Fira de Barcelona goes on vacation with very good news. After long months of negotiations, the fair institution chaired by Pau Relat and directed by Constantí Serrallonga has managed to win two new events that are world leaders in their respective sectors and that contribute to expanding its portfolio of professional trade shows, consolidating the entity as one of the main global references in this market segment, the one with the highest added value. Both trade shows will arrive in 2025, will attract more than 40,000 visitors each and will be held at the Gran Via venue, now in an expansion phase.
According to The New Barcelona Post, Barcelona has beaten the cities of London, Paris and Madrid in a competitive process to attract the ICE (International Casino Exhibition) trade show, the main global event for companies providing services and technology for the gaming and betting sector. This is a trade show organized by the Clarion company and will bring 45,000 visitors from 150 countries to the Catalan capital in January 2025, with an estimated economic impact of 280 million euros. In parallel, Fira de Barcelona has also won the contract to host Labelexpo Europe, the world's largest trade fair for the packaging and label printing sector, with an estimated 40,000 visitors from 140 countries.
The agreement with ICE, in reality, incorporates the celebration of two fairs, since, in parallel, an event called iGB Affiliate will also be held, which is focused on digital marketing services for the gaming industry. Both trade shows have been held for the last twelve years at the ExCel exhibition complex in London and are now opting to move to Barcelona, with an initial five-year contract, that is, for the period 2025-2029. The first edition in the Catalan capital will take place from January 20 to 22, 2025 and the organizers have already reserved 40,000 hotel nights for that week.
According to Clarion CEO, Alex Pratt, the competitive process that has pitted Barcelona, London, Madrid, and Paris against each other has lasted six months, and the decision was made after analyzing more than 30 variables with the help of an independent international agency "with vast experience in event space selection and location scouting." Pratt assures that "the four shortlisted cities presented impressive and highly professional offers," so the decision was not easy. Finally, they have opted for Barcelona because "it is the city that our clients believe is best equipped to be our strategic partner for the future."
"Barcelona's successful bid stood out for the scale of its world-class facilities, outstanding hotel infrastructure, logistics, ROI for our clients, and capacity to scale," adds the executive, after pointing out ICE's willingness to "forge a progressive alliance" that includes the international industry, Fira de Barcelona, and public and private agents from Barcelona, Catalonia, and Spain to "create an important legacy for the future." The origins of this fair date back to 1930.
With a forecast of more than 45,000 visitors from some 150 countries, ICE and iGB will bring together more than 600 exhibitors, including technology developers for gaming and betting companies, cybersecurity experts, consumer protection and responsible gaming specialists, digital entertainment creators, distributors, operators, trade associations, and strategic and regulatory bodies of this industry. In the edition held in London last February, ICE exceeded the barrier of 40,000 unique visitors for the first time (79,000 if entries from the same person on different days are counted), as in 2020 ---just before the pandemic--- it gathered 36,000 people. 50% were professionals from companies operating in both the land-based and online gaming sectors, while the other 50% were linked solely to online gaming. By business segments, it is estimated that 20,000 visitors were part of the gaming and casino industry; 13,000 were linked to the sports betting business, and 5,000 to the payment methods sector. At the end of the show, 80% of the available space for the 2024 edition was already contracted.
Another trade show changes Brussels for Barcelona
Along with this trade show, Fira de Barcelona has also attracted a large fair from the industrial sector that wants to boost its growth: Labelexpo Europe, a biennial event that will land at the Gran Via venue in autumn 2025, coming from Brussels, where it has been held for the last 38 years. Labelexpo, organized by Tarsus Group, expects to bring together more than 500 companies from the packaging and folding carton sector, as well as label printers, who will present the latest technologies and innovations in products, materials, and machinery through demonstrations and presentations with machines in operation. Around 40,000 visitors from 140 countries are expected.
Labelexpo is the second major fair that Fira de Barcelona has snatched from Brussels in a short time, as in 2022 the Seafood show, a world leader in seafood products, also moved from the Belgian capital to Barcelona. Likewise, in 2021, the largest fair dedicated to audiovisual technology, ISE, arrived at the Gran Via venue, in this case from Amsterdam. This year, Barcelona has also debuted as the venue for Shop Talk Europe, a show focused on the retail sector that until now was held in London.
With a total of 250 events, Fira de Barcelona reached a turnover of 211 million euros in 2022, a year in which it achieved the best result in its history, with an EBITDA of 37 million.