Last year, the United States hosted more international association meetings than any other country in the world, according to the Union of International Associations (UIA), a Brussels, Belgium-based research organization that has released its list of the top international meeting destinations of 2010.
Like the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA),
which publishes a similar list, UIA ranks both cities and countries according to the number of international association meetings hosted there. It takes into account association congresses, conventions, symposia and meetings — including some national meetings with international participation — but excludes religious, political, commercial, sporting, corporate and incentive events.
Based on those criteria, UIA's top international meeting countries of 2010 are:
1. USA: 936 meetings (8.1 percent of all meetings)
2. Japan: 741 meetings (6.5 percent of all meetings)
3. Singapore: 725 meetings (6.4 percent of all meetings)
4. France: 686 meetings (6.0 percent of all meetings)
5. Belgium: 597 meetings (5.2 percent of all meetings)
6. Spain: 572 meetings (5.0 percent of all meetings)
7. Germany: 499 meetings (4.3 percent of all meetings)
8. Korea: 464 meetings (4.0 percent of all meetings)
9. UK: 375 meetings (3.3 percent of all meetings)
10. Austria: 362 meetings (3.1 percent of all meetings)
Meanwhile, UIA's top international meeting cities of 2010 are:
1. Singapore: 725 meetings (6.5 percent of all meetings)
2. Brussels: 486 meetings (4.4 percent of all meetings)
3. Paris: 394 meetings (3.6 percent of all meetings)
4. Vienna: 257 meetings (2.3 percent of all meetings)
5. Seoul: 201 meetings (1.8 percent of all meetings)
6. Barcelona: 193 meetings (1.7 percent of all meetings)
7. Tokyo: 190 meetings (1.7 percent of all meetings)
8. Geneva: 189 meetings (1.7 percent of all meetings)
9. Madrid: 175 meetings (1.6 percent of all meetings)
10. Berlin: 165 meetings (1.5 percent of all meetings)
Currently available only to UIA members, the full UIA rankings will be available for public purchase in September.