Analysis of the 2025 ICCA Country and City Rankings, presented at IMEX Frankfurt: where international association meeting activity is concentrated worldwide, and what the data signals for buyers planning programmes for 2027 and 2028
The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has released its 2025 Country and City Rankings, the most widely recognised benchmark for international association meeting activity. The rankings, presented at IMEX Frankfurt, draw on ICCA’s Business Intelligence platform. Providing a global view of where rotating international association congresses are being staged.
For buyers, planners, and association leaders working on programmes for 2027 and 2028, the 2025 ICCA rankings are not just a scoreboard. They are a forward indicator of where activity is being committed, where infrastructure is being expanded, and where competition for prime dates, venues, and supplier capacity is most intense. Ovation Global DMC, as a global destination management company associated with ICCA, has reviewed the 2025 data and set out the patterns most relevant to buyers below.
What the ICCA 2025 Rankings Measure
The ICCA Country and City Rankings count rotating international association congresses: meetings that move between destinations, draw delegates from multiple countries, and are organised by international associations rather than corporates. The methodology is precise and consistent year on year, which is what makes the rankings a useful benchmark for the business events industry.
It is worth noting what the rankings do not capture. Annual non-rotating events anchored to a single city, such as MWC and ISE in Barcelona, are not counted, even though they shape the same supplier and venue calendars. Corporate meetings, incentives, conferences, and events outside the association category fall outside the methodology. And the rankings measure where congresses are staged, not how well they are delivered, which is a distinction that buyers tend to learn the hard way.
The 2025 Top 20 MICE Destinations at a Glance
The 2025 ICCA rankings place Lisbon (Portugal) at the top of the global table with 188 rotating international association congresses, followed by Paris (France) with 174 and Barcelona (Spain) with 166. Vienna (Austria) takes fourth position with 159, ahead of Singapore with 156, Prague (Czech Republic) with 133, Copenhagen (Denmark) with 131, London (United Kingdom) with 124, Seoul (South Korea) with 121, and Tokyo (Japan) with 119. These ten cities form the global top 10.
The remainder of the top 20 is led by Bangkok (Thailand) with 118, Berlin (Germany) with 112, Madrid (Spain) with 108, Brussels (Belgium) with 105, Hong Kong with 102, Rome (Italy) with 101, Athens (Greece) with 100, Dublin (Ireland) with 95, Amsterdam (Netherlands) with 91 and Buenos Aires (Argentina) with 91.
Spain is the only country to place two cities in the global top 20, with Barcelona in third position and Madrid in thirteenth. Barcelona also marks 25 consecutive years in the global top five, a milestone no other city has reached. Lisbon’s number one position confirms a multi-year trend of Portugal’s rise as a primary international association destination, building on infrastructure investment, sector specialisation in life sciences and technology, and a sustained convention bureau strategy.
Three Patterns in the 2025 ICCA Data
Europe continues to dominate the rankings
Fourteen of the top 20 cities are European, and every city in the global top 10 outside of Singapore, Seoul, and Tokyo sits in Europe. For association meetings buyers building European programmes, the implication is straightforward: competition for prime dates and venues across Lisbon, Paris, Barcelona, Vienna, and the Nordic capitals will tighten through 2027 and 2028, particularly in the scientific, medical, and technology verticals that anchor these destinations.
Asia Pacific confirms its multi-year rise
Five cities now feature in the top 20: Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok, and Hong Kong. Singapore’s move into the global top five is the headline development, reflecting a longer arc of investment in convention infrastructure, sector-specific cluster development, and association-bid strategy across the region. Buyers with multi-year programmes that have historically rotated within Europe and North America should expect more associations to consider Asia Pacific rotations on the 2027 to 2030 horizon.
The Americas remain underrepresented in the global top 20
Buenos Aires is the only Latin American city to feature in the 2025 top 20, and no city in the United States, Canada or the wider Latin American region ranks within the top tier of rotating international association activity. This is a structural observation, not a permanent one, but it has practical consequences for buyers seeking an Americas rotation outside the United States: the field of cities with deep international congress experience is smaller, which means local execution capability tends to be the deciding factor more often than destination profile alone.
What the Rankings Signal for 2027 and 2028
Association meeting cycles typically run two to five years ahead of delivery. Corporate MICE cycles run twelve to thirty-six months ahead. The 2025 ICCA rankings are therefore most useful as a planning signal for programmes already in the bid phase for 2027, the early commitment phase for 2028, and the destination shortlisting phase for 2029.
Three planning questions follow from the data. Which destinations in the top 20 fit the programme’s sector profile and delegate geography? Which of those destinations has local execution capability that the buyer can verify and hold accountable? And which destinations outside the top 20, including Milan, Budapest, Istanbul, Stockholm, Helsinki, and Oslo in Europe, or several Middle East and African capitals, offer comparable strategic value at lower competition for dates and venues.
Ovation Global DMC and the 2025 Top 20
For Ovation Global DMC, the 2025 ICCA rankings carry a particular relevance. As a global destination management company, Ovation operates across all 20 of the destinations ranked highest in the 2025 ICCA top 20, through a combination of owned offices and strategic partners. Within the top 20, Ovation Global DMC serves Lisbon, Paris, Barcelona, Vienna, Prague, Copenhagen, London, Berlin, Madrid, Brussels, Rome, Athens, Dublin, and Amsterdam in Europe; Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok, and Hong Kong in the Asia Pacific; and Buenos Aires in Latin America.
Beyond the global top 20, Ovation Global DMC’s network extends across additional recognised association-meeting destinations, including Milan, Budapest, Istanbul, Stockholm, Helsinki, and Oslo, alongside coverage across the Middle East, Africa, India, and the wider Americas. The relevance is practical rather than promotional: the destinations driving the highest international association activity worldwide are also destinations where buyers can verify local execution capability through a single global destination management company structure, rather than coordinating multiple in-market suppliers per programme.
“ICCA’s rankings are one of the most consistent sources of verified intelligence for the international association meetings community. The 2025 data confirms where activity is concentrated and where association calendars are most active. For destinations, planners and the wider industry, that clarity supports better-informed decisions on the multi-year horizon that association meetings require.” Rutger Hoorn, Vice President Global Sales and Strategic Partnerships, Ovation Global DMC
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top MICE destinations in 2025 according to ICCA?
ICCA’s 2025 Country and City Rankings place Lisbon, Paris, and Barcelona as the top three MICE destinations for rotating international association congresses, followed by Vienna, Singapore, Prague, Copenhagen, London, Seoul, and Tokyo in the global top 10.
What does the ICCA 2025 ranking measure?
The ICCA Country and City Rankings count rotating international association congresses, which are meetings organised by international associations, attended by delegates from multiple countries, and rotated between host cities. The methodology excludes annual non-rotating events, corporate meetings, incentives, and conferences outside the association category.
Which countries lead the ICCA 2025 rankings?
Portugal, France, and Spain hold the top three positions through Lisbon, Paris, and Barcelona, respectively. Spain is the only country to place two cities in the global top 20, with Madrid also ranked thirteenth. Europe overall accounts for 14 of the 20 cities, while Asia Pacific contributes five and Latin America one.
Which Asia Pacific destinations are in the ICCA 2025 top 20?
Five Asia Pacific destinations feature in the ICCA 2025 top 20: Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok, and Hong Kong. Singapore is the highest-ranked Asia Pacific city, placing fifth globally.
How are the ICCA rankings used by association meeting buyers?
Association meetings buyers use the ICCA rankings as a planning signal for two to five-year horizons, since association meeting cycles run that far ahead of delivery. The rankings inform destination shortlisting, bid strategy, and capacity planning, particularly for programmes seeking established convention infrastructure and sector specialisation.
Which destinations does Ovation Global DMC serve in the ICCA 2025 top 20?
Ovation Global DMC operates across all 20 destinations in the ICCA 2025 top 20 through owned offices and strategic partners. The network covers Lisbon, Paris, Barcelona, Vienna, Prague, Copenhagen, London, Berlin, Madrid, Brussels, Rome, Athens, Dublin, and Amsterdam in Europe; Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok, and Hong Kong in the Asia Pacific; and Buenos Aires in Latin America.
Why does Lisbon lead the 2025 ICCA rankings?
Lisbon’s first-place position reflects multi-year investment in convention infrastructure, sustained convention bureau strategy, sector specialisation in life sciences and technology, and Portugal’s broader positioning as a primary international association destination. The 188 rotating international congresses staged in Lisbon in 2025 represent the highest count of any city globally.
Sources: ICCA 2025 Country and City Rankings, presented at IMEX Frankfurt, May 2026.