Bilbao, the luxury of feeling at home

From the moment you arrive on your first inspection visit (and the airport transfer drops you off at the hotel door in twenty minutes) to the moment you design your programme and realise that most of the journeys can be made on foot (and among great architectural works!) you will rediscover the luxury in the simplicity, warmth and comfort that Bilbao offers the MICE industry. A formula that the sector seems to have fallen in love with, as Bilbao is experiencing a remarkable growth in tourism, always oriented towards becoming a city of values.

The Palacio de Congresos y de la Música and the BEC, its main venues

Do you know the venues in Bilbao? The Basque capital has a maximum capacity of 14,000 attendees, thanks to the versatility of its two main venues: the Euskaldun Bilbao Conference Centre and Concert Hall and the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC).

The first of these venues has a 1,770 m² stage equipped with movable and elevating platforms, a majestic auditorium with 2,164 seats and a large 4,200 m² exhibition hall, not to mention rooms of different sizes and specialised equipment. In addition, its spaciousness and open-plan character allow banquets for more than 2,000 people to be held on the same level.

The BEC is not far behind: this space has an exhibition area of 150,000 m2 distributed in 6 pavilions without columns. This large venue is complemented by other facilities such as the Bizkaia Arena and an 18,000 m2 convention centre with 14 halls divided into five levels and equipped with the most advanced communication systems.

Other venues for your event in Bilbao

Of course, the city has many more perfect options for smaller events: from works by great architects such as Bizkaia Aretoa (Álvaro Siza) and Torre Iberdrola ( César Pelli) to authentic heritage gems such as the Arriaga Theatre or the Campos Elíseos Theatre. But give free rein to your creativity with the rest of Bilbao’s spaces: a stadium with the latest technical advances (San Mamés), a private club ready to reveal some of its mysteries (Sociedad La Bilbaina), a winery on the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve (Berroja), an exclusive yacht club (Real Club Marítimo del Abra-Real Sporting Club), a unique residents’ playground (Yimby)…

And don’t forget the new additions to the Bilbao Convention Bureau: the Palacio Arriluce Hotel and the Itsasmendi Winery. On the one hand, the bourgeois palace from the beginning of the last century located in Getxo, which opened in October 2023, is a member of Leading Hotels of the World. This brand new five-star Grand Luxury hotel has 49 rooms, two lounges with natural light, as well as other spaces available for events such as the outdoor terrace, its extensive gardens, the croquet court or the private room in the cellar of its Delaunay restaurant, which is run by chef Beñat Ormaetxea.

For its part, Bodega Itsasmendi is an option that will not go unnoticed by wine lovers in general and txakoli lovers in particular. This innovative winegrowers’ cooperative opened in 2020 a winery with an elegant and sustainable design in the heart of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve that has several indoor and outdoor spaces for the organisation of tastings and other events. A true sanctuary among vineyards, framed by a bucolic riverside forest, it is home to several surprises such as a centuries-old chapel and an old press.

A unique culture and a thousand ways to discover it

It is impossible for Bilbao not to play a key role in the dynamisation of your event thanks to the wide variety of activities on offer for those attending. Its best hosts are the local DMCs, in love with their city, whose proposals range from classics such as architectural walks along the estuary, sailing out to sea to learn from experts about the profound economic, technological and architectural transformation that the city underwent… to active tourism experiences, visits to local farms or the chance to get to know and try your hand at Basque rural sports.

For those who prefer to enjoy the artistic options offered by the destination, the city has a great cultural agenda that enriches the social programme of any event. For lovers of performance? The Arriaga Theatre, recently awarded the Gold Medal of the Spanish Academy of Performing Arts, or Euskalduna Bilbao, which in addition to hosting the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra and the ABAO opera season (with interesting corporate and private services) will celebrate its silver jubilee in 2024 with a special cultural programme. And for lovers of painting? In addition to the famous Guggenheim Bilbao, the city has, among others, the contemporary art centre Azkuna Zentroa. It will be for options!

And don’t miss out on the novelties that the destination will present in 2024 with the reopening of the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum by Norman Foster and Luis María Uriarte, whose extension will gain 6,743 square metres of new construction of galleries, terraces and large covered halls that will house the institution’s extensive catalogue and host its intense cultural and public activity programme. In addition, the Basque Museum-Euskal Museoa, located in the heart of the Old Town, will see its surface area increased by 6,000 square metres, with its covered cloister taking centre stage and a strong commitment to technology and innovation.

A participatory path towards sustainability

Bilbao thinks green! Since joining the Global Destination Sustainability Index in 2021, the world’s leading ranking of sustainable destinations, the city has accepted the challenge of analysing and optimising the ecological and social footprint left by the meetings & events industry on its surroundings. Its Convention Bureau has integrated public institutions, MICE professionals and members of civil society in #BilbaoArimaBerdea, a participatory working group in permanent search of success stories, areas of cooperation and collective solutions for the MICE sector.

The results have led it to rank 24th among the most sustainable MICE cities – making it the first Spanish destination in the ranking – and they are determined to improve it. How? In 2023, Bilbao Convention Bureau and some twenty of its associates began their certification with Biosphere, an international standard that is widely recognised in the sector. They have also made available to event organisers a complete portfolio of sustainable tools aimed at promoting the inclusion of locally-based initiatives in their programmes. A proposal that has already achieved interesting collaborations in meetings, such as the 68th National Congress of the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy (SEFH).

Events with a strong Basque innovation presence

The interest of the hotel sector, with ten new openings that have increased its offer to 4,500 rooms, has allowed Bilbao to experience a 2023 of clear recovery in terms of meetings, incentives, congresses, conferences & events. A process in which energy events, closely linked to the intelligent specialisation of the Basque Country, have played a leading role. Examples? The European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC), supported by the Basque Government’s commitment to ocean energy; WindEurope, which also has a strong presence of the wind energy sector in the territory; or EHEC, linked to the public-private commitment to hydrogen as a fuel. These congresses, by the way, will be repeated next year. Moreover, the fact that the major conference and exhibition on energy transition, Enlit Europe, will be held in 2025 is a natural evolution of all this work.

Another sector that has been recovering in the destination is the health and bioscientific sector, which next year brings to Bilbao the Congress of the Spanish Society of Periodontology and Osseointegration (SEPA), the Conference of the European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health (ESC) or the 46th Congress of the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (SEMERGEN). Other congresses in the sector to be held in the city include the National Congress of the Spanish Society of Home Hospitalisation (SEHAD), the SEC Congress on Cardiovascular Health, the European Congress on Magnetic Resonance (EUROMAR) and the Conference on Cancer Metabolism (EACR), which will be held once again in Euskalduna Bilbao, coordinated by the bioGUNE Research Centre, based in the Bizkaia Science and Technology Park.

The city will also be hosting the 32nd edition of its Biennial Machine Tool Exhibition (BIEMH), the second most important industrial fair in Europe and the first in Spain. It will also demonstrate its strong strategic alliances by hosting the 2024 edition of the Economic Development Forum of the Eurocities Network, of which it has been an active member for two decades, and the second joint congress of the Association of Spanish Conference Centres (APCE) and the Association of Spanish Trade Fairs (AFE).

Did you know that Bilbao was voted Best European City by The Academy of Urbanism?

And no wonder: the city enjoys a privileged location, with excellent road connections with France and with several Spanish cities and regions. Its international airport, close and well connected, has direct flights to the main Europeanhubs . In addition, Bilbao’s average size and excellent urban planning make it possible to make most of the daily commutes on foot, but not because of urban mobility options! If you prefer, use its excellent public transport network (metro, tram and bus) to move around the city without hassle and in a sustainable way. Even visit the beach and other natural areas of great interest using one of these forms of transport!