The data preparation meetings for a benchmark on sardine in the Adriatic Sea were held as part of the benchmark assessment for the sardine in the Adriatic Sea. The first session was held online on 10–12 July 2023 and was dedicated to the revision of the acoustic survey data. The second session was held in Rome on 23–26 October 2023 in the form of a workshop dedicated to MEDIAS survey data towards building the biomass index. The third session was held online on 13–17 November. During these meetings, the group made a revision of MEDIAS data by country and subarea, including the length–age keys, length composition-at-age, estimates of growth parameters same as commercial data. During the third session, the group also explored the use of surplus and age-based models with preliminary runs. The group agreed on the roadmap toward the finalization of the benchmark considering the use of a4a or SPiCT models in advance of the benchmark meeting in December 2023.