Cvent Announces the Top European Meeting Destinations, Hotels and Venues for 2026

Cvent today unveiled its 2026 rankings of Top Meeting Destinations and Top Meeting Hotels for Europe. Cvent also published the Top Meeting Venues UK list, which ranks hotel brands, independent properties and unique venues sourced through Venue Directory, a Cvent company.

Presented at a live, in-person press conference at IMEX Frankfurt, this year’s Cvent Top Lists saw London (#1), Barcelona (#2), and Madrid (#3) cement their positions at the top of the European rankings for another year, maintaining their status as the continent’s most consistently sought-after meeting cities.

Lisbon climbed one spot to #4 and Paris rose one place to #5. Munich and Vienna were the standout movers, with Munich climbing two places to #9 and Vienna surging three spots to break into the Top 10, reflecting the growing international appeal of both cities for association congresses and corporate events.

Fiona Plumpton, Head of London Convention Bureau Services, said: “We’re delighted to be named Cvent’s Top Meeting Destination in Europe for the fourth year running. London offers world-class venues, a wide range of hotels for every brief, and growing hubs such as Stratford and King’s Cross. Add experiences like ABBA Voyage and a wide range of river cruises and the city really comes to life. Platforms like Cvent give us always-on access to clients and opportunities, helping us showcase the best of London. We value the partnership and look forward to strengthening it even further in the future.”

Christoph Tessmar, Director of the Barcelona Convention Bureau said, “We’re honoured to maintain our position as number 2 on Cvent’s Top Meeting Destinations list, and we would like to sincerely thank the global meetings and events community for their continued trust in Barcelona. We are also encouraged by the continued development of the BCB Legacy Programme, launched last year, which reflects our shared commitment to contribute positively to the city.”

David Noack, Director at Madrid Convention Bureau adds, “Madrid is proud to feature among Cvent’s Top Meeting Destinations in Europe, consolidating third place for the third consecutive year. This recognition reflects the sustained commitment of the entire Madrid meetings industry to delivering world-class experiences for international delegates.”

“Cvent’s ranking is grounded in real data on meeting activity, professional satisfaction and destination performance, which makes this result particularly meaningful,” Noack added. “We remain committed to working alongside the industry to strengthen Madrid’s position as a destination of choice. Our ambition goes beyond hosting great events: we are focused on building a meetings ecosystem where every congress, incentive or corporate gathering leaves a positive legacy.”

Cvent Top Meeting Hotels | Europe

This year’s Top 10 Hotels saw significant movement across the list. Meliá Avenida América (Madrid) claimed the #1 position, demonstrating the city’s strength as a leading MICE destination. The Hilton London Metropole (#2), The W Barcelona (#3), EPIC SANA Maquês (#4), and Sheraton Lisboa Hotel & Spa (#5) round out a Top 5 that directly reflects Europe’s most vibrant meetings cities: London, Barcelona, Madrid, and Lisbon.

“At Meliá Avenida América, being named the #1 Top Meeting Hotel in Europe is a source of tremendous pride for our entire team,” said Alfonso Muñoz, General Manager. “Group business, meetings and events are an essential part of our identity and strategy. Our goal is to offer planners much more than meeting spaces: we aim to be a reliable, agile and flexible partner, capable of understanding the needs of each event and turning them into a seamless, efficient and memorable experience for attendees.”

“This achievement reflects the commitment of our entire team, the versatility of our facilities, our strategic location in Madrid, and a service culture strongly focused on the MICE customer,” Muñoz continued. “Technology has been key to strengthening our response capabilities, enhancing the hotel’s international visibility, and connecting with high-value planners. Through Cvent, we have been able to expand our commercial reach, manage opportunities more efficiently, and generate qualified new business, further consolidating Meliá Avenida América as a benchmark for corporate events, conferences and international meetings.”

Peter Schickling, General Manager, W Barcelona, commented: “We are truly proud to be recognised as the #3 Top Meeting Hotel in Europe in Cvent’s 2026 rankings, climbing ten positions year-on-year. This achievement reflects the strength of our meetings and events offering at W Barcelona, where design, creativity and service excellence come together to create distinctive experiences for planners and their guests. We highly value our partnership with Cvent, whose platform allows us to connect with a global community of planners, generate high-quality opportunities and continue strengthening our presence within the international MICE landscape.”

“The destinations, hotels, and venues recognised this year have demonstrated exactly what planners are looking for in today’s environment: speed of response, strong partnerships, and a genuine commitment to delivering exceptional in-person experiences,” said Graham Pope, Cvent Vice President of International. “Europe continues to be one of the most dynamic and competitive regions for meetings and events globally, and with group sourcing activity on Cvent’s platforms surpassing $20 billion globally in 2025, the appetite for live events shows no sign of slowing. We congratulate every organisation featured on this year’s European Top Lists and look forward to seeing the industry continue to thrive in 2026 and beyond.”

Top Meeting Venues | UK

The Top Meeting Venues UK list ranks hotel brands, independent properties and unique venues. Curated using sourcing data from Venue Directory, the list offers a unique view into event planner and third-party demand across the UK venue landscape.

Stuart Davies, Chief Operating Officer, Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, #1 ranking venue on this year’s list said, “Being recognised as the #1 meeting venue on the Venue Directory platform is a fantastic achievement for our team and a very proud moment for us as a venue. This reflects our commitment to fast response times, flexibility, and providing planners with the information they need to make confident, informed decisions when choosing a venue. We are absolutely delighted to receive this recognition and thank everyone who has supported us and continues to support us along the way.”

Jason Gutteridge, Director of Sales and Operations at Venue Directory, commented: “This year’s Top 50 venues ranking in the UK reflects the breadth of demand we’re seeing on the Venue Directory platform, with a healthy mix of standout independent venues and recognised hotel brands earning the attention of planners across the market.”

“It is particularly encouraging to see such a strong regional story in this year’s list, with the majority of ranked venues located outside London and destinations such as Birmingham, Manchester and cities across Yorkshire performing especially well,” Gutteridge said. “That spread highlights the depth and diversity of the UK meetings market, as planners continue to value venues that offer excellent transport connections, trusted service, competitive value and distinctive meeting experiences. Just as importantly, the venues leading this year’s ranking are not only attracting enquiries but responding quickly and consistently converting that demand into confirmed business.”

Record MICE Sourcing Volume and Increasing Prioritisation of In-person Events

The rankings are determined based on insights gleaned from more than $20B of global sourcing and request-for-proposal (RFP) activity through Cvent’s sourcing platforms in 2025, including the Cvent Supplier Network, one of the world’s largest group hotel and venue sourcing marketplaces.

The record sourcing activity seen in 2025 reflects more than demand-driven growth. It signals a structural shift as organisations across Europe are prioritising face-to-face engagement in an increasingly digital-first landscape. Around three-quarters (75%) of organisations perceive in-person events as more valuable than other sales, marketing, and business development initiatives, while 70% of planners expect the number of in-person meetings to increase by up to 20% during 2026.

Cvent’s global rankings have become indispensable for event planners, highlighting top-of-the-line cities, hotels, venues, and suppliers for all their event needs. The annual lists are issued regionally for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East & Africa, and Latin America & Caribbean.

To view the full list of Top Meeting Destinations and Top Meeting Hotels worldwide, click here.

Methodology

Across all Cvent Top Lists, sourcing activity was tracked between January 2025 and December 2025.

For Cvent Top Meeting Destinations, Cvent evaluated 14,000+ cities worldwide listed on the Cvent Supplier Network (CSN). Rankings were determined by a set of qualifying criteria, including: the number of total room nights booked through the Cvent Supplier Network; the number of unique request-for-proposals (RFPs) sent through the marketplace to venues within the city; the total value of the RFPs submitted; and the actual awarded value for meetings booked.

For Cvent Top Meeting Hotels, Cvent evaluated hotel properties that generated business through the Cvent Supplier Network. The properties were ranked according to various criteria, including total RFPs, total awarded room nights, major metropolitan area market share, response rate; and new to 2026, bid rate, which calculates the percentage of total CSN RFPs received that a hotel responds to by submitting a proposal.

For Top Meeting Venues UK, Cvent evaluated Venue Directory sourcing activity. Rankings were determined by a set of qualifying criteria including total number of enquiries, confirmed bookings, booking value, conversion rate, and response rate.