Madrid Convention Bureau and Red Cross Collaborate to Save Lives

From Madrid Convention Bureau:

The European Hematology Association through its European Hematology Association Congress, Madrid Convention Bureau and the Red Cross are adding to the positive impact of Madrid’s MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism industry with a blood donation campaign.

The aim is for participants at certain congresses and events held in the city to contribute to improving the population’s public health by giving blood. Madrid Convention Bureau has created the campaign Share Knowledge, Share Life in conjunction with the Community of Madrid Blood Transfusion Centre.

Madrid Convention Bureau has committed to fostering the positive effects of Madrid’s MICE tourism industry with a social and environmental sustainability strategy supported by partners like the Red Cross.
 
What is the Red Cross?

The Spanish Red Cross is a non-profit institution that acts in an auxiliary capacity in the provision of tasks to support public authorities subject to a number of agreements. Its statutes are set forth in Royal Decree 415/1996, of 1 March.

The Spanish legal system establishes it as a humanitarian, voluntary and public interest institution that carries out its activity in an auxiliary capacity in collaboration with the public administrations under the protection of the State, although it maintains its independence and autonomy, with full acceptance of the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Since its establishment 160 years ago on 6 July 1864, the Spanish Red Cross has focused on achieving social welfare, developing volunteering and fostering solidarity.

The Red Cross is the world’s largest independent, citizen-based humanitarian movement, having collaborated with public and private organisations for more than a century and a half to ensure that everyone is treated with humanity and dignity at all times, wherever they may be and whatever their circumstances may be. Since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, the Red Cross has been active in every affected country in its largest ever mobilisation of resources, capacities and people to aid both the most vulnerable in society and the general population.

In Spain, the Red Cross has more than 250,000 volunteers and over 1,400 centres throughout the country, making it possible to help more than 4 million people a year, of which 1.7 million receive attention through social programmes. All this work is backed by over 1,360,000 supporters, companies and allies.

In terms of blood donation, the International Movement is present in 158 countries and carries out 31% of the world’s donations.
 

 
What is the Red Cross Blood Donation Centre?

The Red Cross Blood Donation Centre was established in May 1960. A pioneering institution from the outset, it was the first in Spain in which all donations were made on a voluntary basis rather than in exchange for money. It has developed over the years in tandem with the evolution of society, medicine and universal access to healthcare.

Its sole aim has always been to “meet the constant need for blood thanks to people who believe in our organisation’s work”. In fact, today more than 30% of the world’s donations are carried out under the emblems of the Red Cross or the Red Crescent. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which groups societies from 186 countries, is one of the four sponsors of World Blood Donor Day, which is held every year on 14 June.

In December 2013, the Spanish Red Cross and the Ministry of Health of the Community of Madrid signed a new collaboration agreement, by virtue of which the centre changed its name to the Blood Extraction for Donation Unit and took charge of the organisation of all campaigns carried out in the Community of Madrid with mobile units at companies, educational institutions, organisations and car parks. It also became responsible for the distribution of blood to the Community of Madrid Blood Transfusion Centre, from which blood components are provided to all the region’s health centres.

Their aim with this agreement is to help meet the annual target of 250,000 donations necessary to make the Community of Madrid self-sufficient.

Guided by the Spanish Red Cross’s motto of “being ever closer to people”, their aim is to ensure they are where they need to be and that they are in close contact with the two groups that are the focus of their activity: donors and patients.

Blood is necessary for a wide range of medical procedures and surgical operations. Blood cannot be manufactured and there is currently no artificial substitute. The only way it can be obtained is from volunteers who altruistically donate it because they want to save lives.

Blood must be given regularly to ensure optimal levels are maintained and there is no danger of running short.

The Community of Madrid needs 900 donations per blood group every day. A large number of treatments and operations require blood components to improve or recover patient health. Around 200 people receive a transfusion every day at Madrid’s hospitals.

One in five people over the course of their life will need a transfusion as part of their recovery process. Each blood donation is divided into three components that can help three different people, that is each blood donor may save three lives.

The basic requirements to give blood are that you must be between 18 and 65 years old, weigh more than 50 kg and be in good health. You must not do it on an empty stomach and you must also provide proof of identification. Men can give blood up to four times a year and women can do so up to three times a year. There must always be a period of at least two months between each donation.

This activity requires the collaboration of organisations and bodies that use different methods to attract donors.
 
Collaboration with Madrid Convention Bureau

Madrid Convention Bureau’s institutional partners include the Red Cross, with which it has maintained a collaboration agreement for many years. It is a fundamental collaborator with which it organises awareness campaigns, corporate volunteering, informative talks and the promotion of good practices in corporate social responsibility, among other activities.

Moreover, since May 2024, this partnership has extended to the area of blood donation with the launch of a new project with the aim of highlighting the need for blood in the region.

The first initiative in this collaboration was the creation of the information campaign Share Knowledge, Share Life at the 2024 European Hematology Association Congress. The aim was for attendees, participants and delegates at certain meetings held in Madrid to contribute to improving public health by adding to the capital’s blood reserves.

With this action, Madrid Convention Bureau builds on its commitment to fostering the positive impact of the major events held in Madrid by encouraging their organisers to tackle initiatives that benefit the city. This municipal promoter of Madrid’s MICE tourism industry has a specialist department and strategy dedicated to integrating sustainability actions both environmentally—to minimise possible adverse effects of the events—and socially, through initiatives designed to be of service to society as a whole.

The EHA2024 Congress kicked off this collaboration, placing a mobile blood donation unit at the IFEMA Madrid trade fair venue on 14 June, World Blood Donor Day, to provide congress attendees with the opportunity to give blood.

The aim was not just for EHA2024 Congress attendees to give blood, but also to allow the general public to make their contribution to increasing our hospitals’ blood reserves.
This collaboration has continued at other events held in the city.

The II Madrid City Tourism Forum, held at the Hotel Meliá Castilla, also offered the chance to organise a blood drive.

At the same time, from Monday 10 to Sunday 16 June, mobile blood donation units were deployed at 102 sites in and around the city along with magnetic signs and roll-up banners bearing the campaign slogan.
 

 
How many units in total and where were they deployed?

• Monday 10 June: 346 people offered to give blood and 304 were able to do so. 16 mobile units were deployed at Calle del General Ricardos, Ronda de Valencia, Calle de Alcalá, Calle de Amparo Usera, Calle de las Islas Cíes, Plaza de Santa Cruz, and Móstoles.
• Tuesday 11 June: 455 people offered to give blood and 398 were able to do so. 18 mobile units were deployed at several sites of the company Ineco, at the Máster Building, at the corporate headquarters of the company Sedecal, at the headquarters of the state-owned lottery company Sociedad Estatal de Loterías y Apuestas del Estado, Gran Vía avenue, Paseo de Extremadura, Calle de General Ricardos, Mejorada del Campo, Alcalá de Henares, and Camino de Valderribas.
• Wednesday 12 June: 484 people offered to give blood and 418 were able to do so. 18 mobile units were deployed at several sites of the company Telefónica, the headquarters of SGS, the Iris Building, Fuenllana Alcorcón School, Plaza del Emperador Carlos V, Camino Viejo de Leganés, San Sebastián de los Reyes, Coslada, and Calle del Poeta Joan Maragall.
• Thursday 13 June: 473 people offered to give blood and 407 were able to do so. 18 mobile units were deployed at Hotel Meliá Castilla (for the II Tourism Forum), the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the offices of Seguros Santa Lucía, Forter and PwC, Avenida de Monforte de Lemos, the Parish Church of San Antonio Maria Zacarías, Avenida del General Perón, Calle de Guetaria, and Las Rozas.
• Friday 14 June: 408 people offered to give blood and 355 were able to do so. 16 mobile units were deployed at the IFEMA Madrid trade fair venue (for EHA2024), at the headquarters of Campofrío, at Madrid Book Fair, Galapagar, several sites in Las Rozas, and Avenida de Monforte de Lemos.
• Saturday 15 June: 258 people offered to give blood and 227 were able to do so. 8 mobile units were deployed at Madrid Book Fair, Galapagar, Pozuelo and Villanueva del Pardillo.
• Sunday 16 June: 237 people offered to give blood and 204 were able to do so. 8 mobile units were deployed at Madrid Book Fair, Avenida de Pablo Iglesias, San Sebastián de los Reyes, Alcalá de Henares and Torrejón.
• A mobile unit was deployed on Gran Vía avenue throughout the whole week and will now be stationed there every day of the year to allow people to give blood.

 
What were the results?

Thanks to this collaboration, a total of 2,661 people offered to give blood, of which 2,313 were able to do so. Thanks to them, 6,939 hospital patients will recover their health, with each donation saving 3 lives.

It was also found that for 572 of the donors it was their first time giving blood, making the campaign an even bigger success.

Resources:

Madrid Convention Bureau Directory of Social Organisations