Where’s Brussels?

25 mai 2011

I finally got hold of ICCA’s top 20 for 2010. I haven’t yet managed the top 100, but I’m working on it.

Well, what a surprise! Like in previous years, Brussels does not figure at all. See for yourselves. It’s very bizarre, especially when the city was ranked number No. 1 in Europe and No.2 in the world in 2009 by the UIA (Union of International Associations).

Table 1: ICCA country & city ranking measured by no. of meetings organised in 2010

Source: ICCA, May 2011

Remember....

ICCA is a suppliers’ association with some 900 member companies & organisations in 86 countries. These statistics only include international association meetings which must have “at least 50 attendees, be regular events and take place alternately in at least three different countries”.

In fact, they only represent a small proportion of the entire global meeting industry. As a supplier-led association, ICCA of course only represents the interests of their supplier members, and the database from which these statistics are drawn does not include one-off events and ones which do not move between locations. These are apparently not of interest to ICCA members. Neither are national association meetings, even when they have a high proportion of international delegates, nor the all important corporate meetings market.

Belgium one point!

From 20^th place in 2009, Belgium climbs to 19^th in 2010, even though the number of meetings held in the country apparently increased by 26% to 164. It appears most other top 20 destinations also saw an increase.

If you then look at the city table, you will find that less than half of these Belgian meetings were held in Brussels. In effect, less than Hong Kong’s total of 82. It seems impossible... 

I have a theory

Another curious thing: even though the USA is way out in the lead among countries, no American city figures in the top 20, not even Brussels’ Power City alliance partner, Washington DC.

Brussels and Washington may well be the two cities in the world which host the most offices belonging to international associations, institutions and NGOs, but it appears that these international organisations want to get away from their association city, when it comes to holding their meetings.

The same also appears to be true of Geneva, another potential Power City and also home to many international associations, which does not appear in the ICCA top 20 either.

So can the Power Cities convince international associations to hold their meetings in other institutional power cities? The jury is still out and waiting for some concrete news of exactly what these Power Cities plan to do to attract more international association business to their destinations, and to move into and up the ICCA top 20.

BT