FRANKFURT — Asia-Pacific is strengthening its position in the global association meetings market, with the region now accounting for nearly 30 percent of the world’s top-ranked association meeting destinations, according to findings from ICCA’s latest GlobeWatch report.
Released during IMEX Frankfurt 2026, the report highlights continued growth in international and regional association meetings, with 1,339 more meetings recorded in 2025 compared to the previous year. While Europe remained the largest host region, Asia-Pacific continued to expand its presence, with 14 countries and territories and 14 cities now represented among ICCA’s global top 50 rankings.
The findings suggest that growth is no longer concentrated solely in major gateway cities. Alongside established destinations, cities such as Hangzhou and Xi’an in China, Daejeon and Goyang in South Korea, and Nagoya and Fukui in Japan are increasingly attracting international association meetings. ICCA attributes this trend to improvements in accessibility, sustained investment in meetings infrastructure, and stronger alignment between conferences and local industry strengths.
Speaking during the report launch, ICCA CEO Senthil Gopinath noted that association meetings are increasingly contributing to economic and knowledge development beyond traditional capital cities. He added that smaller and emerging destinations are finding opportunities to compete for international meetings, particularly as mid-sized congresses continue to account for the largest share of global meeting volume.
The report also highlights the economic significance of larger congresses. While meetings with more than 1,000 delegates represented just 2.8 percent of total meeting volume, they generated nearly 52 percent of estimated spending, reinforcing the importance of attracting high-value international events.
A new venue analysis included in the report further underscores the role of infrastructure investment. ICCA is currently tracking 78 convention and exhibition centre projects across 36 countries, representing more than US$30 billion in combined investment. According to the report, destinations that invest in convention infrastructure continue to strengthen their ability to attract international association business and build long-term relationships within the global meetings market.
