The UIA rankings for convention cities are one of the most important benchmarks in the meetings industry and are published in the annual International Meetings Statistics Report. Brussels, at the top of the list, boasts the largest number of international meetings held by international non-profit organisations.
In 2023, there were 8,486 international meetings organised by an international non-profit organisation. More than half of them took place in Europe. Of these, 620 were organised in Belgium’s capital. The Austrian capital Vienna ranks second with 298 conferences, with Tokyo, Japan in third place.
Brussels has, therefore, strengthened its position as the leading congress city. Between 2004 and 2023, no city in the world has hosted more international association congresses. The city comes first in the ranking of the past 20 years. It occupies first place, followed by Singapore, Vienna and Paris. Seoul rounds off the top five. In the European ranking, Brussels’ first place is even clearer. The capital hosted almost twice as many international association meetings between 2004 and 2023 than Paris and almost three times as many as London.
According to Patrick Bontinck, CEO of visit.brussels, strong performance is no coincidence. “Some 2,470 international associations have their headquarters in our capital. No city has more. These organisations can count on the active support of visit.brussels’ Convention and Association Bureau. Last year, to highlight the importance of international associations for Brussels, we even inaugurated a new venue, The Association Place“.
Elisabeth Van Ingelgem, Director of the Convention and Association Bureau added: “Brussels makes a special effort to assist international associations. With The Association Place, we now have a genuine hotspot for international associations. The aim is to make it the primary gateway to international association life in Brussels and provide the sector with a space for meeting, debate and knowledge exchange.“
