AS THE NEWEST MEMBER of the BestCities Global Alliance, Madrid has lots to celebrate. Already ranked by the International Congress and Convention Association as the fifth city in the world for international event organizing, Madrid just boosted its MICE profile with a renewed commitment to hosting by being welcomed into the alliance. BestCities board chair Jonas Wilstrup calls Spain’s capital one of the best-equipped international conference destinations in the world.

“The combination of the exceptional work by the Madrid Convention Bureau, supported by the city’s premier meeting venues, modern infrastructure and rich cultural offering, make it the ideal candidate to join the BestCities family,” Wilstrup said.

Long Spain’s international business center, Madrid now hosts more than 40 percent of foreign companies in the country, including 2,000 multinationals. Its influence and location mean visitors can reach nearly every corner of the country with ease — high-speed AVE trains connect to Barcelona and Seville in less than three hours. And it’s no wonder the lure of this meeting destination keeps growing when the city has so much to offer: Its 20,000 bars, 13 Michelin-starred restaurants and nearly 3,000 hours of sunshine annually add up to a famously high quality of life.

Amid four consecutive years of record-breaking tourism — last year Spain was the third-most visited country in the world with more than 75 million tourists — the capital also experienced a surge in business travelers to its state-of-the-art facilities. Its premier convention center, Centro de Congresos Príncipe Felipe, includes a leisure center with paddle courts, swimming pool, gym, sauna and music lounge that complement its meeting area of 166,840 square feet. Located on the ground floor of the Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel, the center boasts 56 meeting rooms and an auditorium with a capacity of 2,000.

InterContinental Madrid entrance © INTERCONTINENTAL MADRID

However, 2016’s World Travel Award Best MICE Hotel in Spain might be your best bet. InterContinental Madrid was the first international hotel in Europe in 1953, opening in a remodeled 19thcentury palace owned by a marquis. With original floors, marble tables, mirrors, lamps, fireplaces and other furnishings, it preserves the old-world magnetism that drew Hollywood’s biggest stars during its Golden Age.

Nowadays, it is one of the most luxurious sites to host an event, with 15 meeting rooms — a third of which were renovated just last year — that implement cuttingedge technology like e-proposals and 3D interactive floor plans. Its Sunday brunch and Art Deco ballroom that accommodates 600 people are famous among Madrileños.

“InterContinental Madrid and its more than 60 years of history have maintained a strict commitment to this sector since its beginnings,” said Manrique Rodríguez, manager, InterContinental Madrid. “It is vital for us to continue to connect with the business traveler and customer, as day by day they evolve and expect different types of services.”

The Westin Palace Madrid also boasts ample meeting space including 20 venues, the largest of which measures 6,297 square feet with a capacity of 800. Built by King Alfonso XIII in 1912, its Belle Époque style culminates in a beautiful glass dome. Located amid Madrid’s triumvirate of world-class art museums — the Prado, the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornemisza — The Westin is perfect for any cultural event in a city that’s known for its vibrant cultural offerings.

UNIQUE VENUES

The Madrid Convention Bureau maintains an English-language website full of instructions on how to make the most of your MICE visit, including event-focused maps, detailed information on venues, and support services for planning your event.
esmadrid.com/mcb

If you’re looking to capture your attendees’ imaginations, the Museo Thyssen- Bornemisza lets you pair your event with an add-on private tour of its world-class galleries at a time when the museum is closed to the general public. After the tour, your guests can enjoy a cocktail party in one of the comfortable reception rooms.
museothyssen.org

The IFEMA Convenciones y Congresos, with fairgrounds in the city center, welcomed 2.3 million visitors last year. Its new space, The Catwalk, ideal for dynamic events where you can surprise the audience, seats 720 people and provides additional space for setting up a cocktail area, a product launch or anything else you can imagine.
ifema.es/convencionesycongresos_01

Kinépolis Madrid cinema complex offers one of the best settings for audiovisual presentations. It features 25 screening rooms/amphitheaters with capacities ranging from 200 to 964 attendees plus three reception spaces accommodating 170 to 1,500 standing or 85 to 800 seated guests. Perhaps most exciting is the opportunity to host your event in the city’s soccer stadium, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, home of Real Madrid C.F. With seating for from two to 80,000, the choice is yours.
realmadrid.com/en/santiago-bernabeu-stadium