: from the event venues to accommodation needs or food and beverage services.
MICE tourism returns to Barcelona
It is worth noting that the recovery of the MICE sector in Barcelona has exceeded expectations, generating an economic impact in the destination of over €900 million in 2022, according to the Barcelona Turisme Convention Bureau.
On average, the meetings of an associative and company nature recorded a recovery of 94.6% versus 2019. Likewise, in 2022, at the global level, Barcelona was ranked in the top spot in the number of delegates of international conferences, and it came 4th in the number of conferences. It has stayed in the top 5 for the past 20 years and is still the destination with the highest volume of international conferences in Spain, according to the ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association).