Exhibitions and conferences. With more than 40 years of history, Ifema Madrid has become a benchmark for organizing events across the country. There were more than 100 million visitors and 760 thousand companies that participated in a meeting in this space of the Spanish capital, which is now also strengthening its commitment to the quality of leisure tourism by organizing concerts and music festivals. Since the opening of this new line of business, in 2016, more than 150 shows have been staged with over five million visitors. “It has established itself as one of the main cultural and entertainment centers,” José Vicente de los Mozos, president of the venue’s executive committee, affirmed.
This year he took a firm step to consolidate that position. The Starlite Group and Ifema Madrid have signed an agreement to co-organize the Marbella’s Starlite Occident Festival and bring it to the capital in a new format called Christmas by Starlite. This event, which combines great concerts with an experience of culture and gastronomy, will feature superstars of international and national renown. It will take place from the 14th to the 16th of December and will feature a group of different international artists. Among those confirmed is British musician Sting, who will be performing a concert on the second day of the event, as part of his My Songs world tour.
“It is a great honor to join forces with a valuable brand Starlite recognized worldwide for its exquisite formula and exceptional assortment, and we have been chosen as a partner to co-organize this prestigious festival in Madrid,” explains de los Mozos. “We’ve wanted to bring the Starlite Occident DNA to Madrid for many years, only we couldn’t find the space that met our expectations, until we analyzed the huge opportunities of Ifema Madrid, which is why we launched,” adds Sandra García Sanjuan, Festival President and Starlite Founder. .
Starlite Occident is the most important music festival in Spain due to its great economic impact, media influence, number of attendees and its duration. In 2022, some 362,000 people recalled leaving an economic impact of more than €315 million, according to an analysis by consulting firm PwC. Since its first edition, in 2012, this meeting has received more than 1.7 million visits, created about 31,925 job opportunities, and contributed about 1,440 million euros to the national economy. According to the report, 48.3% of the audience is international, coming from 95 nationalities, highlighting the UK and Germany, the two nationalities most representative of international tourism in Marbella over the past decade. For its part, stand out among the national tourism that visits the festival (51.7%) Andalusia, Madrid, the Basque Country, the Valencian community and Catalonia.
Starlite Occident joins the full range of Ifema Madrid’s music meet-and-greets. Last year, the venue hosted 21 events of this kind, with more than a million visitors. This represents 6% of the Foundation’s income in 2022, and is expected to reach 8% in 2023. To continue supporting this venue, the Foundation is already working on the Ifema Madrid Bulevar project, which will host successful long-term events that have no venue in the center of the capital. This development includes five concert theaters and is expected to be completed within two to three years. The Spanish capital is now also a musical meeting point.
Tourism magnet
Madrid is among the 35 most visited cities in the world, with the proportion of tourists coming to the capital for leisure and entertainment rising to 1 in 4. Likewise, it has established itself as one of the most chosen destinations by both national travelers as well as internationals. , ahead of Barcelona, Seville, Valencia and Benidorm with an average of more than nine million visits per year, according to information provided by Ifema. “With the development of the series of entertainment events, a qualitative leap has been made in the commitment to a high-quality cultural and entertainment show,” says the Foundation. “This helps position the city at the forefront of the international circuit as a show tourism destination, a sector in which Spain currently ranks third in the world.”
Grupo Starlite will come to promote the destination, because its invitations are able to mobilize tourists from all over the world. Of Ifema, they affirm, “it is one of the main promoters of the music and entertainment events sector”. The company will raise the bar for musical events, as well as showcasing entertainment in the capital, Madrid. The organizers concluded that “from the moment attendees cross the doors of Christmas by Starlite, they will enter a world where illusion and magic know no bounds.”
The best songs
songsBy Sting, is a show that generates great expectations. The musician will perform some of the compositions that have made him famous throughout his career and that have led him to win 17 Grammy Awards, both with The Police and solo. After their six-night show at the London Palladium sold out, “My Songs” was hailed as a “master lesson” by times. During his tour, the British artist will be accompanied by an electric rock band, and the guest artist for this concert is Joe Sumner.
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