The city of Madrid will recover 48% of its MICE sector activity during the second half of 2021 and will achieve its full reactivation by reaching 100% in the first six months of 2022, according to a study conducted between May and June among Madrid Convention Bureau (MCB) members and professional associations in the sector.
Within this framework, 11% of the professional meetings that Madrid will host until the end of the year will be international (the United Kingdom, United States, Germany and France), 32% national, and 57% regional. As for the format, more than half of these events (52%) will be face-to-face, 36% will maintain hybrid formats and only 13% will opt for the digital format.
In a statement, the Madrid City Council has highlighted that, among the national incentives, fairs and meetings that Madrid will host until the end of the year, the celebration of several meetings of the medical sector will stand out, as well as the largest air navigation congress in the world.
Specifically, this is ESTRO, the international congress organized by the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, which will bring together for the first time the professionals in radiation oncology, from doctors to therapists and nurses, from August 27 to 31 at Ifema Madrid. In addition, between October 9 and 11 another national congress will take place, that of the Spanish Society of Stomatological Prosthetics (SEPES).
At the international level, the World ATM Congress, promoted by the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) and the Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA), will hold its ninth edition from October 26th to 28th, returning to the face-to-face format at Ifema Madrid. In this case, in addition, its organizers have already confirmed that the 2022 and 2023 editions will be held in Madrid.
Before the end of 2021, the capital will also host the Global Telecommunications Conference (GLOBECOM) from December 7 to 11. According to these forecasts, the medical-scientific sector is one of the most established in Madrid's MICE sector, with the highest number of events expected to be organized, followed by the automotive and technology sectors.
The study promoted by Madrid Convention Bureau and prepared by Madison Market Research also includes an analysis of the evolution of the meetings tourism during the first four months of the year.
According to its conclusions, the establishments linked to this sector have been at an average of 19% of their capacity. All the professionals and companies that have participated in this report trust in vaccination as a guarantee for recovery.
One of the differentiating elements of Madrid's MICE sector is the commitment to legacy in order to leave a positive mark on the city beyond the holding of congresses. An aspect that is being promoted, as in the case of ESTRO, from the candidacy process and that contributes to the quality and leadership of the capital in this segment.
As explained by the City Council, the legacy allows the implementation of a set of actions designed to generate lasting benefit overtime for the host destination of the congress and all its inhabitants before, during and after its realization.
Thanks to this, according to the Consistory, the knowledge of congresses such as ESTRO or SEPES is already being spread between the scientific sector and the public. This is done through initiatives such as the creation of the most complete website on radiation oncology, in collaboration with the Spanish Society of Oncological Radiotherapy SEOR (ESTRO's local partner), or a series of campaigns to provide visibility to this medical speciality in the scientific environment of Madrid.
Another essential pillar in Madrid's meetings tourism strategy is added to the legacy: sustainability in events, not only from an ecological and environmental point of view, but also from the social one.
Madrid is also working on this aspect and wants to be a benchmark, with the implementation of tools such as the MICE Sustainability Guide, which offers practical information on some of the main actions that can be taken in this area to transform events held in Madrid into meetings with a positive long-term impact.
Madrid Convention Bureau (MCB) annually promotes some 70 applications for new congresses, of which approximately 70% end up confirming Madrid as the venue. At the same time, it supports and collaborates with almost 500 congresses a year.
