It's a ritual at IMEX Frankfurt, one of the leading trade fairs in the MICE industry: the 2024 ranking of countries and cities attracting the most international congresses and conferences.
IMEX 2025 was no exception to this rule. ICCA, International Congress and Conference Associationmade official sound annual ranking and presented its 2024 report. There is one new feature compared with previous years. " In addition to the figures, we now offer an overview of the trends and motivations of congress and conference organisers. We are refining our data to provide our members with incredibly valuable details that will enable them to better analyse the needs and expectations of delegates and organisers." described Senthil Gopinath, CICA CEO.
The " ICCA GlobeWatch : Business Analytics - Country & City Rankings 2024 "compiles data over 11,000 meetings which took place in 2024 in every region of the world. " The industry is growing rapidly, and CISC is proud to be at the forefront of the change, impact and legacy that global events create every year." added Senthil Gopinath.
An analysis of the trends and sectors driving conferences
In addition to the main rankings, the expanded 2024 edition also features a wealth of information - organised by region, meeting size and sector. By combining detailed data, geographical assessments and forward-looking analysis, the report underlines the CICA's commitment to regional advocacy.
The association increasingly recognises the role of the regions and their own positioning. positions association meetings as powerful tools for policy alignment, knowledge exchange and long-term legacy.
No major changes in 2024 in the distribution of congresses and conferences around the world. " Europe continues to dominate by far, ahead of Asia and North America. Although we are seeing strong growth in the Middle East and Latin America" underlined Marta Gomes, President of the CICA.
It also recognises greater dynamism in secondary destinationswhich is supported by the fact that medium-sized congresses and conferences represent 53% of the 11,000 events listed by the association. Today's event, only 8% of conventions attract more than 1,000 delegates.
" For example, there has been a sharp rise in MICE activity in certain so-called 'secondary' destinations around the world. These include Sarawak in Malaysia, and Halifax and Miami in North America." mentioned Shawn Cheng, CISC Regional Director for North America.
In France, for example, Toulouse is delighted to have become the number 3 MICE city in France in 2024, just behind Lyon. The city ranks 76e position in the world for its number of meetings (up 8 places on 2023).
Impact of the 2024 Olympics: France and Paris fall back in the rankings
On the country side, the top three in 2023 remained unchanged from last year: the United States remain number 1 (709 international congresses and conferences), followed by theItaly (635) andSpain (536). But while the France ranked fourth in 2023 (472), it will lost two places in 2024 with 432 events. This is probably due to the fact that the Olympic Games will have had a deleterious effect on the organisation of major conferences. In factGermany which in 2024 ranked fourth (491) followed by the United Kingdom (481).
As far as cities are concerned, the major metropolises and capital cities continue to lead the way. Vienna had its revenge last year. With 154 major international events, the city is once again Number 1 in the CICA rankingstaking this position from Paris. The French capital moved up to sixth place with 124 events.. The ICCA justifies this drop by the fact that the summer Olympics were held, but points out that the French capital still managed to do well...
In Europe, the cities that have done better than Paris are Lisbon (2nd in the ICCA rankings), Barcelona (4) and Prague (5). Rome and Athens are also in the top 10, while Berlin, so popular in the 2000s, has slipped down the rankings in 2024.
Interestingly, the problems of over-tourism that plague some European cities (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon and Prague, to name but a few) have no influence on the convention business. " In fact, conferences are generally held outside the high season. Demand for these cities remains constant" analysed Marta Gomes.
Another interesting statistic is the economic sectors that attract the most congresses and conferences. Unsurprisingly, the medical conferences and congresses are the most active with 17% of all events. Next come technology with 14%, science with 13% and finally education and industry with 6% each.
Sustainability and bleisure in 2025
How does the CICA see 2025 shaping up? " This will be a year of growth. We're likely to reach 12,000 events." said the CICA's CEO.
With these same trends towards the continued development of secondary towns and an ever-increasing popularity bleisure and sustainabilitywhich works in their favour.
As for Donald Trump's "push-back" effect on the destination United StatesIt is not visible in the congress and conference business. " Quite simply because these events are organised well in advance, involving logistics that are difficult to change at the last minute." Marta Gomes emphasised.
But for Shawn Cheng, Director of North America at the CICA, if there is a negative effect on the United States, it should be felt in 2026/2027. On the other hand, there are likely to be positive effects for Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
