- 96 International Trade Fairs to be Held in Spain in 2025
- * The Official Calendar of International Trade Fairs to be held in Spain this year, approved by the State Secretary of Commerce, has been published in the BOE
On February 5th, the Official State Gazette (BOE) published the “Resolution of January 27, 2025, from the State Secretary of Commerce, approving the Official Calendar of International Trade Fairs for 2025.”
The calendar comprises 96 international fairs, of which 87 (91%) are organized or hosted by members of the Spanish Trade Fairs Association (AFE). These will take place in: Barcelona, Bilbao, Elche, Madrid, Málaga, Seville, Silleda, Valencia, Valladolid, and Zaragoza.
AFE President Xabier Basañez stated: “At a time of favourable results and general optimism among sector operators, the publication of the official international fairs calendar once again shows that Spanish Trade Fairs Association members manage most international fairs held in Spain. Trade fairs continue to strengthen their role as essential commercial, communication, and marketing tools serving businesses, professionals, and the public who use them.”
The calendar includes trade fairs that will take place in our country this year, which have been granted “full international status” by this organization, which is part of the Ministry of Economy, Commerce and Business. To qualify, fairs must meet established criteria, mainly: having held at least three previous editions, proving through audited data that foreign direct exhibitors reach a minimum of 10% of the total or foreign visitors reach 5%, both indicators showing positive growth, having sector support, enabling access to new technologies, and receiving favourable reports from the Territorial Trade Office and ICEX.
Entire international status grants recognition and visibility to these fairs and customs benefits, meaning exhibitors from non-EU countries can temporarily display their products without paying tariffs. According to current legislation, inclusion in the Official Calendar is also necessary for fairs to benefit from subsidies allocated in the State General Budget for these purposes.
Besides full international status, the State Secretary of Commerce grants other trade fairs “international status for customs purposes,” which is communicated only to the relevant, fair organizers, providing them with the advantages of the aforementioned custom for their exhibitors. The number of fairs with international status for customs purposes in 2025 is 51.
The Spanish Trade Fairs Association currently has 44 members. The sector’s activity in Spain represents about 13 billion euros in annual economic impact (direct, indirect, and induced impacts), 6.5 billion euros contribution to GDP, and generates 123,000 direct and indirect jobs. Spain is one of Europe’s leading countries in trade fairs, alongside Germany, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom.
The Official Calendar of International Trade Fairs 2025 can be consulted at the following link and on the association’s website:
https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2025/02/05/pdfs/BOE-A-2025-2132.pdf
