It’s that time of year again — time for the International Congress and Convention Association’s (ICCA) annual report on the international meetings landscape and ranking of the top international association meeting destinations.
Once again, Germany has come out on top — ranked first in Europe and second worldwide (only behind the U.S.) for the 11th consecutive year.
The just issued 2014 ICCA report also shows that of the many international association conferences hosted in Germany last year, 10 percent came from U.S.-headquartered associations. More than 30 percent of these meetings are held by associations from within the technology and innovation sector and 23 percent come from the field of medicine and healthcare. This lines up with Germany’s deep expertise in industries such as tech, green tech, automotive, pharma, medical, R&D and more.
This industry know-how (and surrounding destinations, venues, companies, R&D facilities, in-country experts and universities) is a strong draw for U.S.-based associations such as IEEE and the International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA). IEEE, for example, is hosting the IEEE/RSJ International Conferences on Intelligent Robot Systems (IROS) in Hamburg this September, and IPA will hold its 17th International Congress in Berlin this October.
Commenting on Germany’s long-standing leadership in the global meetings market Matthias Schultze, managing director of the German Convention Bureau said, “It is a great achievement for Germany to be recognized at the top of ICCA’s ranking for over a decade now. We all work hard as an integrated, country-wide destination, service, venue, hotel, convention center and economic development community to deliver one-of-a-kind meeting experiences.
“We want delegates visiting Germany to depart with deeper knowledge and fresh ideas in their areas of study and work, to gain meaningful and lasting connections with other industry experts, and to enjoy great experiences in our dynamic and diverse cities and regions. All this adds up to leadership for Germany in ICCA and other rankings, but most importantly it adds up to true benefits and ROI for planners and delegates from around the globe.“
