Barcelona has once again affirmed its position as a premier destination for global congresses, according to the latest rankings released by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) for the year 2023. Ranking fifth worldwide in terms of the number of congresses hosted, Barcelona trails behind Vienna, Lisbon, Singapore, and Paris, which maintains its lead in the rankings. The city welcomed a total of 139 congresses last year, positioning it ahead of Madrid, which hosted 109 congresses, securing eighth place. The global top ten is completed by Prague, Rome, Dublin, and Seoul.
Analyzing the trend over the past decade, Barcelona emerges as the leading destination worldwide in terms of congress attendee numbers. Over the course of the last ten years, the city has welcomed over one million participants, surpassing major global cities such as Vienna, Paris, Berlin, and Copenhagen. Impressively, Barcelona ranks third globally for hosting the most congresses since 2014, with a total of 1,479 events, trailing only behind Vienna (1,528) and Paris (1,752).
The ICCA report specifically accounts for international conferences rotating among three countries and hosting a minimum of fifty delegates. Notably, major events like the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which boasted over 100,000 attendees in its last edition, and trade fairs like the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), the world’s largest in its domain, are excluded from the rankings. The ISE event this year attracted 73,000 professionals from over 160 countries.
Additionally, the report sheds light on the countries organizing the most congresses globally. Spain claims the third position with 505 congresses, following Italy in second place with 553 events, while the United States leads the rankings with a significant margin, hosting 690 annual events. France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Canada complete the top ten list.
The report also underscores the rising prominence of congresses in the Asia-Pacific region, with Singapore emerging as a dominant force, hosting 152 events annually, followed closely by Seoul. Tokyo, Bangkok, and Taipei also feature prominently in the region’s congress landscape.
The ICCA’s findings are based on a comprehensive review of meetings submitted by its members, resulting in a report encompassing over ten thousand events conducted over the past year. The rankings are published annually, with the latest edition unveiled at the Imex fair, dedicated to business tourism, currently underway in Frankfurt.
