ICCA Rankings – Latest Report Version
On May 30, the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) published the latest version of the most anticipated country and city ranking report for 2021. Warsaw was ranked 1st in Poland, 20th in Europe and 24th in the world. The 49 meetings reported to ICCA in 2021 gathered a total of 22,387 participants. Poland ranked 18th with 158 meetings.
Last year, the rankings were omitted due to an uneven playing field caused by the pandemic.
ICCA
The ICCA Country and City Rankings are one of the most anticipated reports in the global meetings industry, and can offer highly valuable marketing and PR opportunities. However, these statistics should be viewed in a broader context and in relation to global and regional trends.
This year, ICCA has developed the Destination Performance Index (DPI) to recognise and reward the efforts made by destinations in terms of: winning the original bid, COVID policies, adaptability and technological capabilities to transform on-site events into virtual/hybrid events and thus maintaining business continuity.
The DPI consists of six performance indicators that are based on the number of matches. All the indicators are combined into separate rankings that are combined into the DPI. The DPI can be viewed as an aggregate ranking of the six individual rankings.
What are the ICCA criteria?
The ICCA Statistics Report is based on association meeting data collected from convention bureaus, conference venues, hotels and associations themselves. The statistics include association-organized meetings listed in the ICCA Association Database that meet established criteria.
The data illustrates a certain current state, but it is important to remember that this is the result of sales activities undertaken 3-4 years ago, usually between the announcement of the tender and the event. These decisions are often based on internal association policies and the activities of local ambassadors supported by the convention bureaux.
What criteria does ICCA use?
ICCA prepares its ranking based on data on association meetings collected from convention bureaux, conference facilities, hotels and the associations themselves. Analyzed meetings must meet three conditions: they must be held cyclically, have at least 50 participants and migrate between at least three countries. This means that conferences that have already been held in Warsaw will not be acquired again soon, and the pool of associations that decide to go to Warsaw changes every year.
The statistics show a certain current state, but it is the result of sales activities that took place 3-4 years ago, because that is usually the time between the announcement of the competition for the event destination and the implementation of the congress. The results of these competitions are usually a consequence of the internal policy of the associations and the activities of local ambassadors supported by the convention bureaux.
What are the global trends?
The ICCA report is a tool that allows you to compare results with other cities and examine general trends.
In the country ranking, the leader is still the United States (1st). The next places were taken by Spain (2nd) and Germany (3rd). Poland took a fairly strong 18th position, showing 158 association meetings. In the city ranking, the leader is Vienna (1st). Second place was taken by Lisbon (2nd), and third by Athens (3rd). Warsaw, taking into account all the circumstances related to the difficult time of the pandemic, came in a high 24th position.
How does Warsaw compare to other Polish cities?
Warsaw has been the undisputed leader in terms of the number of association events in Poland for years. Also in 2021, the capital took first place in the ranking (49 meetings). Kraków came second (45 meetings). The next positions were taken by Poznań (15 meetings) and Gdańsk (13 meetings).
