Birmingham is among the top 10 destinations in the world for large international meetings, according to the latest research from Northstar Meetings Group’s Convention Cities Index (CCi)
The West Midlands city moved up a place to ninth spot in the rankings, with London the next highest UK destination in 21st place.
Frankfurt tops the list, the first of three German cities in the top 10, with Cologne in fifth spot and Hanover in eighth place.
The weighted system used to determine which destinations are most suited to hosting large-scale events looks at six factors within those cities. These are indoor exhibit space, nearby hotel rooms, average room rates, minutes to the airport, safety scores and flights per month. The full methodology can be viewed here.
Released in January 2022, this update marks the third instalment of the research, following the inaugural CCi released in 2020 and updated in June 2021. This update indicates that factors including safe surroundings, accessibility, and room rates play a big part in choosing a conference city.
In particular, the criteria for safe surroundings include health and medical concerns, including Covid-19 data, daytime/nighttime safety, LGBTQ+ safety, women's safety, theft and basic freedoms. On a scale of 1 to 100, the higher the number, the safer the destination.
Munich, Germany (20) topped the safety list with a score of 79, closely followed by Frankfurt, Germany which topped the overall CCi.
Accessibility for international travellers also presented as a key component for upvotes in the index with Birmingham and Valencia just a four-minute drive from a convention centre to an airport. Copenhagen and London closely followed them with just a five-minute journey.
Here are some of the highlights of the December report, compared with data from the 2021 CCi:
- Valencia, Spain moved from 18 to 11 as safety scores improved and the number of monthly flights more than doubled.
- Orlando, US climbed to 4 from 8, thanks to lower room rates and a higher safety score. Guangzhou, China, fell from 6 to 10 as other cities improved while its metrics remained relatively static.
- A more than 45 per cent increase in hotel rates in Madrid saw the Spanish capital plummet from 14 to 23 on the list.
New additions to the global list include London coming in at 21 and Copenhagen at 24, which replaced Qingdao, China, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
To find the best city-wide conference destination and to compare the data from June 2021, event planners can download the report here.
Going forward, the CCi data will be updated every six months in January and June.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
