The future Fira de Barcelona also wants to attract medical and biomedical trade shows.

BarcelonaFira de Barcelona is looking towards a near future where it will be able to compete at the highest level of European and international exhibition centers. The organization is beginning to consider the new possibilities that will open up when it acquires the 60,000 square meters of the new Hall 0 at its Gran Via facilities in Hospitalet de Llobregat, and with the expansion in Montjuïc, coinciding with the centenary of the 1929 Barcelona International Equestrian Exposition. The institution is also working on attracting trade shows related to the world of medicine and biomedicine, following the success of the congresses it has hosted in recent years at the Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB).

"We are already a global benchmark for major medical congresses. Many have come and return. We are now very attentive, but for the moment we are waiting to receive more space, because we are fully booked until the expansions are completed," he explained during his presentation. Relat celebrated that, once the works at both venues are completed, Fira de Barcelona will have more than 300,000 square meters of exhibition space, the necessary amount to compete head-to-head with the other major trade fair venues in the world, and will go from being in the top 6 to be contested top 3. "The five major trade fairs that dominate the European and international scene are German, because there, the productive fabric of SMEs bases its growth plans on trade fairs as a transformative element," he said. Relat recalled that the expansion of Fira de Barcelona will allow for the growth of major trade shows and events that have become established in the Catalan capital in recent years, such as the Mobile World Congress (MWC)—which this year celebrates its twentieth anniversary in the city—and ISE, which also needs the space for its 50th anniversary—and others that the city hopes to attract. In fact, the president assures that the new dimensions will allow them to hold two trade shows simultaneously. Investments for growth

The first phase of the works at Montjuïc will begin in 2026 and will be completed in 2029, starting with the Alfonso XIII Pavilion, where a large auditorium will be built. Construction will also begin on the new Multifunctional Palace, which will be located in the current Pavilion 4 and the Congress Palace. Finally, the Palau del Vestit will house the Fira Innovation Hub to promote the arrival of new businesses. start-ups and companies linked to the trade shows organized by the entity. This first phase, Relat recalled, has a budget of 250 million euros.

Regarding the expansion of Gran Via, the president of Fira de Barcelona stated that the works on Hall 0 They will be ready during the first quarter of 2027 And next year, some final details will still need to be ironed out to obtain all the necessary certifications. Therefore, the new facilities—representing an investment of €360 million—would be fully operational in 2028.