Barcelona’s Fira de Barcelona generated more than €6.8 billion in economic impact for the city and its metropolitan area, according to a recent study by the University of Barcelona.
The study says the figure is based on 2024 activity at the Montjuïc and Gran Via venues, plus the Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB) in the Fòrum district. Those operations account for more than €6.14 billion a year, while the planned Hall Zero expansion at Gran Via is expected to add another €675 million when it opens in 2027.
The expansion is in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona’s second-largest city, and is part of Fira’s wider metropolitan footprint. The institution also manages the Circuit de Catalunya, although that contribution is not yet fully included in these figures. You can read more about the site’s growth in our report on the Hall Zero expansion.
Fira has long been one of Barcelona’s main business engines. The article notes that the city first saw the value of large-scale events 140 years ago, with the 1888 Universal Exposition, which came as Barcelona expanded into the Eixample after the old city walls were demolished. The 1929 International Exposition, by contrast, left debts that lasted until the 1990s.
Today, Fira is presented as a strong example of public-private collaboration, similar to the Consorci de la Zona Franca and Turisme de Barcelona. It has also helped Barcelona compete with other European exhibition centres, including Madrid’s Ifema, while attracting major events such as Mobile World Congress, Integrated Systems Europe, Smart City Expo World Congress and Alimentaria.
Fira hosts more than 300 congresses and fairs a year across its venues, supporting tourism, hospitality and jobs across Barcelona and the wider metro area. For more local business coverage, see our Community and Sport pages.
Originally published by La Vanguardia Barcelona. Read original article.
