The best XL meeting destinations in New Europe
The award competition for the leading destinations, venues, hotels and individuals – the Meetings Star Award – has become a reference point and sort of Michelin star selection within the meetings industry. Winners for 2023 were announced in fifteen categories at the gala award ceremony on 21 February in Cankarjev dom.
WHAT ARE MTLGs?
The system of evaluating meeting destinations with the help of an original matrix dubbed the “MEETING EXPERIENCE INDEX” or simply MTLG – MEETOLOGUE, has gained the trust of European meeting planners. Since the inception of evaluating destinations, we have been diligently using the reference system to present a realistic offer of congress destinations through time. Up to now, 125 destinations have been evaluated, including every important meeting destination of the Southeast and New Europe region.
The system is a systematic, structured and analytical process, encompassing numerous factors labelled as important by event organisers. We dare say that our evaluation is the most comprehensive and complex destination grading system. The evaluation is not based solely on the number of congress events taking place at a destination but also delves into analysis holistically.
BEST XL MEETING DESTINATIONS IN 2023
WINNER: Vienna, Austria, final score 4.77
Vienna is a city tailored to the needs of event attendees and meeting planners. The Austrian capital is developing as a smart city of the future, which includes excellent accessibility, great public transport, an abundance of green surfaces and sustainability at the fore. You can only travel this elegantly and simply in Vienna. The airport offers superb flight connections, too. Guests only need up to twenty minutes of elegant travel to the airport terminals. Vienna is the epicentre of innovations in the meetings industry, led by creative start-up companies. Vienna has topped our evaluation for several years. The city is also incredibly successful in various comparisons, including the annual ICCA Country & City Ranking. The city’s model includes a top-down organisational structure, providing meeting subsidies and regularly reporting about meeting statistics. It is clear that a well-organised and managed destination with clear branding can easily retain the leading spot in our comparison. Vienna remains the number one destination in our comparison, which the competition should look up to with respect. Kudos to Vienna for their work in 2023/2024.
TOP 10 XL MEETING DESTINATIONS
1. Vienna, Austria – final mark: 4,77
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2. Madrid, Spain – final mark: 4,75
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2. Zurich, Switzerland – final mark: 4,75
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3. Amsterdam, Netherlands – final mark: 4,74
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4. Copenhagen, Denmark – final mark: 4,72
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4. Helsinki, Finland – final mark: 4,72
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5. Lisbon, Portugal – final mark: 4,71
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6. Barcelona, Spain – final mark: 4,70
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6. Munich, Germany – final mark: 4,70
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6. Rotterdam, Netherlands – final mark: 4,70
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6. Stockholm, Sweden – final mark: 4,70
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7. Oslo, Norway – final mark: 4,68
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8. Berlin, Germany – final mark: 4,67
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9. Paris, France – final mark: 4,64
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9. Prague, Czech Republic – final mark: 4,64
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9. Rome, Italy – final mark: 4,64
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10. Brussels, Belgium – final mark: 4,63
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