Until Sunday 16 June, the city of Madrid will host the 2024 Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), at which over 16,000 professionals with ties to this specialised area of medicine will gather at IFEMA Madrid. The event will also have a positive social impact on the Spanish capital thanks to a blood donation campaign launched by Madrid City Council—via Madrid Convention Bureau (MCB)—in partnership with the Red Cross.

The initiative's slogan is Share Knowledge, Share Life, and its objective is for participants in certain events held in Madrid to contribute to improving public health by donating blood to Madrid’s blood banks. The EHA 2024 Congress is the first event to include this campaign, which is supported by the Blood Transfusion Centre of the Community of Madrid and will be rolled out periodically from this point forward at other meetings and conferences in the city.

World Blood Donor Day

Today, on World Blood Donor Day, donations can be made at the units set up in the car park for authorities at the IFEMA North Convention Centre. Every day until the congress ends, 11 mobile units will travel to different points in the city, such as Gran Vía avenue and El Retiro Park, to allow members of the general public to contribute by donating blood as well. The mobile donation units will make a total of 65 trips over the course of the week.

Commitment to ensuring a positive impact by major events

This initiative furthers Madrid Convention Bureau's commitment to fostering the positive impact of major events held in Madrid, encouraging organisers to ensure their meetings always support initiatives which benefit the city. The municipal body, which encourages the development of Madrid’s MICE industry, has a specialised department and a specific strategy that integrates sustainability actions, both environmentally—to minimise the potential adverse effects of events on the local environment—and socially, by implementing initiatives which benefit society as a whole.

For the latter, Madrid Convention Bureau works with affiliates like the Red Cross, an organisation with which it has had a partnership agreement for several years. With this key affiliate, it carries out awareness campaigns, corporate volunteering activities and informative talks, in addition to promoting good practices in Corporate Social Responsibility, among other areas.

EHA 2024 Congress

The city of Madrid first hosted the European Hematology Association (EHA) congress back in 2017. This new edition is set to have a direct economic impact of 21.5 million euros on the city and will involve nearly 45,000 bed nights. Once again, it will position Madrid as a hub of haematology knowledge, thanks to the participation of world-renowned experts. Its scientific programme is focused on innovation in haematology and other topics of interest such as haemostasis and thrombosis, haematologic malignancies, transfusion medicine and stem cell transplants.