London and Lisbon have once again emerged among Europe’s leading meeting and event destinations, topping major new rankings released this week by Cvent and the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).
The two reports, revealed during IMEX Frankfurt, highlight both the continued strength of major European gateway cities and the ongoing recovery and growth of global meetings and events activity.
Cvent’s annual Top Meeting Destinations rankings, based on more than US$20 billion worth of sourcing and RFP activity through its platforms during 2025, placed London at number one in Europe for the fourth consecutive year, followed by Barcelona and Madrid. Lisbon climbed to fourth place, while Paris rounded out the top five.
Cvent’s top European meeting destinations
- London
- Barcelona
- Madrid
- Lisbon
- Paris
- Amsterdam
- Berlin
- Rome
- Munich
- Vienna
The report also highlighted continued demand for in-person meetings and events, with Cvent revealing that group sourcing activity across its global platforms surpassed US$20 billion in 2025.
According to the company, around 75% of organisations now view in-person events as more valuable than other sales and marketing initiatives, while 70% of planners expect face-to-face meetings volumes to increase during 2026.
Alongside the destination rankings, Cvent also revealed its top-performing meeting hotels across Europe, with Madrid’s Meliá Avenida América taking the number one position, ahead of Hilton London Metropole and W Barcelona.
Europe’s top meeting hotels
- Meliá Avenida América, Madrid
- Hilton London Metropole, London
- W Barcelona, Barcelona
- EPIC SANA Maquês, Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel & Spa, Lisbon
- Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel & Conference Center
- Grand Hyatt Barcelona
- Lisbon Marriott Hotel
- NH Collection Madrid Eurobuilding
- Cardo Roma, Autograph Collection
The UK venue rankings, compiled through Venue Directory sourcing data, also pointed to continued strength in regional meetings markets outside London, with Birmingham venues performing particularly strongly. Macdonald Burlington Hotel in Birmingham claimed the top UK venue spot, followed by Novotel Birmingham Centre and The Eastside Rooms.
Lisbon tops association meeting rankings
Meanwhile, newly released ICCA rankings for international association meetings saw Lisbon take the top city spot globally, underlining the Portuguese capital’s growing strength in the association congress market.
Barcelona and Vienna also featured prominently in the latest rankings, reinforcing Europe’s continued dominance within the association meetings sector, while Singapore remained the leading Asian destination.
Rankings at a glance:
By City
- Lisbon
- Paris
- Barcelona
- Vienna
- Singapore
- Prague
- Copenhagen
- London
- Seoul
- Tokyo
By Country
- US
- Italy
- Germany
- Spain
- UK
- Japan
- France
- Portugal
- Netherlands
- China
The ICCA rankings focus specifically on rotating international association meetings, offering a different perspective to Cvent’s corporate meetings and sourcing data, but together the two reports highlight continued demand for major international meeting destinations with strong infrastructure, connectivity and venue capacity.