The Olive Oil World Congress takes stock of the work carried out in this edition

The Olive Oil World Congress (OOWC) has taken stock of the work carried out in this edition, held at the Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon on 2 and 3 July. The document offers a detailed assessment of participation, media coverage and the legacy of the event.

The congress brought together 380 participants from 43 countries —124 from Portugal and 84 from Spain—, with a programme of 24 presentations and 5 round tables. At institutional level, the congress was attended by four ministers: José Manuel Fernandes, Minister of Agriculture and Sea of Portugal; Anton Refalo, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights of Malta; Rezq Salimiya, Minister of Agriculture of the State of Palestine; and Rana Tanveer Hussain, Minister of National Food Security and Research of Pakistan. Also taking part were Jaime Lillo, Executive Director of the International Olive Council, and Julián Martínez Lizán, Regional Minister of Agriculture of Castilla-La Mancha.

The report shows notable growth compared with the first edition in Madrid in 2024: 27% more participants, 72% more countries represented and media coverage multiplied by 4.5.

In terms of communication, the congress accumulated more than 2,245 media impacts, with an estimated audience of over 13.5 million people, an advertising value of €11.2 million and a communication value of €33.7 million. Spain accounted for 1,641 impacts and Portugal for 449, with coverage completed by leading international sector media. This activity was supported by 118 press release mailings, 34 newsletters, 127 videos published on the congress's YouTube channel and eight in-person events in the Taste it, enjoy it, it's olive oil! series, held in Washington, Jaén, Beja, São Paulo, Barcelona, Toledo, Madrid and Lisbon.

The document also devotes a chapter to the legacy of this edition: the Lisbon Manifesto, a consensus document built on the conclusions of the congress's health sessions, which aims to become a roadmap for international cooperation in the sector.

The report closes with the next steps towards OOWC 2028: the continuity of information activity, inter-congress events in collaboration with interested sponsors, the definition of the new committees and the selection of the next host city.