A return to normality, or almost. Paris, fallen to 6the The ICCA 2024 rankings place has seen organisers, many of whom avoided the capital during the Olympic year, regain their position among the world's largest convention cities in 2025. In the game of musical chairs played with Vienna for almost a decade, Paris has once again moved ahead of the Austrian capital, which was first last year, thanks to organising 174 events compared to 159. While Vienna has dropped back to fourth place in this benchmark ranking in 2025, Paris has not, however, reclaimed the leading position it held for a long time.
Indeed, the rankings highlight the emergence of a new powerhouse in the global MICE market: Lisbon. With 188 congresses, the Portuguese capital overtakes Paris and confirms Southern Europe's attractiveness in the eyes of organisers, as another key destination, Barcelona, secures third place with 166 events. Singapore, Prague, Copenhagen, London, Seoul and Tokyo follow to complete the top 10. Our position at number 2e The ICCA 2025 ranking confirms the attractiveness of our destination at the highest global level. Furthermore, the 1,200 congresses organised in Paris this year demonstrate the confidence of international organisers and the profound transformation of a market that we are supporting with ambition, alongside our entire ecosystem."said Corinne Menegaux, General Manager of Paris je t’aime – Tourist Office."
While the Old Continent hosts more than half of the events studied, several other major European metropolises feature between the 11the and 20e Place : Berlin (12e), Madrid (13e), Brussels (14th), Rome (16th)e), Athens (17e), Dublin tied with Istanbul at 18e rang and Amsterdam drawing level with Buenos Aires in the 20the rang.
Among the French cities present among the 1600 ranked congress cities, Lyon-St. Etienne is positioned at 84.e rank with 34 international events hosted and is ahead of Marseille-Aix, at 95e place with 29 events, and Bordeaux, at the gates of the top 100 – 103e – with 26 congresses. Lille follows (126e), Nantes and Nice (141e), Toulouse (151e, Strasbourg (184e), Rennes (239)e), Montpellier (254e), Grenoble (280e) and Nancy (305e), Brest (369e), Saint-Malo and Tours (404es), Caen (473e), Cannes, Reims and Rouen (556es), Angers, Avignon, Biarritz, Dijon, Orléans and Poitiers (683es, these latter cities having hosted two events which, to be included in the ranking, have hosted at least 50 people, are organised on a regular basis and have taken place in at least three countries.
As for French cities to have received only one, there are many that are represented at 939e and last place with Aix-les-Bains, Albi, Amiens, Annecy, Arles, Besançon, Bourges, Chambéry, Chasseneuil, Colmar, Colombes, Deauville, Dunkerque, Evian, La Rochelle, Le Mans, Le Pouliguen, Limoges, Lorient, Megève, Metz, Mulhouse, Pau, Saint-Pierre d’Oléron, Sète, Toulon, Val d’Isère, Valbonne, Valence, Valenciennes and Villefranche-sur-Mer.
Key sectors and emerging topics
Supported by data from over 12,438 international association meetings worldwide, the ICCA GlobeWatch: Business Analytics has introduced enhancements in its 2025 edition with, in addition to country and city rankings, in-depth analyses organised by region, meeting size, and industry sector. " We equip our members with the information they need to make informed decisions, strengthen their global standing, and clearly demonstrate the economic, social, and intellectual impact of international meetings.", commented Dr. Senthil Gopinath, CEO of ICCA.
The study thus logically shows that congresses concerning medicine, technologies, and sciences remain the main organising sectors, followed by education, industry, social sciences, management, and economics. However, ICCA also notes the emergence of new subjects of importance such as security and safety, and information governance, which have seen the number of events concerning them almost quadruple since 2021.
What has not changed, however, is the size of meetings, which has remained stable since 2016, with those involving between 50 and 249 participants being the most common (60.41% Q3). The 250 to 999 participant bracket follows with 31.8% of all meetings, whilst events with 2,000 participants or more account for only 2.8% of all meetings recorded. But it is these, of course, that generate the greatest economic benefits.
An analysis of the dynamics
These data, when put together, the ICCA GlobeWatch: Business Analytics distinguishes champion cities and countries in their sectors. Thus Vienna is first for medical congresses – ahead of Barcelona, Lisbon and Paris – and Barcelona for scientific events – ahead of Paris, Vienna and Singapore – while the City-State stands out for technology, ahead of Tokyo and Paris.
Although the United States tops the global country rankings, having over 200 cities represented dilutes the weight of American cities in the rankings, despite key destinations such as Washington, Atlanta, San Diego, New Orleans and Houston. Behind the USA, Italy ranks as the world's second-largest convention destination, ahead of Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. For its part, and having been overtaken by Japan, France is placed 7th.e rang.
