The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has officially launched the 2025 edition of its highly anticipated ICCA GlobeWatch: Business Analytics – Country & City Rankings during IMEX Frankfurt 2026, reinforcing its position as the leading global reference for international association meeting performance.
Released on 19 May 2026, the report provides an in-depth analysis of the global business events landscape based on data collected from 12,438 international association meetings held across the world in 2025.
Compiled by the ICCA Research team, the annual rankings are widely regarded as the most authoritative benchmark for evaluating the performance of countries and cities in attracting and hosting international association meetings.
Expanded Insights Beyond Traditional Rankings
The 2025 edition introduces several new analytical enhancements aimed at offering a more strategic understanding of global meeting activity. While the report continues to provide traditional country and city rankings, it now also delivers expanded insights organised by:
Geographic regions
Meeting size categories
Industry and sector focus areas
Emerging business event trends
According to ICCA, the updated approach combines detailed data analysis with geographical intelligence and forward-looking industry insights, enabling destinations and stakeholders to better understand the evolving dynamics of the global meetings industry.
The report highlights how international association meetings continue to play a vital role beyond tourism revenue generation. Increasingly, such events are being recognised as important platforms for policy dialogue, innovation exchange, academic collaboration, and long-term destination development.
Business Events Driving Global Knowledge Economies
Industry experts note that association meetings are becoming central to the development of knowledge economies and international collaboration. Through conferences and congresses, destinations are able to attract experts, investors, researchers, and policymakers who contribute to local capacity building and sector advancement.
The ICCA rankings also serve as a strategic tool for governments, convention bureaus, tourism boards, and event stakeholders seeking to strengthen their competitiveness within the rapidly evolving MICE sector.
The report's emphasis on regional analysis further reflects ICCA's growing commitment to advocacy and inclusion across emerging destinations, particularly in regions such as Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, where business events are increasingly being leveraged as drivers of economic growth and international visibility.
ICCA Strengthens Its Role as a Global Industry Authority
As the global association representing the international business events industry, ICCA continues to position research and data intelligence at the centre of its mission.
The organisation stated that the GlobeWatch Rankings are part of its broader commitment to advancing industry knowledge, supporting destination development, and providing evidence-based insights that help members and stakeholders make informed strategic decisions.
With international competition among meeting destinations intensifying, the 2025 ICCA GlobeWatch Rankings are expected to influence destination marketing strategies, bidding efforts, infrastructure investment decisions, and policy frameworks across the global MICE industry.
The release of the report at IMEX Frankfurt further underscores the growing importance of data-driven decision-making within the international meetings and conventions sector.
