Cvent, a leading meetings, events and hospitality technology provider, unveiled its 2026 rankings of Top Meeting Destinations and Top Meeting Hotels in Europe.
Cvent also released the Top Meeting Venues UK list, ranking
hotel brands, independent properties and unique venues sourced through Venue
Directory, a Cvent company.
Presented at a press conference at IMEX, this year’s Cvent Top Lists once again
place London (first), Barcelona (second) and Madrid (three) at the top of the
European rankings, reinforcing their status as the continent’s most
consistently in-demand meeting cities.
Lisbon moved up one place to fourth and Paris climbed to fifth.
Munich and Vienna were the standout movers, with Munich
rising to ninth and Vienna jumping three places to enter the top 10—reflecting
the growing international appeal of both cities for association congresses and
corporate events.
Fiona Plumpton, Head of London Convention Bureau Services, said: “We’re
delighted to be named Cvent’s Top Meeting Destination in Europe for the fourth
year running. London offers world-class venues, a wide range of hotels for
every brief, and growing hubs such as Stratford and King’s Cross. Add
experiences like ABBA Voyage and a wide range of river cruises and the city
really comes to life. Platforms like Cvent give us always-on access to clients
and opportunities, helping us showcase the best of London. We value the
partnership and look forward to strengthening it even further in the future’
Christoph Tessmar, Director of the Barcelona Convention Bureau, said, “We’re
honored to maintain our position as number two on Cvent’s Top Meeting
Destinations list, and we would like to sincerely thank the global meetings and
events community for their continued trust in Barcelona. We’re also encouraged
by the continued development of the BCB Legacy Programme, launched last year,
which reflects our shared commitment to contribute positively to the city.”
David Noack, Director at Madrid Convention Bureau, said, "Madrid is proud
to feature among Cvent's Top Meeting Destinations in Europe, consolidating
third place for the third consecutive year. This recognition reflects the
sustained commitment of the entire Madrid meetings industry to delivering
world-class experiences for international delegates.”
“Cvent's ranking is grounded in real data on meeting activity, professional
satisfaction and destination performance, which makes this result particularly
meaningful. We remain committed to working alongside the industry to strengthen
Madrid's position as a destination of choice. Our ambition goes beyond hosting
great events: we are focused on building a meetings ecosystem where every
congress, incentive or corporate gathering leaves a positive legacy."
Cvent top meeting hotels in Europe
This year’s top 10 hotels saw notable movement. Meliá
Avenida América (Madrid) claimed the number one position, demonstrating the
city’s strength as a leading meetings and events destination. The Hilton London
Metropole (number two), The W Barcelona (number three), EPIC SANA Maquês
(number four) and Sheraton Lisboa Hotel & Spa (number five) complete a top
five that reflects Europe’s most vibrant meetings cities: London, Barcelona,
Madrid and Lisbon.
Alfonso Muñoz, General Manager, Meliá Avenida América, said: “Being named
the Top Meeting Hotel in Europe is a source of tremendous pride for our entire
team. Group business, meetings and events are an essential part of our identity
and strategy. Our goal is to offer planners much more than meeting spaces: we
aim to be a reliable, agile and flexible partner, capable of understanding the
needs of each event and turning them into a seamless, efficient and memorable
experience for attendees.”
Peter Schickling, General Manager, W Barcelona, said: “We are truly proud to be
recognised as the number three Top Meeting Hotel in Europe in Cvent’s 2026
rankings, climbing 10 positions year-on-year. This achievement reflects the
strength of our meetings and events offering at W Barcelona, where design,
creativity and service excellence come together to create distinctive
experiences for planners and their guests.”
Graham Pope, VP International, Cvent, said: “The destinations, hotels and
venues recognised this year have demonstrated exactly what planners are looking
for in today’s environment: speed of response, strong partnerships and a
genuine commitment to delivering exceptional in-person experiences. Europe
continues to be one of the most dynamic and competitive regions for meetings
and events globally, and with group sourcing activity on Cvent’s platforms
surpassing $20 billion globally in 2025, the appetite for live events shows no
sign of slowing. We congratulate every organisation featured on this year’s
European Top Lists and look forward to seeing the industry continue to thrive
in 2026 and beyond.”
Top meeting venues in the UK
The Top Meeting Venues UK list ranks hotel brands,
independent properties and unique venues based on sourcing data from Venue
Directory, offering a clear view of demand across the UK.
The top 10 meeting venues were Macdonald Burlington Hotel, Novotel Birmingham
Centre, The Eastside Rooms, The Studio Birmingham, The Clermont Charing Cross,
DoubleTree by Hilton Sheffield City, The Midland Hotel Manchester, Mary Ward
House, Holiday Inn Reading and Radisson Blu Birmingham.
Stuart Davies, Chief Operating Officer, Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, said:
“Being recognised as the number one meeting venue on Venue Directory is a
fantastic achievement for our team and a very proud moment for us as a venue.
This reflects our commitment to fast response times, flexibility and providing
planners with the information they need to make confident, informed decisions
when choosing a venue.”
Jason Gutteridge, Director of Sales and Operations at Venue Directory, said:
“This year’s top 50 venues ranking in the UK reflects the breadth of demand
we’re seeing on the Venue Directory platform, with a healthy mix of standout
independent venues and recognised hotel brands earning the attention of
planners across the market.”
Record sourcing volume
The rankings are based on insights from more than $20
billion in global sourcing and RFP activity through Cvent’s platforms in 2025.
This record activity reflects a broader shift toward face to face engagement,
with 75% of organisations viewing in person events as more valuable than other
business initiatives and 70% of planners expecting in person meetings to
increase by up to 20% in 2026. -TradeArabia News Service