In Europe, Middle East and Africa, London took first place in the ranking, followed by Barcelona, just as in 2015. Amsterdam climbed into the top 3, while Paris dropped to fourth place. Czech Republic entered the top 10, moving up from number 11 in 2015 and for the first time Dubai represented the Middle East.
Cvent, Inc., a leading cloud-based enterprise event management company, has revealed its annual list of the top 25 cities for meetings and events in Europe. The report also outlines the top 50 cities in the United States, and the top 25 in the Asia Pacific (APAC) regions. The rankings were compiled according to meeting and event booking activity through the Cvent Supplier Network. Cvent sourced $9.8 billion in meetings and events globally through its marketplace in 2015.
In Europe, Middle East and Africa, London took first place in the ranking, followed by Barcelona, just as in 2015. Amsterdam climbed into the top 3, while Paris dropped to fourth place. Czech Republic entered the top 10, moving up from number 11 in 2015 and for the first time Dubai represented the Middle East.
The top 10 cities identified in Europe were:
- London, England
- Barcelona, Spain
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Paris, France
- Berlin, Germany
- Rome, Italy
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Madrid, Spain
- Brussels, Belgium
- Prague, Czech Republic
David Chalmers, Marketing Director, Cvent Europe commented, “Meetings and events are critically important to the economies of cities of all sizes around the world. This is the second year that we have ranked EMEA and the findings create an incredibly valuable resource for meetings and events suppliers across Europe.
“It’s a very competitive landscape out there and destinations around the world compete on a variety of factors including the accessibility of the destination and facilities for events, price and price flexibility, quality of facilities, quality of services, personal safety for attendees, and having a point of differentiation. Research shows that factors which have often created a difference in popularity include investments in infrastructure and hotel renovations within a city.”
Tracy Halliwell MBE, Director of Business Tourism and Major Events at London & Partners, said: “This is fantastic news for London. The city has become an increasingly popular destination for meetings and events due to the mix of venues and hotels and its expertise in sectors such as finance, tech, life sciences and the creative industries. We are confident the capital will become even more attractive as major transport projects make it easier to get around and hotel stock significantly increases over the coming years.”
Cvent evaluated more than 2,500 EMEA cities featured on the Cvent Supplier Network to compile the second annual list. Activity was tracked from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015 and the ranking was then determined by a set of qualifying criteria consisting of:
- Unique Request For Proposals Received
- Total Room Nights
- Awarded Request For Proposals
- Awarded Room Nights
- Percentage of Qualified Meeting Venues
- Number of Profile Views
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She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
