As part of our Culture Roadshow for IBTM World 2022, we sat down with our finalists at the show to find out more about their destination, how the culture of their destination can inspire event planners and anything exciting coming up in 2023.
In this blog, we’re talking to the Barcelona Convention Bureau.
How is culture important to your destination?
Barcelona is a wonderful showcase of history, heritage and local traditions, and boasts a vibrant cultural scene.
Barcelona is a modern, cosmopolitan destination with its own distinctive lifestyle and a wide variety of cultural attractions.
The city’s streets and buildings are a rich showcase of art movements, from the styles of the Middle Ages – including Romanesque and Gothic – to the explosion of Catalonia’s home-grown art nouveau, modernisme, spearheaded by Gaudí, as well as numerous unique landmarks, like the Sagrada Família, La Pedrera and the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site.
It also has exhibition centres and museums, including the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, the Fundació Joan Miró and the Museu Picasso. Its rich and varied cultural scene brings us performances, live music, a wide range of festivals, local celebrations and traditions, classical music and opera, theatre and dance.
Do you have any specific new initiatives or projects on the way?
2023 has a clear focus on culture, as there will be several relevant anniversaries.
The year of Picasso in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of his death.
Centenary of the death of Domenech i Muntaner. He was an architect who was highly influential on Catalan Modernism.
His most famous buildings are the Hospital de Sant Pau and Palau de la Música Catalana. Both were designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Centenary of the birth of Antoni Tàpies. He was a Catalan painter and sculptor who became one of the most famous European artists of his generation.
In Barcelona, we have the Fundació Antoni Tàpìes, a museum dedicated to its works.
What sets your destination apart from the competition?
10 reasons to choose Barcelona:
- Quality of life. In Barcelona, you’ll enjoy a warm climate, distances that are easy to cover on foot or by bike, renowned cuisine that combines tradition and innovation and that love of design and culture you can see at every turn. Not for nothing is it one of the 10 best cities for ex-pats to live and work abroad!
- Connectivity. Barcelona’s prime location means it enjoys excellent transport links with the rest of the world. The airport operates connections with most Spanish and European cities, as well as major international routes. High-speed trains will take you to Madrid, Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse in the blink of an eye. The city has one of the most important cruise ports in the Mediterranean… Getting to Barcelona is so easy you won’t want to leave!
- Creativity. You can feel Barcelona’s historic and cultural past in its streets and buildings and at its museums and art centres. It’s a constant source of inspiration in Barcelona life. A cosmopolitan, dynamic, creative, sustainable and Mediterranean city with deeply rooted traditions… Barcelona has its eyes set on the future and reinvents itself every day.
- Cultural. Barcelona’s history and culture are complemented by its countless museums and art galleries, musicals, concerts and plays, renowned international festivals, outstanding architecture, 9 World Heritage sites and the traces left by world-famous geniuses like Picasso, Gaudí and Miró… Soak up the culture at every turn!
- Diversity. Barcelona has traditionally been a welcoming city. It is a linguistic melting pot that is home to 160 different nationalities. This dynamism is reflected in the friendly nature of its inhabitants and activism against inequalities, the defence of social rights, feminism and economic progress. Diversity is our watchword!
- Innovation. Barcelona is facing the future as one of the Mediterranean’s leading cities of knowledge. A smart city that is the headquarters of scientific and technological infrastructures, with 1,900 active start-ups in the ICT, leisure and health sectors.
- Sustainability. Barcelona is firmly committed to social and environmental sustainability and the defence of our cultural and natural heritage. We were the first destination in the world to obtain Biosphere Certification. It guarantees we manage tourism through programmes that implement energy-saving and energy-efficiency measures. We are also an accessible, barrier-free city for visitors with disabilities.
- Talent. The strength of the Barcelona economy lies in the character of its inhabitants. In Barcelona, local and global business and entrepreneurial initiatives, which have an impact on the small and large economy, will find the necessary support they need to take the path to success.
- Unique. Whichever way you look at it, since it was founded in Roman times until the present day, Barcelona has accumulated different layers of life that have gradually transformed its personality until it has become the city it is today: an open and inclusive meeting place, with an ambitious and enterprising spirit.
- Barcelona is much more. Nature and history, with all their diversity and tradition, come together in the city’s varied retail and cultural offerings. Close to Barcelona, you can discover the Pyrenees and their high-mountain trails, chapels and inland scenery, and the Mediterranean coast and its beaches… In the city and away from the city, there’s so much to discover!
How can your culture inspire event planners?
Barcelona has many striking and unique venues. Sites steeped in history and character like Gran Teatre del Liceu and Palau de la Música Catalana, Unesco World Heritage Sites like la Pedrera, Casa Batlló or the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site.
Event planners will find the perfect venue to put on their event in any of those unconventional and unique venues.