What kind of convention do you need?
The word convention covers very different formats. Giving them a name helps you get the venue and the length right.
| Type | Objective | Typical attendance | Typical length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales kick-off | Start the year with clear targets and energy | 80 to 600 sales staff | 1 or 2 days |
| Annual company meeting | Share results and strategy with the whole workforce | 200 to 2,000 people | 1 day |
| Distributor convention | Present new products and strengthen the relationship with the channel | 50 to 400 guests | 2 days |
| Leadership meeting | Work on strategy with the senior team | 15 to 80 people | 1 to 3 days |
| International convention | Bring together subsidiaries from several countries | 150 to 1,000 people | 2 to 4 days |
A one-day convention for Madrid-based teams can be done without a hotel. As soon as part of the group is coming from other cities, the hotel night changes the logistics, the budget and the opportunity too: dinner together the night before often does more for the team than an extra hour of presentations.
How do we organise a convention?
- Brief. Objective, audience, dates, number of attendees, where they are coming from and budget.
- Proposal within 24 business hours. Concept, two or three venues with availability, a sample agenda and an itemised estimate.
- Design. Full running order, set design, content, speakers, interactive sessions and the closing night.
- Production. Contracting the venue, hotel and suppliers, attendee registration, materials and rehearsals.
- The convention. Our team on site from the build, stage management, technical control and transfer coordination.
- Wrap-up. Attendee survey, itemised final account and a lessons-learnt report.
Where should you hold a convention in Madrid?
Madrid has a wide range of convention venues spread across several areas. Choosing the area matters as much as choosing the building.
- Campo de las Naciones and the IFEMA area. Close to the airport, with convention hotels and the Palacio Municipal de IFEMA for large plenaries. Very practical for groups arriving by air.
- Northern Castellana and Cuatro Torres. High-rise hotels with large ballrooms, such as the Eurostars Madrid Tower, close to Chamartín station.
- Chamartín and Cuzco. Classic convention hotels such as the NH Collection Eurobuilding and the Meliá Castilla, with good links to the centre.
- A-2 corridor. The Madrid Marriott Auditorium, with an auditorium for 2,000 people and 869 bedrooms, for large conventions with everything under one roof.
- Pozuelo de Alarcón. Kinépolis Madrid, with 25 cinema screens, for plenaries with large-format projection.
- Historic centre. Venues with character such as the Círculo de Bellas Artes and the Casino de Madrid, for smaller conventions or the closing night.
You will find the full comparison under convention hotels and in the guide to the best convention hotels in Madrid.
The convention night
The closing dinner is the moment the team remembers. We suggest venues different from the one used for the sessions, so that the change of scene marks the end of the working part: a palace in the centre, a former slaughterhouse turned cultural centre, a rooftop terrace or a historic factory. If there are awards, we split them into short blocks between courses and produce them with the same running order as the plenary. For shows and performers we work with Mr. Fenómeno, a sister brand that performs in Madrid.
[re] Conventions Experience, our own format
If you want a convention that goes beyond the hotel ballroom, [re] Conventions Experience is the format MC Group has developed: venues with character, post-congress dinners and activities, turnkey production and networking designed so that connections happen. In Madrid it is produced by the ECM team, with dedicated staff and event planners in the city.
What we usually advise
- Set the date with the IFEMA calendar in front of you. FITUR, ARCOmadrid or a large medical congress change hotel availability across the whole city. See the Madrid trade show calendar 2027.
- Count capacity using the real set-up. A room for 1,000 people theatre-style takes far fewer for a banquet or with a large stage.
- Give the programme room to breathe. Thirty-minute breaks and some free time before dinner improve attention more than an extra session.
- Rehearse with speakers on stage, not just with the slides. Ten minutes of rehearsal prevents a lot of awkward silences.
- Plan transfers around real traffic. Between IFEMA and the centre, the departure time decides how long the journey takes.
- Measure when it is over. A short survey on the day gives useful information for the next edition.
Do you already have dates and numbers? Tell us about your convention and we will send you a first proposal within 24 business hours.
