The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) released some imperative figures confirming that London climbed one spot among the most popular destinations for international conventions and conferences.
The Britain capital has welcomed a huge number of global business events which have elevated the city’s status up to 6th place in 2014, one up from 7th place in 2013. The annual ICCA results show that the capital is once again ahead of other major cities such as Singapore, Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Chicago and Sydney.
Congress highlights from 2014 include the International Liver Congress run by the European Association for the Study of the Liver, which saw over 10,000 join their event in London, representing their highest ever attendance, the European Society of Pathology’s congress which enjoyed a 23 per cent increase in attendance compared to 2013 and the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology’s annual congress which hosted 7,000 delegates in the city. London also welcomed the largest ever gathering of eye specialists with events including ESCRS, EURETINA and EuCornea, while Wikipedia’s annual conference, Wikimania, held at the Barbican saw over 2,000 delegates take part.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Gordon Innes, CEO London & Partners said: “London is a world-class destination for meetings and events and these results are a great boost for the capital’s associations industry, which is a crucial driver of investment into the city, as well as supporting and creating jobs across the capital.
“London’s connectivity and ease of access combined with its rich culture and heritage makes the city an exciting proposition for meeting organisers. London also continues to reap the rewards of hosting the 2012 Olympics, which enhanced the city’s infrastructure and also attracted a new selection of landmark hotels and inspirational event spaces.”
2015 will be ExCeL London’s best ever year for congresses, with more ICCA rated events than ever before. This includes the European Society of Cardiology, which will be coming to London this summer. The ESC Congress is the largest association meeting held in Europe, with around 35,000 medical professionals expected in the capital for the 5 day event from 29 August – 2 September 2015.
Looking forward to 2016 and beyond, the European Respiratory Society and Euroanaesthesia have both chosen to host their association events in London next year while EULAR (The European League Against Rheumatism) will return to ExCeL London following a successful event in 2011. The Alzheimer’s Association will also host its annual conference in the capital for the first time in 2017.
