Netherlands doing well on ICCA list

The Netherlands as a whole ranks ninth on the annual ICCA list. Amsterdam has risen on the celebrity list. The capital hosted more knowledge and science congresses in 2018 and rises to 13th position in the ICCA international rankings. Rotterdam and Maastricht are also doing well. The Limburg town even moves up three spots.

As a country, the Netherlands moved up one place in the annual ranking of The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). With 355 congresses in 2018, the Netherlands has risen to ninth place. “We are proud to have risen one place. It is good to see that the Netherlands is globally recognized as a popular destination for both business meetings and conventions,” said Eric Bakermans, Director Meetings, Conventions & Events of NBTC Holland Marketing.

ICCA – the international interest group for congresses & conferences – announced the ranking of cities hosting major specialty congresses. Amsterdam climbs from 16th to 13th position. The ranking provides insight into the number of conventions and conferences taking place in participating cities.

The list is considered an important indicator because these are highly specialized meetings that benefit the city economically. In addition, it provides a valuable exchange of knowledge, expertise and networking contacts. These are high-profile congresses – such as the AIDS2018 that took place in Amsterdam – which thus contribute positively to the reputation of the organizing city.High impact and prestigeICCA focuses on the non-commercial congresses & conferences organized by interest groups and associations. These are multi-day international specialist congresses of associations with a minimum of 50 participants and organized on a regular basis. Meetings such as AIDS2018 and the upcoming European Society of Cardiology Congress that Amsterdam will host in 2020. Of the total number of conferences taking place in Amsterdam, this type of conference makes up only a small part, but a face-setting one.The conferences are very well attended by business visitors from all over the world. Amsterdam not only benefits economically from these business meetings.

Above all, the conferences support Amsterdam’s ambition to profile itself as a city focused on innovation, life science, health care and artificial intelligence. And the spin-off is great. Sustainable contacts are made between knowledge and interest groups, the business community, care institutions, hospitals and training courses.’A great increase in the world rankings. But we’re not there yet. As the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, we must continue to actively focus on this type of congresses and conferences. Because it is important for the exchange of knowledge and the connection between local, national and international players. Together with the City of Amsterdam, our organization has a focus on attracting these specialized meetings. These are long-term processes where joining forces and working together with the sector is important,’ says Geerte Udo, director amsterdam&partners. Importance of ICCA conferencesAmsterdam hosted 124 ICCA-labeled conferences in 2018. Perhaps the most notable conference was AIDS2018, which was attended by more than 16,000 visitors. Other examples were the ISSTA 2018 – a conference focused on software testing and analysis, the International Forum on Quality & Safety in Health Care, the IFP World Congress of Psychotherapy, the International Financial Law Conference and the IMMA – the European News Media Conference. Amsterdam is well equipped to host these prestigious business meetings. Both in terms of meeting locations, conference rooms and accommodation, as well as logistics and public transport. Moreover, with more than 325 direct flights from Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam is extremely accessible. The ICCA ranking 2018 was announced today by the organization itself. The results can be consulted at iccaworld.org