The Conference Centre increases its international congresses by 75%

The Valencia Conference Centre consolidated the number of international congresses and corporate conventions held at the venue in the first seven months of the year. Likewise, thanks to the excellent turnover figures, the Centre will be able to repay part of the debt it has with private entities.

During the Valencia Conference Centre’s board meeting held today, the management report for the first seven months of the year was presented. According to this report, a total of 62 events were held, which were attended by 55,703 people. These figures reveal very strong growth in the number of conventions, which went up by 150%, and the marked international flavour of the events staged, mainly international congresses, which grew by 75%, compared to the same period in 2017. International events now account for 42% of the venue’s total turnover.

Based on these figures and thanks to the €614,277 profit obtained by the venue in 2017, the Board has approved the management proposal to allocate €487,734.05 to repay part of the Centre’s private debt commitments.

According to Sandra Gómez, the Chairwoman of the Valencia Conference Centre’s Board of Directors, one of the most important details to come out of the report is “the excellent customer satisfaction ratings. This fact has enabled the Valencian venue to be chosen as the World’s Best Convention Centre by the International Association of Conference Centres (AIPC) for the second time in its history”. In the words of Gómez, “this award makes a huge difference when competing with a growing number of centres on the market, and puts the Conference Centre at the very top of the international congress venue ranking.”  

 This award is a result of the joint efforts of the entire team that works at the Centre. The sales department, for example, has carried out numerous initiatives including participation in the industry’s main forums and fairs, a number of relationship marketing activities, and 421 national and international sales and inspection visits. The Centre has presented 65 bids, and has won 29 bids to stage different events, including the Longevity World Forum 2018, the Post Ash 2019 American Society of Hematology, the European Conference on Networks and Communications 2019, and the European Knee Society Conference 2019.

These and other actions are part of the venue’s 2018-2020 Strategic Plan, which was also presented at the meeting and was approved by the Board of Directors. This document describes the Centre’s raison d’être, its vision of the future, the main characteristics of its operations, and the stakeholders with whom it wishes to interact and contribute to the creation of value for society. Based on a SWOT analysis of the environment, the Plan defines the institutional and strategic objectives that shape the venue’s approach. These objectives demonstrate the Centre’s commitment to society, generating economic impact through its work, enhancing the city’s status as a prestige tourist destination, maximising customer satisfaction and providing sustainable and efficient infrastructures.

The Centre’s Managing Director, Sylvia Andrés, stressed that “the investments made by the Valencia City Council have made the venue more competitive, which has, in turn, increased business, and has brought excellent prospects for the future. This also means we can reduce our volume of debt faster than expected. Currently”, Andrés added, “Valencia has a conference centre with top-class infrastructures and a highly committed workforce, whose efforts have been rewarded with the best prize we could ever have dreamed of to celebrate our 20^th Anniversary.”