Ever since 2010, the Editorial Board of Kongres Magazine has been presenting fresh and interesting meeting destinations to international meeting planners.
Till this day we have presented over 95 Meetologues from 23 destinations. Each destination is evaluated based on 75 different criteria that enable fair comparison of the destinations. Meeting organizers appreciate the expertise, value and practicality of this guide through congress destinations.
The results of the 2019 evaluation are presented in detail below.
XL MEETING DESTINATIONS
Destinations that can host more than 2,000 congress attendees
- 1. VIENNA 4.76
- 2. COPENHAGEN 4.72
- 3. ZURICH 4.71
- 4. MUNICH 4.70
- 5. EDINBURGH 4.64
- 5. PRAGUE 4.64
- 6. BERLIN 4.61
- 7. BARCELONA 4.56
- 8. ATHENS 4.50
- 9. WARSAW 4.48
- 10. BUDAPEST 4.44
SMART MICE CITY

4* and 5* hotel rooms | 19,877 |
4* and 5* hotels | 189 |
Destination population | 1,867,960 |
Banquet hall maximum capacity | 2,500 |
Largest hall in the city | 55,000 m2 |
Theatre style hall maximum capacity | 4,320 |
1. VIENNA, AUSTRIA 4.76/5
There are cities in the world which can prove quite stressful for congress participants, and then there is Vienna. From first-hand experience I can confirm that the city is easy to get around, pleasant and enjoyable and already belongs among the so-called ‘smart’ cities of today. Vienna’s city authorities are convinced that the ‘smart’ city can grow whilst at the same time reducing the use of natural resources. One of the crucial initiatives is the intensive inclusion of the city’s residents, since there is a desire that innovations help improve living standards for all. It is all this that places Vienna among the smart cities of the future and makes it an excellent meeting destination.
L MEETING DESTINATIONS
Destinations that can host up to 2,000 congress attendees
- 1. LJUBLJANA 4.43
- 2. ZAGREB 4.42
- 3. TALLINN 4.36
- 3. HAGUE 4.36
- 4. KRAKOW 4.32
- 5. VENICE 4.31
- 6. BRATISLAVA 4.29
- 7. GRAZ 4.27
- 8. VILNIUS 4.26
- 8. THESSALONIKI 4.26
- 9. INNSBRUCK 4.19
- 10. SALZBURG 4.16
EUROPEAN GREEN CAPITAL

4* and 5* hotel rooms | 1,610 |
4* and 5* hotels | 18 |
Destination population | 279,756 |
Banquet hall maximum capacity | 1,200 |
Largest hall in the city | 2,456 m2 |
Theatre style hall maximum capacity | 2,200 |
1. LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA 4.43/5
According to its conference and accommodation infrastructure, Ljubljana belongs to the group of capitals suitable for medium-sized and smaller meetings (up to 2.500 participants). It is positioned side by side with the new EU member states and geographically in the region of the Western Balkans. With two top-level convention centres and a very well developed hotel meetings offer, Ljubljana is the region’s leading congress destination. At the end of last year in order to give Ljubljana a new sales and promotional momentum, a partnership called Ljubljana Strategic Bidding Team (LSBT) was established; it is composed of interested partners from both the private and public area. The city is extremely safe and one of the region’s most sustainably-oriented.
M MEETING DESTINATIONS
Destinations that can host up to 1,200 congress attendees
- 1. DUBROVNIK 4,39
- 2. BLED 4,09
- 2. SCHLADMING 4,09
- 3. OPATIJA 4,04
- 4. PORTOROSE 4,03
- 5. ROVINJ 4,02
- 6. KLAGENFURT 4,01
- 7. VILLACH 4,00
- 8. MARIBOR 3,95
- 9. SPLIT 3,90
- 10. TRIESTE 3,89
PEARL OF THE ADRIATIC

4* and 5* hotel rooms | 4,165 |
4* and 5* hotels | 29 |
Destination population | 42,615 |
Banquet hall maximum capacity | 700 |
Largest hall in the city | 900 m2 |
Theatre style hall maximum capacity | 1,200 |
1. DUBROVNIK, CROATIA 4.39/5
Dubrovnik is the flagship of regional tourism and is commonly the first association of meetings organizers we meet daily. It is the closest in the region to renowned Mediterranean convention destinations Cannes and Monte Carlo, and it will be even closer after the completion of the convention center. So far the center is successfully replaced by modern and well-equipped centers at hotels such as Dubrovnik Palace, Excelsior, Bellevue, Grand Villa Argentina, Importanne Resort, Dubrovnik President, Valamar Lacroma and Radisson Blue. Well-developed is the entire conference infrastructure including destination management and creative agency scene. The city is safe and one of the tourist icons of the Adriatic and justifiably the most painted tourist skyline with unprecedented experiential diversity for conference guests.
S MEETING DESTINATIONS
Destinations that can host up to 500 congress attendees
- 1. KRANJSKA GORA 3,96
- 2. BOHINJ 3,93
- 3. NASSFELD HERMAGOR 3,92
- 4. GORIŠKA BRDA 3,91
- 5. PODČETRTEK 3,90
- 5. ROGAŠKA SLATINA 3,90
- 6. SOČA VALLEY 3,89
- 7. BAD KLEINKIRCHHEIM 3,88
- 8. HVAR 3,87
- 9. VARAŽDIN 3,86
- 10. PTUJ 3,85
GOOD WILL IS THE BEST

4* and 5* hotel rooms | 858 |
4* and 5* hotels | 8 |
Destination population | 1,452 |
Banquet hall maximum capacity | 300 |
Largest hall in the city | 1,200 m2 |
Theatre style hall maximum capacity | 360 |
1. KRANJSKA GORA, SLOVENIA 3.96/5
The most important winter sports centre in Slovenia has among the Slovenian ski resorts the strongest brand, which is known worldwide mainly due to the Cup Vitranc. Slowly and steadily it has also developed a summer tourist offer, which enables the development of congress tourism. Both seasons are now virtually in balance. With the latest changes in the field of hospitality, it will surely strengthen its position as an important centre for the implementation of incentive programmes and small conferences. Due to the recognition of the ski jumps in Planica and Vitranc Cup it has a high priority over other rivals in the region. It is an important boutique congress destination for quality mid-size corporate events up to 350 participants.
HOW TO EVALUATE AND DEFINE ‘THE BEST’
FROM Meeting planners, FOR Meeting planners
Key to MTLG evaluation criteria 2019
Every year the editorial board of Kongres magazine aims to further refine the Meetologue methodology in order to assure the most authentic score reflecting the genuine situation of destinations.
Destination evaluations are based on thorough analyses of different criteria. They have developed from interviews and surveys with over 1,200 event organisers from across Europe, work that showed us that destinations are comparable and helped us to form a unique model of evaluation. A mixture of factors that we have been evaluating since 2010 can affect the entire meeting experience for both meeting planners and participants.