FERIA DE MADRID: HISTORY AND PROGRESS
In spite of its status as Spain's political, economic and geographical centre, Madrid lacked any kind of fair activity up until the year 1980. This was the result of a decree that was passed in May 1943 that dictated the rules governing the staging of fairs and exhibitions in Spain and that excluded the city from the exhibition scene, which was mainly based in Valencia, Barcelona, Saragossa and Bilbao.
The political and economic changes that Spain witnessed after 1975 enabled Madrid to break this exclusivist arrangement. Thus, plans to create IFEMA began to be drawn up in 1978, the year in which talks commenced between the Chamber of Commerce and the City Council. These negotiations later incorporated the Provincial Council that existed at that time (today the Madrid Regional Government) and Madrid Savings and Loan (Caja de Madrid). On 1st December of that year, a Letter of Intentions was drawn up, featuring the steps that would be carried out the following year. On 6th February 1979, the Mayor of Madrid and the Heads of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Provincial Council and Madrid Savings and Loan signed a protocol with which to create Madrid's fair and exhibition body, "La Institución Ferial de Madrid (IFEMA)". On 27th February 1980, the State Government's Department of Industry approved the statutes. The process was thus completed for the statutes to be ratified by the Governing Board of IFEMA on 22nd May of that same year, with the definitive statutes being approved by the Spanish Cabinet on 27th April 1983.
Feria de Madrid continues to be governed by its four founding bodies. The participants in the consortium thus include the Madrid Regional Government, Madrid City Council and the Madrid Chamber of Commerce and Industry, each of which enjoys a 31% stake. Caja de Madrid holds the remaining 7% share. The four heads of these institutions form part of the bodies that oversee the running of IFEMA.
Infrastructures
Feria de Madrid began its activities back in 1980. It did so at the Exhibition Centre belonging to the Chamber of Commerce located along the Paseo de la Castellana, and at the facilities ceded by the City Council in the Casa de Campo: the Glass Pavilion; the International Pavilion, known as "La Pipa" or "The Pipe" due to its unusual shape; the Pavilion of the National Institute for Industry; the Food Pavilion; and the Argentinean Pavilion.
The pavilions that made up the fairground in the Casa de Campo were too small from the very beginning, which led to the creation of the modern facilities that belong to Feria de Madrid today. The conditioning works for the corresponding land began in July 1987 and in July 1988 work began on erecting the buildings that would make up Madrid's new fairground. The first events staged at these new facilities marked IFEMA's Tenth Anniversary. The new fairground was officially inaugurated by His Majesty King Juan Carlos in 1991.
Just nine years later, in 1999, and once again coinciding with an important commemoration, this time the Twentieth Anniversary of IFEMA, Feria de Madrid embarked on what could be considered to be a new stage in its development: an ambitious expansion project designed to significantly enhance its penetration within the international markets, based on a series of excellent facilities and a quality of service that constitutes a point of reference throughout Europe.
With regard to the expansion of Feria de Madrid, the intensive use of the space available at the Madrid fairground made it necessary to improve and expand IFEMA's infrastructures and facilities significantly. These improvements were officially inaugurated on 3rd April 2002 by the Head of the Madrid Regional Government, Alberto Ruiz Gallardón.
This expansion project led to the incorporation of two new halls, a new North Gate entrance and a new Congress Centre measuring more than 10,000 square metres. The gross exhibition space available at the fairground following this expansion phase came to around 150,000 m2. Furthermore, the parking facilities in the area were expanded, being moved to the two sides of the fairground and featuring a second level. The access roads from the surrounding motorways and the road network inside Feria de Madrid itself were also redesigned.
This expansion project entailed an investment of 95 million euros, all of which was paid out of the profits generated by IFEMA's activities.
With this expansion project, IFEMA approached the average figure regarding the amount of exhibition space available at European fairgrounds. The fairground's new size, as well as a desire to enhance the convenience and mobility of visitors to the various fairs, led IFEMA to redesign the Central Avenue at the fairground. It was in January 2004, the year in which IFEMA celebrated its Twenty-Fifth Anniversary, that these new improvements were inaugurated. Based on a budget of 10 million euros, some 800 metres of escalator-corridors were built in both directions in order to connect the two ends of the fairground. Furthermore, the service areas located along the Central Avenue were refurbished, along with the access-points from this Central Area to the different catering facilities and meeting-rooms located on the first floor of the Main Office Building, which was also refurbished.
Also in 2004, in view of the favourable progress of the institution's fair activities and the growth needs of its main events, IFEMA's Governing Board approved the budget for Expansion Project II at Feria de Madrid, valued at 120 million euros. This project entailed the construction of two new halls, Halls 12 and 14, which would increase the gross exhibition space available at the fairground by around 50,000 m2, bringing the total figure to 200,000 square metres. The project also included the creation of new parking areas for vehicles, meeting-rooms and catering and restaurant facilities. All of these new infrastructures entered into operation in September 2007. The second expansion phase entailed a final investment of 130 million euros.
Expansion Possibilities
In 2008, construction was completed on the tunnel that connects the north end of Feria de Madrid with Plot 16 in the Park of Valdebebas. This plot measures some 500,000 square metres, with building authorisation being in place for some 250,000 square metres. With the new tunnel, IFEMA has guaranteed the growth possibilities of its facilities, based on the medium- and long-term expansion needs that may emerge. In this respect, IFEMA also guarantees its growing impact on economic activity throughout the Region.
The connecting tunnel, whose construction entailed an investment of 3,086,864.08 euros on the part of IFEMA, was adjudicated to the joint venture company (U.T.E.) VÍAS-SAN JOSÉ, which commenced its building works underneath the M11 motorway in the month of March 2007, coinciding with the reshaping of the motorway itself. The tunnel, which joins the north end of Feria de Madrid with Plot 16 in the Park of Valdebebas, measures some 144.90 metres in length and features a minimum free height of 5 metres and a free width of 25 metres. Inside, the tunnel is designed as follows: two pedestrian pavements, each measuring 3 metres in width; a four-lane road; and a platform for light transport.
The current area for which building permission has been granted on Plot 16 in the Park of Valdebebas comes to 250,000 square metres. This would place IFEMA among the largest-capacity fairgrounds on the international circuit.
Human Capital
IFEMA is able to obtain optimum results from these excellent facilities thanks to the main driving-force behind its success: its human capital. Some 458 people currently work at IFEMA, organising and marketing the fairs and convention areas, as well as managing Feria de Madrid and its numerous support services. To this staff we must add many other companies that work in conjunction with IFEMA's teams, providing catering and restaurant services, security services, cleaning services, assembly services, freight transport, visitor attention services, etc. This highly professional team continues to innovate and enhance the services it offers on an almost daily basis.
Fair Activity
SICUR was the first newly created trade fair organized by IFEMA in 1980. The year the institution started out, the facilities at Feria de Madrid accommodated 15 trade fairs, which were visited by one million people and featured the participation of 2,200 exhibitors, distributed throughout a total net exhibition space measuring 93,000 square metres. The fairground currently hosts the staging of over 80 trade fairs a year, occupying more than 1.4 million square metres of net exhibition space and welcoming some 4.7 million visitors. Nevertheless, the figure that provides the best reflection of IFEMA's progress is its business turnover. During its first year of activity, IFEMA generated a total revenue of 1.4 million euros, whilst in 2008 its annual turnover amounted to 186 million euros.
Returning to IFEMA's fair activities, the figures that Feria de Madrid has generated throughout its 29-year history are quite impressive. Throughout this period, some 75 million visitors and more than 550,000 exhibiting companies have taken part at more than 1,300 fairs staged at IFEMA, which gives us a good idea of the degree of activity generated by this organisation and its favourable impact on the commercial development of the different economic sectors it caters for. We might also highlight IFEMA's impact on its immediate surrounding area, based on an indirect revenue figure of more than 17,000 million euros.
In the year 2008, some 82 events took place at Feria de Madrid. All the corresponding figures maintained the previous growth trend: a net exhibition area measuring 1.3 million square metres; almost 22,000 direct exhibitors and 4.2 million visitors, of whom 1.5 million were professionals.
IFEMA's secondary business activities consist of renting out its facilities for events of all kinds: congresses, conventions, product presentations, shareholders' meetings, etc. In this respect, following the inauguration of the North Convention Centre at Feria de Madrid in September 2002 and the East Convention Centre in 2007, IFEMA has confirmed its role as one of the largest venues for international meetings. The more than 13,000 square metres available for congresses, events, meetings and business presentations make these facilities the most complete and versatile throughout the city. Feria de Madrid has thus managed to boost its range of spaces and services as a Convention and Congress Centre (North, South and East), a field in which it also plays a leading role, as reflected by the more than 330 events a year that take place at its facilities, including congresses, conventions, conferences and other meetings of different kinds, both national and international.
International Positioning
IFEMA is the leading fair organiser in Spain, a status it has maintained since the year 1994. In this respect, Madrid has become one of the fair capitals of the world. Thus, it is important to highlight the fact that, according to the latest report published by the European Fair Observatory, CERMES, based at Luigi Bocconi University, IFEMA is the fourth most important organiser of international fairs, behind Messe Frankfurt, Messe Düsseldorf and Deutsche Messe Hanover.
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