Athens Rises 20 Places in World Conference and Conventions Ranking

Photo © Athenaeum Intercontinental Hotel

The newly released ICCA (International Congresses and Conventions Association) rankings for city destinations show Athens rising 20 places in the world ranking from 47th to 27th globally for hosting conferences and conventions.

Athens. © Facebook – ΟΙ ΟΜΟΡΦΙΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΑΣ ΜΑΣ

A city’s ICCA ranking helps confirm its status as a high quality international destination for business tourism and is one of the first considerations of associations and events planners choosing a future host city.

“The impressive performance of Athens is the result of systematic and coordinated efforts in recent years through the Athens Development & Destination Management Agency (ADDMA) and Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB)“, Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis said in an announcement on Thursday.

According to ICCA rankings, 80 conferences were held last year in Athens, compared with 49 in 2013 (a percentage increase of 63 percent).

The Greek capital’s performance improved the overall position of the country in the rankings as Greece climbed 18 places to 26th globally for hosting conferences and conventions. In 2014, Greece hosted a total of 148 conferences (from 100 in 2013), out of which 31 took place in Athens. According to the municipality, the conferences that took place in Athens represent 54 percent of the conferences held in the country.

ICCA’s annual report will officially be presented next week at the IMEX 2015 fair that will take place May 19-21 in Frankfurt. Athens Mayor has been invited to participate in the IMEX Politicians Forum which will take place on Tuesday during the fair. The IMEX Politicians Forum is the cornerstone of IMEX’s Politicians program and focuses on debate and knowledge-sharing of the revolutionary power of the meetings industry.