Berlin, Germany, and Houston, Texas, are joining BestCities, a global alliance of convention and visitor bureaus that meet a high level of service criteria for international meeting planners.

Announced at IMEX America in Las Vegas, the new city members—including the first in the U.S.—join Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dubai, Edinburgh, Melbourne, San Juan, Singapore, and Vancouver in the unique collaboration.

Both cities are proven international meeting destinations, according to Gary Grimmer, CEO, Gaining Edge, BestCities’ management consultancy, who made the announcement.

“They ably demonstrate the attributes to meet the strict BestCities criteria for membership, which includes, but is not limited to, state-of-the-art convention facilities, a minimum 10,000 hotel rooms, safe, public transportation, and excellent air access.“ The cities receive international promotion through their alliance and share leads for convention business.

For more, visit the BestCities Web site.