ICCA Ranking
London Excels again
L
ondon has continued its steady
rise up the ICCA city rankings,
now up a place to No.6. Becky
Graveney, head of associations
at London & Partners, the city's
convention bureau, said: “The ICCA
results are a great boost for the
capital’s associations industry, which
is a crucial driver of investment into
the city, as well as supporting and
creating jobs. London’s connectivity
and ease of access combined with its
culture and heritage makes the city an
exciting proposition for organisers.
“London also continues to reap
the rewards of hosting the 2012
Olympics, which enhanced the city’s
infrastructure and also attracted a
new selection of landmark hotels and
inspirational event spaces.
“2015 is an exciting year for the
London associations industry with Excel
London seeing its best ever year for
congresses and more ICCA rated
events than ever before. This includes
the European Society of Cardiology’s
ESC Congress (the largest association
meeting held in Europe), which will be
coming to London this summer.
“Looking forward, the European
Respiratory Society and
Euroanaesthesia both bring events to
London next year while The European
League Against Rheumatism will return
to Excel following a successful event in
2011, and The Alzheimer’s Association
will host its annual conference in
London for the first time in 2017.”
Taking off in St Petersburg
S
ometimes it is a matter of
steady incremental change.
Russia’s second city has
edged up a couple of places to
joint 77th place in the city rankings
(from No.79 in 2013) and up one to
41 in the European rankings.
2014 was an important year for
bringing the city to a new level.
Vital developments included
the commissioning of a new
international airport terminal,
establishing a city convention
bureau and opening Expoforum
Convention and Exhibition Centre
(capacity: 4,000 delegates).
Expoforum staged its first event in
October 2014 and has launched
a number of projects in the gas,
pharmaceutical and IT sectors.
St Petersburg remains Russia’s
leading research centre and
the cultural capital, offering a
wide range of options including
architectural gems, worldrenowned art collections, nightlife,
fine dining and cultural attractions.
St Petersburg is now connected
by direct flights with 177 cities.
The city hosts the Ice Hockey
World Championship in 2016 and
the FIFA World Cup in 2018.
If economic and political
sanctions can be weathered,
prospects for the Venice of the
North look good.
CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD
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