Fira de Barcelona recovered a large part of its activity in 2022, close to the turnover of 2019 -when a record income of 219 million euros was recorded- and after a complex 2021. In total, the institution billed 211 million in 2022, with an operating profit (ebitda) of 36.9 million euros, the maximum reached to date.
Both the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Fira, Pau Relat, and the General Director, Constantí Serrallonga, have valued these results given that the beginning of last year was still marked by the restrictions of the pandemic and some had to be cancelled. scheduled events.
“Even so, activity recovered quickly, exceeding our forecasts; being prepared and institutional complicity have been key", both underlined this Thursday, during the presentation of the last year of Fira together with the mayoress of Barcelona, Ada Colau, the Minister of Business and Labor, Roger Torrent, and the president of the Chamber , Mònica Roca, president and vice-presidents of the General Council of the institution respectively.
During 2022, more than 250 events were held at the Montjuïc, Gran Via and CCIB venues, including shows, congresses and other events, a calendar that opened the Mobile World Congress and was followed by large fairs such as Alimentaria, ISE or Seafood Global Expo. Regarding foreign activity, Fira co-organized events in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and the United States.
For this 2023 the organization hopes to reach 250 events again and consolidate the level of income of the last year. "We do not foresee great growth, it will be a year of consolidation", highlighted Serrallonga. The fairs already held, the upcoming celebration of Mobile -with high participation figures- and the arrival of new international events, such as the Shoptalk congress dedicated to retail, which will be held in May and has left London for Barcelona, will mark the activity. Among the pending remains, the complete recovery of the intercontinental visitor stands out, especially the Asian one.
This year the institution's large infrastructure projects will also be promoted, such as the expansion of the Gran Via campus by more than 60,000 square meters. The works have already begun with the demolition of the building where most of the new pavilion will be located. In parallel, the transformation of the Montjuïc facilities will be undertaken to turn them into a single venue. The objective is to finish these works in 2029, coinciding with the centenary of the Barcelona International Exposition.
The expansion works of Gran Via will be carried out by Fira 2000, a public limited company 51% owned by the Generalitat and which also includes the Barcelona and L'Hospitalet de Llobregat city councils, the Barcelona Provincial Council and the Chamber of Barcelona. The recent appointment of the new general director, David Poudevida, has generated controversy, since he has not had the agreement of all the actors. The Generalitat ended up asserting its majority in society to make the change.
Both Colau and Roca have today asked the Generalitat to work "to maintain the consensus" that characterizes the institution. "Nobody disputes the legitimacy of the Generalitat to make appointments, but we believe that it is better to maintain the tradition of seeking the maximum consensus", highlighted the mayoress of Barcelona. "Such an important organization deserves that consensus be maintained in these decisions", added the president of the Chamber. For his part, the Minister of Work and Business, Roger Torrent, has defended the authority of the Generalitat to make the appropriate changes and appointments in positions of trust. "There is the legitimacy and responsibility of making a proposal and the spirit of collaboration", he highlighted.
