The 2026 UFI Industry Partners Award has been awarded to accommodation specialist bnetwork for its role in supporting the relocation of ICE and iGB Affiliate from London to Barcelona. The recognition was announced by UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, highlighting the company’s strategic approach to accommodation planning during one of the major international exhibition industry relocations.
The award-winning project was developed in partnership with Clarion Gaming and placed hotel accommodation at the centre of the destination-selection process. Rather than treating accommodation as a logistical requirement after selecting a host city, bnetwork incorporated hotel capacity, pricing, availability and contractual conditions into the wider relocation strategy.
The approach helped evaluate Barcelona, London, Madrid and Paris using a common framework before Barcelona was ultimately selected as the destination for the events.
Strategic Accommodation Planning Supported Barcelona Relocation
For the project recognised by the 2026 UFI Industry Partners Award, bnetwork conducted a binding hotel request for proposal across four major European destinations.
The assessment considered more than 50 variables and required each destination to demonstrate the ability to meet a peak requirement of 10,000 hotel rooms. The four cities were evaluated using the same five-year framework, contract conditions, reporting requirements and rate controls.
This structured process allowed accommodation to become a measurable component of the destination-selection strategy rather than simply an operational issue to be addressed once the event location had already been determined.
According to information included in bnetwork’s award submission, its four-star hotel comparison found that Barcelona offered rates approximately 28 percent lower than London. The assessment also showed that 80 percent of the proposed hotel inventory was concentrated around Fira Gran Via, providing convenient accommodation access for event participants.
The accommodation analysis became one of the factors considered during the destination decision, with more than 90 percent of the ICE advisory board eventually supporting Barcelona.
bnetwork Manages More Than 28,300 Room Nights
Following the decision to relocate the events to Barcelona, bnetwork expanded its involvement by establishing a network of hotel partners across the city.
The company subsequently contracted with 178 hotel partners and has managed more than 28,300 room nights for the events. This included 6,573 rooms at peak occupancy, demonstrating the scale of accommodation requirements associated with a major international exhibition relocation.
The figures underline the growing importance of hotel infrastructure in planning large-scale exhibitions, conferences and business events. For international organisers, hotel availability and pricing can influence both attendee experience and the overall economics of hosting an event.
Stephane Teboul, co-founder of bnetwork, said the 2026 UFI Industry Partners Award recognised the expertise and collaborative approach of the company’s team.
He also highlighted the strategic importance of accommodation in event relocation decisions, describing the project as an example of how hotel planning can contribute to the successful relocation and long-term development of a major international event.
ICE Relocation Marks Major Change From London
ICE had been hosted at ExCeL London for 15 years before moving to Barcelona. The relocation represented a significant change for one of the international events industry’s major gatherings.
In its award submission, bnetwork identified several factors behind the review of the event’s location strategy, including increasing hotel costs in London, constraints around exhibition space and logistical considerations following Brexit.
The relocation process therefore involved more than simply identifying an alternative exhibition venue. It required an assessment of the wider destination ecosystem, including hotel capacity, accessibility, pricing and the ability to accommodate a large international audience.
Barcelona ultimately emerged from the multi-city assessment as the selected destination, with accommodation forming an important component of the evaluation.
ICE Attendance Grows Following Barcelona Move
The 2026 UFI Industry Partners Award submission also highlighted attendance growth following the relocation.
According to bnetwork, ICE attracted more than 65,000 attendees in 2026. This represented a 10 percent increase compared with the previous year and a 25 percent increase compared with the final edition held in London.
Visitors attending ICE in 2026 came from 186 countries, reinforcing the international scale of the event and the accommodation challenge associated with bringing tens of thousands of participants to a new destination.
The attendance figures also provided an important backdrop to bnetwork’s hotel strategy. A large international exhibition requires sufficient room inventory not only for visitors but also for exhibitors, organisers, speakers, partners and other stakeholders.
UFI Highlights Collaboration Across the Exhibition Industry
Sebastian Witt, chair of the UFI Industry Partners Working Group, said the winning project demonstrated how partnerships can help address complex challenges associated with relocating a major event.
The jury particularly recognised the project’s approach to engaging different partners across the event ecosystem. UFI said the model showed potential for application by other large international events facing similar destination and accommodation challenges.
The recognition reflects a broader shift within the exhibition industry toward more integrated event planning. Destination selection increasingly involves multiple interconnected factors, including venue capacity, hotel availability, transport infrastructure, visitor access and commercial conditions.
The 2026 UFI Industry Partners Award therefore highlights accommodation not merely as a supporting service but as a factor that can contribute to strategic decisions about where major events are hosted.
Accommodation Becomes a Strategic Event Planning Factor
The bnetwork project demonstrates how hotel capacity and pricing can influence an international event’s relocation strategy.
For large exhibitions, accommodation is closely connected to attendee satisfaction and destination accessibility. When thousands of visitors travel internationally for an event, the availability of suitable hotels near the exhibition venue can affect travel times, costs and the overall event experience.
The Barcelona assessment also illustrates the importance of standardised comparisons when organisers are evaluating multiple potential destinations. By applying the same framework across Barcelona, London, Madrid and Paris, bnetwork was able to compare accommodation conditions using consistent criteria.
The approach provides a potential framework for other event organisers evaluating relocation options, particularly when accommodation demand represents a significant part of the destination infrastructure required for an international exhibition.
Additional 2026 UFI Industry Partners Award Honorees
UFI also announced additional recognitions as part of the 2026 Industry Partners Award programme.
Aditus was named as the finalist, while ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, ILTM by RX Global, and Map Your Show received best-practice recognition.
The 2026 award theme, “The Biggest Lesson Learnt: From Zero to Hero,” focused on projects that transformed industry challenges into practical lessons and demonstrated innovative approaches to solving problems.
The selection reflects the exhibition industry’s emphasis on collaboration between organisers, venues, service providers and other stakeholders.
2026 UFI Global Congress to Host Award Recognition
The winners of the 2026 UFI Industry Partners Award will be recognised during the 93rd UFI Global Congress.
The congress is scheduled to take place from November 2 to 5 in the Kingdom of Bahrain and will bring together members and stakeholders from the international exhibition industry.
The recognition of bnetwork at the congress will place further attention on the role of strategic partnerships in supporting major event relocations and destination development.
The company’s work with Clarion Gaming demonstrates how accommodation planning can be incorporated into the early stages of event strategy. By assessing hotel capacity, pricing and contractual conditions alongside venue and destination considerations, organisers can gain a broader understanding of the operational environment surrounding an international exhibition.
bnetwork Award Highlights Changing Exhibition Industry Priorities
The 2026 UFI Industry Partners Award for bnetwork comes at a time when international exhibitions are increasingly evaluating destinations through a wider range of criteria.
The relocation of ICE and iGB Affiliate from London to Barcelona required consideration of venue capacity, hotel supply, pricing and international accessibility. bnetwork’s involvement demonstrates how specialist partners can contribute to these strategic decisions.
With 178 hotel partners involved and more than 28,300 room nights managed, the project also illustrates the operational scale behind relocating a major global event.
For the exhibition industry, the project provides a practical example of how accommodation can move from being a post-selection logistical task to becoming part of the destination-selection process itself. That approach is at the heart of the project recognised by the 2026 UFI Industry Partners Award.
