When a company or an association prepares an event in Barcelona, it usually comes across four types of supplier who present themselves in similar ways: PCO, DMC, event agency and venue finder. They do different things, charge in different ways and it pays to know which one you need before requesting proposals. This guide explains it with a comparison and a glossary of the MICE terms you will find in quotes and contracts.
Definitions in one sentence
- PCO (professional congress organiser; OPC in Spanish). Manages the technical and logistical organisation of a congress or association meeting: venue, congress secretariat, registration, scientific abstracts, accommodation, sponsorship and budget. IAPCO, the industry's international association, brings together companies that demonstrate they deliver PCO services to quality standards.
- DMC (destination management company). A local company that delivers services in the destination. The MPI glossary defines it as a local partner that provides destination services such as transport. In practice: transfers, activities, excursions, restaurants, guides, suppliers and operations on the ground.
- Event agency. Designs and produces the event: concept, message, set design, technical production, content, entertainment and attendee experience.
- Venue finder. Sources, compares and negotiates venues and hotels. Their work generally ends when the contract with the venue is signed.
Alongside these four there is a public body: the convention bureau. In Barcelona, the Barcelona Convention Bureau (Turisme de Barcelona) and the Catalunya Convention Bureau (Agència Catalana de Turisme) advise organisers free of charge, coordinate site inspections and support congress bids. They do not organise the event, but they open doors.
Comparison: scope, when to hire and typical clients
| PCO | DMC | Event agency | Venue finder | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | How do I organise the entire congress? | Who handles everything in the destination? | How do I make the event communicate and work? | Where do I hold it and at what price? |
| Main scope | Congress secretariat, registration, abstracts, venue, hotels, sponsorship, budget | Transfers, activities, restaurants, local suppliers, guides, operations | Concept, creative, set design, technical, content, production | Venue sourcing, comparison, negotiation, contract |
| When to hire | 18 to 24 months before an international congress | When the group comes from elsewhere and needs local operations | When the event has a communication or brand objective | At the start, if you already have a team to produce it |
| Typical clients | Scientific societies, professional associations, pharmaceutical and technology companies | International agencies, foreign companies, incentive organisers | Marketing, internal communications and sales departments | Companies with their own in-house events team |
| Typical formats | Congresses, symposia, scientific meetings | Incentives, company trips, congress social programmes | Conventions, launches, galas, anniversaries | Meetings, seminars, hotel conventions |
| How they usually charge | Management fees, sometimes with a variable element based on registrations | Margin on destination services or fees | Creative and production fees | Commission from the venue or hotel, or fees |
| Risk if you get it wrong | Delays to the programme, accreditation or sponsorship income | Improvised or subcontracted operations without control | A beautiful event that misses its objective | A venue that is right on price but wrong for the format |
What do you need for your event?
| If your event is... | You mainly need | And also |
|---|---|---|
| A scientific society congress with 1,000 delegates | PCO | DMC for the social programme and transfers |
| A sales convention for 300 people coming from other countries | An event agency with DMC capability | A venue finder only if you have no agency |
| An incentive trip for 80 people | DMC | An agency if there is a gala or a brand moment |
| A product launch with press | Event agency | DMC if there are international guests |
| A leadership meeting for 25 people | Venue finder or agency | DMC for dinner and an activity |
| A bid for an international congress | PCO with the support of the convention bureau |
How do we cover each role at ECB?
At ECB we work as a PCO, as a DMC and as an event agency in Barcelona, with a single team. That does not mean we always do everything: we define the scope with you.
- As a PCO: we organise congresses in Barcelona with congress secretariat, accommodation, sponsorship, production and social programme. One example is Establishment Labs' WSEI congress.
- As a DMC: we deliver in-destination services for incentives, conventions and congresses: transfers, activities, restaurants, guides and suppliers. We explain it on our DMC in Barcelona page and in the guide how to choose a DMC in Barcelona.
- As an event agency: we create and produce corporate events, conventions, product launches and gala dinners. Our own format, [re] Conventions Experience, brings together content, spectacular locations, turnkey set-ups, dinners and post-congress activities.
- Venue sourcing: is part of our proposals. You can start yourself with our venue finder.
Other roles you will come across
- Travel management company (TMC). Manages a company's business travel: flights, hotels and travel policies. At an event it usually handles attendees' tickets, and it should be coordinated with the DMC so that arrivals and transfers line up.
- Incentive house. An agency specialising in designing incentive programmes for companies, usually in the group's home country. To operate in Barcelona it works with a local DMC.
- Technical production company. A company providing AV, staging, lighting and streaming. It supplies PCOs and agencies; for complex events it rarely contracts directly with the end client.
- Congress secretariat. Part of the PCO's work (registration, delegate support, abstracts), and some associations run it in-house.
- Hotel or venue with an events department. Many hotels offer fixed packages with a meeting room, basic AV and catering. They work well for simple meetings; for conventions or congresses with their own programme, they are complemented by a PCO or an agency.
Questions to ask when choosing a supplier
- Do you have your own team in Barcelona or do you subcontract local operations?
- Who will be my point of contact from proposal to final reconciliation?
- How do you charge: fees, margin on services or supplier commission?
- Can I see case studies similar to mine in size and format?
- What does your proposal include and what is left out?
- How do you handle changes to attendees, cancellations and hotel penalties?
- What happens if there is a problem on the day of the event? Who decides?
How the work is split at a real congress
At an international congress several roles usually work side by side. This is a typical split when the PCO does not also act as the DMC:
| Task | Committee | PCO | DMC | Venue | Convention bureau |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bid | Decides | Prepares | Pre-contract | Supports | |
| Scientific programme | Decides | Structure and timeline | |||
| Registration and abstracts | Approves | Manages | |||
| Venue contract | Signs | Negotiates | Offers | Advises | |
| Hotel room blocks | Approves | Negotiates and monitors | Sometimes manages | Advises | |
| Transfers and excursions | Coordinates | Operates | |||
| Social programme | Approves | Designs | Operates | Depending on the space | |
| Sponsorship | Sets policy | Sells and manages | |||
| Technical production | Contracts and directs | In-house services | |||
| Final reconciliation | Approves | Prepares | Invoices services | Invoices |
When a single supplier covers both PCO and DMC, as we do, the boundaries in the table disappear and there is one person responsible for the delegate's entire journey.
Warning signs in a proposal
- A fixed price with no breakdown. Without line items you cannot compare or adjust.
- No named individuals. If the proposal does not say who your point of contact will be, it will probably change.
- Everything subcontracted. Subcontracting suppliers is normal; subcontracting coordination in the destination is not.
- Hotel terms without cut-off dates or penalties. This is where unforeseen costs appear later.
- Case studies without verifiable details. Ask for examples of a similar size and format to yours, with the client's name where possible.
- Promises of availability during trade show weeks without a written option.
MICE glossary
Terms that appear in proposals, contracts and conversations with venues and hotels. We explain them as they are used day to day in Barcelona, with the Spanish term where you are likely to see it in local documents.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| MICE | Meetings, Incentives, Conferences/Conventions, Exhibitions/Events: the business of meetings, incentives, congresses and events. |
| PCO / OPC | Professional congress organiser. |
| DMC | Destination management company that delivers local services to groups. |
| Convention bureau | Public or public-private body that promotes a destination for meetings and advises organisers. |
| RFP (request for proposal) | Document setting out the event's needs and specifications, sent to venues and suppliers so they can submit a proposal. |
| Brief | The client's summary of objectives, audience, dates, budget and requirements. It is the basis of the RFP. |
| Site inspection (visita de inspección) | Visit to the venue or hotel before contracting or finalising the plan, to check spaces and services. |
| Fam trip | Familiarisation trip: an organised visit for organisers or buyers to assess a destination, venue or hotel. |
| Room block (bloqueo) | Reservation of a set of hotel rooms at a negotiated group rate with a cut-off date. |
| Allotment (cupo) | Number of rooms the hotel holds for the group over a period. In practice it is used as a synonym for room block. |
| Cut-off date (fecha de corte) | Date after which the hotel takes back rooms in the block that have no name assigned. |
| Release (liberación) | Return of rooms to the hotel without penalty within the agreed deadlines. |
| Pick-up | Number of rooms in the block that have actually been booked. |
| Attrition | Clause that penalises failing to meet the agreed commitments, such as rooms occupied or minimum spend. |
| Wash | Difference between the rooms blocked and those finally used. |
| Rooming list | Named list of guests with dates and room type sent to the hotel. |
| DDR (day delegate rate) | Rate per delegate per day that bundles meeting room, basic equipment, breaks and lunch. MPI lists it as a day rate. |
| F&B minimum (gasto mínimo) | Contractual commitment to spend a minimum amount on food and beverage or on venue services. |
| BEO (banquet event order) | Detailed service order used by hotels and venues to deliver each service at the event. |
| Run of show (escaleta) | Minute-by-minute script of the event: walk-ons, speeches, videos, lighting and changeovers. |
| Show caller (regidor) | Person who runs the running order live and cues each element. |
| Plenary (plenaria) | Session with all attendees in the main room. |
| Breakout session (sesión paralela) | Session in a smaller room held at the same time as others. |
| Call for abstracts (llamada a comunicaciones) | Invitation for authors to submit summaries of their work for evaluation by the scientific committee. |
| Satellite symposium (simposio satélite) | Session organised by a sponsor within the congress, outside the official scientific programme. |
| Speaker ready room (sala de ponentes) | Room where speakers hand in and test their presentations. |
| EACCME | The UEMS European accreditation system for continuing medical education. It recommends applying for accreditation of an in-person event at least 8 weeks in advance. |
| CVS (Conference Vetting System) | System that assesses whether a third-party educational event complies with the MedTech Europe and Mecomed codes, a requirement for their member companies to sponsor it. |
| Hosted buyer | Buyer invited by a trade show or destination with travel and accommodation paid in return for meetings with suppliers. |
| Incentive (incentivo) | Trip or experience with which a company rewards employees, distributors or clients for achieving targets. |
| Meet & greet | Personalised welcome for attendees on arrival, for example at the airport. |
| Transfer (traslado) | Organised transport for the group between the airport, hotels and venues. |
| Hybrid event (evento híbrido) | Event that combines in-person attendance with a virtual audience through streaming or on-demand content. |
| Force majeure (fuerza mayor) | Contract clause covering extraordinary events beyond the parties' control that prevent the event from taking place. |
| Early bird | Discounted advance fee for those who register before a certain date. |
Several definitions follow the MPI (Meeting Professionals International) event industry terminology glossary: attrition, room block, RFP, fam trip, BEO, hybrid event and force majeure.
The role of the convention bureau
The convention bureau does not compete with PCOs, DMCs or agencies: it is a neutral ally. In Barcelona, according to their own websites:
- The Barcelona Convention Bureau advises on venues, hotels and suppliers; coordinates site inspections; acts as a link with city bodies; supports bids with a dossier, audiovisual material and presentation; and promotes the congresses won. Its advisory services are free of charge.
- The Catalunya Convention Bureau offers free advice, prospecting visits, support in preparing bids and contact with specialist companies across Catalonia.
The PCO usually coordinates the relationship with the convention bureau during the bid and preparation of the congress.
What the Barcelona market tells us
In 2025 Barcelona hosted 1,992 meetings with 683,783 delegates, according to Turisme de Barcelona. 70% were corporate meetings (conventions and incentives) and the rest were association meetings (congresses, conferences and courses). That mix explains why PCOs specialising in congresses, incentive-focused DMCs and corporate event agencies coexist in the city, and why more and more suppliers, like us, combine several roles. You will find more data in MICE tourism in Barcelona.
Shall we talk about your event?
If you are not sure what type of supplier you need, tell us about the event and we will tell you what scope makes sense, even if it is not with us. Get in touch: we reply with an initial proposal within 24 business hours. You can also see how we work in our case studies.
Sources
- MPI: terminología del sector de eventos
- IAPCO en The Iceberg
- Barcelona Convention Bureau: cómo podemos ayudarte
- Catalunya Convention Bureau: com et podem ajudar
- Turisme de Barcelona: Informe de turismo de reuniones 2025
- UEMS EACCME: acreditación de eventos presenciales
- Ethical MedTech: Conference Vetting System
