Barcelona Events

Cvent is attending the EIBTM tradeshow in Barcelona this December. We might have to check out the new W Hotel opening there in October. The hotel is now taking reservations and offers "endless sea and city views." Even under construction, this hotel looks amazing. There is always room for more Barcelona hotels and meetings space in Barcelona.

Barcelona's world-class convention facilities, accessible, sunny location, and unbeatable attractions have helped land this Spanish city a constant spot on the International Congress & Convention Association's list of the most popular congress cities. In fact, it was recently ranked number 3 on ICCA's list, having hosted 136 meetings in 2008.

Meeting planners can host receptions, tradeshows, conventions and more at Barcelona venues such as the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya (home to 35 halls and rooms) and the Barcelona International Convention Center (which encompasses over 25,000 square meters of space). Special event spaces such as the captivating L'Aquarium de Barcelona and Gaudi masterpiece Casa Batllo are also capable of making your meetings unforgettable.

Read more about Barcelona events and meetings at the Cvent Destination Guide. And don't forget, you can search and compare over 200 Barcelona hotels on the Cvent Supplier Network.

The International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) has released its rankings of the world's most popular countries and cities for hosting international association meetings. The United States and Germany are the top two countries for international association meetings, and Paris and Vienna are the top two cities for these meetings.

The rankings are based on a survey of 7,475 events that took place in 2008. Qualifying events for the survey were those organized by international associations that took place on a regular basis and rotate between a minimum of three countries.

Here's the top 10 list of countries and their respective meeting totals:

1. United States (507 meetings)
2. Germany (402 meetings)
3. Spain (347 meetings)
4. France (334 meetings)
5. United Kingdom (322 meetings)
6. Italy (296 meetings)
7. Brazil (254 meetings)
8. Japan (247 meetings)
9. Canada (231 meetings)
10. Netherlands (227 meetings)

And the top 10 cities:

1. Paris (139 meetings)
2. Vienna (139 meetings)
3. Barcelona (136 meeting)
4. Singapore (118 meetings)
5. Berlin (100 meetings)
6. Budapest (95 meetings)
7. Amsterdam (89 meetings)
8. Stockholm (87 meetings)
9. Seoul (84 meetings)
10. Lisbon (83 meetings)

A number of cities also appeared for the first time in the top 20 this year. Among them, Athens, Buenos Aires and Tokyo.

When you're hosting an international meeting, don't forget to check out the Cvent Destination Guide to see meeting-specific profiles of over 100 destinations worldwide, including top 10 cities of Paris and Singapore—with plenty more to come!

View the complete country and city rankings at the ICCA website.