Madrid trade show and congress calendar 2027: dates, venues and peak weeks

In Madrid, the trade show year revolves around IFEMA. In 2025 the exhibition centre hosted around 700 events, including 75 trade shows and 14 congresses, with 27,670 exhibiting companies, according to IFEMA. Add to that the congresses spread across hotels, universities and palaces, and the major sporting events that fill the city. If you are planning a convention, an incentive or a client dinner in 2027, check your dates against this calendar first.

Which trade shows and congresses are in Madrid in 2027?

These are the events with the greatest impact on hotels, transport and venues. The dates come from the IFEMA calendar, the Madrid Convention Bureau congress calendar and each organiser's official website, checked on 15 October 2026. Where an event has not yet published its 2027 dates, we mark it TBC. We do not infer dates from previous editions.

The tables are arranged by month. After each one we add what you need to know about that month if you are organising a company event.

January

FITUR is the first big week of the year. In 2026 it drew more than 255,000 visitors, with over 10,000 companies from 161 countries and 967 main exhibitors, according to IFEMA's results. The organisers estimate an economic impact of 505 million euros on the city. The CEO summit of UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, appears in the Madrid Convention Bureau calendar with 200 attendees and the venue still to be decided.

February

February is dominated by fashion, gifts and food. In 2027 Meat Attraction joins Anuga Select Ibérica for the first time, the joint project of IFEMA and Koelnmesse, across four halls, according to IFEMA. The student conference at Kinépolis expects 2,500 attendees according to Madrid Convention Bureau.

March

The first week of March is one of the busiest of the year. HIP expects more than 65,000 business owners and executives and 1,200 exhibitors according to its organisers, and it overlaps with ARCOmadrid, which in 2026 brought together 211 galleries from 30 countries and around 95,000 visitors, 40,000 of them professionals. The world congress on dual disorders expects 2,000 attendees at the Meliá Castilla, plus 800 at the Spanish national congress. esMADRID places the MBFWMadrid catwalk shows and Infarma in March, but without published dates. Rebuild drew 32,487 professionals and 758 exhibiting companies in 2026, according to the show. Easter week 2027 runs from 21 to 28 March.

April

The EDCTP Forum expects 1,500 participants, mainly from Africa and Europe, according to Global Health EDCTP3. Motortec closed 2025 with 65,514 professionals from 80 countries and 710 companies. The second half of April brings the Mutua Madrid Open at the Caja Mágica and Salón Gourmets, which in 2025 welcomed more than 117,000 trade visitors and 2,097 exhibitors.

May

FEINDEF is biennial, and its 2025 edition drew more than 43,000 trade visitors, with almost 630 companies from 68 countries, according to the organisers. The next edition will be its fifth. The ESES conference is held at the Círculo de Bellas Artes. IATA's IGHC expects more than 800 delegates from airlines and ground handling companies at the Marriott Auditorium.

June

The Champions League final is played on Saturday 5 June 2027 at the Estadio Metropolitano, according to UEFA. Expect a weekend of very high occupancy, with supporters of two clubs and sponsors' hospitality programmes. Global Mobility Call, which used to be held in June, has no 2027 edition: its website announces the next one for 6 to 8 June 2028.

July and August

July and August are quiet months for trade shows at IFEMA. The congresses in those weeks are academic and mid-sized. For companies, the first half of July still works; August is the holiday month in Spain.

September

September 2027 has three major dates. The FIDES hemispheric insurance conference expects 2,000 attendees at the Marriott Auditorium. The F1 Grand Prix takes place at MADRING from 10 to 12 September, according to its organisers. MADRING sits in the IFEMA area, and IFEMA already included the Grand Prix in its 2026 calendar, so that week it is worth checking access routes and road closures around Campo de las Naciones and Valdebebas. The EAO congress expects 5,000 attendees.

October

Fruit Attraction is one of IFEMA's most international shows: in 2025 it brought together 2,485 exhibitors from 64 countries and more than 120,000 visitors, according to IFEMA. Its 2027 dates have not been published. The congress of the ESCRS, the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, is the largest congress announced in Madrid for 2027: 10,000 expected attendees according to Madrid Convention Bureau. 12 October, Spain's national holiday, falls on a Tuesday.

November and December

SIMO Educación holds its 12th edition in November 2026 and has not yet published the 2027 one. The AVEPA congress expects 1,800 attendees. December has no major trade shows, but the first two weeks are company Christmas dinner season, with the 6 and 8 December bank holidays in between.

What is not happening in 2027

So you do not plan around dates that do not exist, here is what is not taking place in Madrid in 2027:

• Global Mobility Call: next edition from 6 to 8 June 2028 at IFEMA.
• Expodental: the IFEMA calendar lists it for 22 to 24 March 2028.
• ESMO Congress: held at IFEMA from 23 to 27 October 2026, not in 2027. Madrid Convention Bureau expects 37,000 delegates.

Which weeks in 2027 put most pressure on hotels?

What moves the hotel market is not the number of shows but how many out-of-town visitors are sleeping in the city at the same time. This is our reading for 2027, based on the published size of each event and its international weight. Use it as a starting point and request real availability before you decide.

Two points specific to Madrid. First, the IFEMA exhibition centre is 4 km from the airport, according to Madrid Convention Bureau, so in show weeks the hotels in Campo de las Naciones, Barajas and Avenida de América fill up first. Second, the big medical congresses take over several hotels at once and need rooms for satellite symposia and industry dinners. If your event coincides with ESCRS or EAO, private dining venues will be the first to sell out.

Month by month: when each format fits best

Internal convention or sales kick-off. The second half of January, after FITUR, and the week of 8 to 12 February are good windows. So is the second half of March up to Easter.

Incentive with international clients. May, June (away from 5 June) and late September. Madrid enjoys around 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, according to Madrid Convention Bureau, but July and August are hot for outdoor activities.

Gala dinner or brand party. October and November work well outside the ESCRS and AVEPA weeks. December suits year-end celebrations if you book the venue before the summer.

Small leadership meeting. Any week without a major show. With groups of 20 to 50 people there is room even in high season, but the five-star hotels along the Castellana fill up in congress weeks.

Looking for a hotel? We compare them in the best convention hotels in Madrid. Need a venue? See the convention centre comparison.

Avoid the trade show or make the most of it?

Both strategies work. It depends on who your audience is.

Avoiding the show makes sense if you are organising an internal convention, a leadership meeting or an incentive unrelated to that sector. You gain availability, better contract terms and a city that moves more easily.

Making the most of the show makes sense when your clients, distributors or partners are already travelling to Madrid for it. FITUR, FEINDEF, Fruit Attraction, Salón Gourmets or a major medical congress such as ESCRS bring buyers and executives from all over the world to the city. A private dinner, a distributor meeting or a product presentation a few minutes from the venue makes the most of a trip that is already paid for.

The MC Group team, our group, produces brand events every year during ISE and MWC in Barcelona for Logitech, Microsoft and Yealink. Those weeks have taught us four rules that apply equally in Madrid:

• Your guests are on the stand until 6 or 7 pm. The event starts late and has to be close to the venue or have transport sorted.
• You are competing with other brands for the same evenings. The middle nights of the show are the most contested.
• Send invitations 6 to 8 weeks ahead, before your clients fill their show diary.
• Lock in coaches, hostesses and technicians with a signed contract: they are scarce in show week.

We go into more detail in our trade show and congress events service.

Booking timeline for an event in 2027

This is the work plan we propose for a convention or satellite event of 100 to 500 people. In weeks with a major trade show or congress, bring each step forward by three to six months.

Checklist if your event coincides with a major trade show

• Confirm the show's build-up and breakdown dates, not just the opening days.
• Ask the hotel for its specific cancellation policy for those dates.
• Book coaches and transfers well in advance.
• Allow extra journey time between the city centre, the Castellana and the IFEMA area at rush hour.
• Check whether the F1 Grand Prix or a match at the Metropolitano affects your access routes.
• Send the invitation before your clients fill their show diary.
• Apply early for council permits if you are using public spaces or outdoor areas.
• Have a back-up venue in case that week's big congress expands its exhibition area.

Where to accommodate and meet your group

If your event is linked to IFEMA, the IFEMA MADRID exhibition centre itself and the Palacio Municipal cut down on transfers, as does the Madrid Marriott Auditorium, with 869 rooms next to the airport. If your group has nothing to do with the show, moving away from the exhibition centre helps: the historic centre and the Castellana have hotels with large function rooms. You will find our selection in convention hotels and the destination data in MICE in Madrid.

How we keep this calendar up to date

We check the dates with IFEMA, Madrid Convention Bureau and each organiser's website. We mark as TBC anything that has not been published, even if the show takes place in the same month every year. We review the tables every quarter.

Would you like us to check your dates? Tell us what event you have in mind and we will send you a proposal within 24 business hours via our contact page. Our team has more than 20 years' experience organising conventions, congresses and incentives, and has organised more than 100 corporate events in Madrid.

Sources

1. IFEMA MADRID: trade show calendar
2. Madrid Convention Bureau: congress calendar 2027
3. IFEMA: FITUR 2027, 20-24 January (launch)
4. IFEMA: FITUR 2026 results
5. IFEMA: ARCOmadrid 2027, dates and opening hours
6. IFEMA: ARCOmadrid 2026 results
7. IFEMA: Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España 2027
8. IFEMA: Meat Attraction joins Anuga Select Ibérica in 2027
9. IFEMA: MOMAD, next edition 4-6 February 2027
10. HIP 2027: 1-3 March, IFEMA Madrid (press release)
11. Rebuild: Rebuild 2026 in review and 2027 dates
12. Grupo Gourmets: rules of the 40th Salón Gourmets (26-29 April 2027)
13. FEINDEF: FEINDEF 27, 18-20 May 2027 (press release)
14. IFEMA: Motortec 2025 closes with record participation
15. IFEMA: 2025 growth and turnover
16. EDCTP3: the 13th EDCTP Forum, 5-9 April 2027 in Madrid
17. IATA: Ground Handling Conference 2027, Madrid
18. EAO: EAO Congress 2027, Madrid
19. UEFA: 2027 Champions League final at Estadio Metropolitano
20. MADRING: F1 Spanish Grand Prix, 10-12 September 2027
21. esMADRID: Mutua Madrid Open 2027
22. esMADRID: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid, March 2027 (TBC)
23. esMADRID: Infarma Madrid 2027 (TBC)
24. IFEMA: Global Mobility Call, next edition 6-8 June 2028
25. IFEMA: Fruit Attraction 2026, frequently asked questions
26. IFEMA: SIMO Educación 2026