Barcelona fills its calendar with fairs and congresses for 2024

Barcelona ranks fourth in the world for the number of international fairs and congresses it hosts, according to the list from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), making the city a leading venue for these events.

On this year’s calendar, the city is hosting events in the fields of business, retail, sport, food, medicine, fashion and much more.

Latest technology to get the year under way

It’s become something of a tradition for Barcelona to serve as a capital for technology in the first few months of the year. The calendar gets under way on 30 January with Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), the leading congress in the audiovisuals sector, with this year’s event promising to be bigger and better than ever.

Next up is the quintessential tech gathering, the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which is on from 26 to 29 February and offers the latest in telecommunications, connectivity, artificial intelligence and more. As ever, the congress brings 4 Years From Now (4YFN) with it, where the start-up global ecosystem presents their products to investors, corporations and institutions.

The IoT Solutions World Congress will also be back in the city again starting on 21 May, with three days devoted to technological transformation in industry. The event will be held in tandem with the BCN Cybersecurity Congress. Software development enthusiasts won’t want to miss SPRING I/O (30-31 May), the European congress for the Spring framework ecosystem, or DevBcn (13-14 June), which focuses on different programming languages and technologies.

Barcelona as the capital of sailing and nautical activities

If there’s one event that’s set to shape 2024 in the city, it’s the 37th America’s Cup. Barcelona is hosting the world’s most famous sailing competition and oldest sporting event on the planet between August and October.

The official opening is on 22 August, and the regattas will be held 200 metres from the beaches, between Port Vell and Port Olímpic. This will also be the first time that the event includes the Puig Women’s America’s Cup, which has borrowed the name of the Catalan fashion and perfume company.

It’s no surprise then that this year’s Barcelona International Boat Show makes more sense than ever. The most important gathering for sea lovers is being held at Port Vell and showcases the latest in the nautical sector at a global level.

Innovation reaches different industries

Barcelona will be presenting the latest trends in a wide variety of fields over the course of the year. The food industry comes together from 18 to 21 March at Alimentaria, the leading event for the food, drink and gastronomy sector. The tourist industry also has its own event, B-Travel (15-17 March), as do the construction industry, with Construmat (21-23 May), the real-estate sector, with The District (25-27 September) and the graphic communication industry, with Graphispag (1-3 October). This year also sees Barcelona host the first Happiness at Work Experience (24 October), the number one event for employee involvement and corporate wellbeing.

This will also be an outstanding year for medical congresses. The city is set to attract thousands of professionals from this sector thanks to events such as the annual congress for the European Society for Medical Oncology – ESMO (13-17 September), the European Congress for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases – ECCMID (27-30 April) and the annual congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons – ESCRS (6-10 September).

The cities of the future, in Barcelona

What challenges are the world’s big cities facing? The answers can be found at the Smart City Expo World Congress, the most important event in the sphere of smart cities, which from 5 to 7 November will bring together companies, governments and organisations to map out a brighter future for major cities. At the same time, the Tomorrow Mobility World Congress will offer knowledge and inspiration for smart and sustainable urban mobility.