U.S. and Vienna top ICCA's annual rankings
No surprises at the top of the International Congress & Convention Association's annual rankings of the most popular destinations for international association meetings.
Among countries, the United States and Germany are in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions, as they have been since 2004. Among cities, Vienna tops the list for the fifth consecutive year. This year's rankings are based on more than 9,100 international association meetings held in 2010.
The big story is Madrid, which hadn't even cracked the top 20 two years ago. Last year, it cruised up to No. 13, and this year continues its remarkable rise, coming in at No. 6. New to the top 10 this year is Istanbul, coming in at No. 7. China, meanwhile, entered the top 10 for the first time last year and has moved up another spot this year, to No. 8.