Already for the seventh time running Germany is the number one meetings and conventions destination in Europe.
And it occupies the number two slot worldwide - with only the USA boasting more international congresses according to the rankings of the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) (ICCA Statistic 2010).
In total, the experts counted 542 international association conventions in Germany, far outpacing second-ranked Spain (451). The UK comes third with 399 conventions.
“Conventions, meetings and events are a major economic factor with great future prospects. Germany owes its position as market leader above all to its excellent value for money and wide range of high-quality meeting hotels, convention centres and event venues."
"In addition, German suppliers are very innovative and are trailblazers in the field of green meetings and sustainability. The high standards that Germany has to offer in this field, are a sound argument that will have even more weight in future,” Matthias Schultze, Managing Director of the GCB German Convention Bureau comments on his country’s good results.
“Meetings and conventions serve as a platform for sharing experiences and ideas. They promote innovation and the transfer of knowledge. One major prerequisite for the large number of meetings and conventions is also that Germany is setting standards world-wide as a science and high-tech destination,” Schultze offers further reasons for Germany’s excellent position in the country rankings.
The annual ICCA “International Association Meetings Market“ statistics present an in-depth evaluation of trends in the international meetings industry. The association conventions reviewed by the ICCA must have at least 50 attendees, be regular events and take place alternately in at least three different countries. Founded in 1963, the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) is based in Amsterdam and has been collecting data on association events world-wide since 1972.
