Athens Among Europe’s Top MICE Destinations for 2024

Divani Caravel meeting hall. Photo source: Divani Caravel Hotel

Athens secured its place as one of Europe’s Top MICE Destinations, according to the 2024 rankings of meeting organizer company Cvent.

The annual rankings recognize the top-performing hotels for MICE business and the world’s most coveted meeting destinations, including regional rankings for North America, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Feedback from the online platform, Cvent Supplier Network, provided the necessary data to compile the lists.

Additionally, regarding hotels, the rankings included InterContinental Athenaeum Athens and Divani Caravel, both located in the Greek capital. The two hotels were distinguished among the Best European Meeting Hotels.

Athens among 25 top meeting destinations

Athens, Greece. Photo source: This is Athens Convention Bureau

The Greek capital secured the 14th position on the list, experiencing a slight drop from its 13th position last year, despite its convention center spaces totaling 100,000 sq. ft. Athens offers 5th-century BC landmarks, notably the Acropolis, a hilltop citadel crowned with ancient structures such as the colonnaded Parthenon temple.

According to Cvent, the Greek city boasts 172 hotels with 15,188 rooms. Additionally, the average cost for a hotel room in Athens is 172 euros, with meals averaging 105 euros.

London retained its top spot on the list of the best 25 meeting destinations in 2023. Madrid moved up to 3rd place after hosting 20 conferences with over 1,000 participants, driving an economic impact of 88 million euros.

Lastly, Berlin climbed two spots to rank 4th, reflecting the city’s ongoing commitment to the MICE industry. Lisbon, Portugal, completes the Top 5 best meeting destinations for 2024.

Cvent evaluated over 12,500 cities worldwide listed on its online platform between January 2023 and December 2023 for the rankings.

InterContinental Athenaeum: ‘Exceptional’ MICE facilities

InterContinental Athens. Photo source: ihg.com

InterContinental Athenaeum Athens climbed to the 7th position (up from 9th in 2023) among 50 hotels in Europe, lauded as a “premier hotel” offering “exceptional” MICE facilities.

“With a total of 56,000 square feet of meeting space and 35 meeting rooms, this hotel is one of the largest event venues in Athens. Not just the high-tech facilities but also the incomparable service make it one of the ideal venues for MICE events in Europe,” according to Cvents.

The Divani Caravel Hotel ranked 47th, boasting 16 meeting rooms and a total space of 43,056 sq. ft. Additionally, the hotel offers 471 guest rooms and holds a prestigious 5-star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.

All properties were ranked based on various criteria, including total requests for proposals (RFPs), total room nights, major metropolitan area market share, conversion rate, and response rate.