Economic results
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Fira de Barcelona
achieved record
revenue in 2014
EWEA (devoted to wind power), VM World and
the European Cardiology Congress, also made
substantial contributions to the high level of
activity achieved.
The international strategy, understood as
the "export" of Fira’s activity and experience,
produced outstanding results in 2014, with
the organisation, amongst others, of two
events in Qatar, the Motor and Jewellery and
Watches shows, to considerable success. This
encourages expectations of significant future
growth in this business line. We should also
note the celebration of editions of the Smart City
Expo World Congress in several countries and
Alimentaria in Mexico, as well as the consultancy
services provided to several venues.
A global operator
Overall, expenditure evolves in line with revenue,
by business line, and this proportionality is key
to determining the net income or EBITDA.
As previously noted, recent years have
been marked by a change in the mix, in the
components that make up turnover. Fira is
becoming a global operator that assists the
work of exhibitors/organisers, providing a
wide range of services that complement and
generate added value to their participation or
organisation. We should also note, however,
that the provision of services and restaurant
facilities, for example, is very different from the
"production" of shows, as an increase in sales
of services and catering facilities necessarily
entails an increase in expenditure linked to their
provision or production. This is highly significant
relatively, although, in absolute terms, in a year
with so much activity as 2014, it enabled the
institution to achieve extraordinary results.
It is thanks, then, to this high level of activity
that an EBITDA of 19.8 million euros was
generated in 2014, a much higher figure than in
previous years, when it ranged between 10 and
11 million euros.
As regards the investments made in
2014, these totalled 2.8 million euros. Major
investments included 516,000 euros devoted
to information systems, especially a new CRM
to improve service and customer experience.
Moreover, 537,000 euros were invested in the
construction and equipment of a series of rooms
to provide services and greater flexibility in
Pavilion 7 at the Gran Via venue. Other notable
investment included acquisition of the Bridal
Week and Noviaespaña brands which meant
that, for the first time, Fira de Barcelona was
able to organise the show entirely under the
institution’s own responsibility.
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