Krakow ranked 26th in Europe in ICCA Report

Kraków's growing importance on the global meetings map in 2024 - Kraków ranked 42nd in ICCA Report

The ICCA Globe Watch: Business Analytics 2024 report has once again confirmed Krakow's growing position in the global meetings and events industry. The city ranked 42nd in the world, ex aequo with Edinburgh and Kyoto, hosting 49 international association meetings. In the ranking of European cities, Krakow ranked 26th!

Krakow in the ICCA report

In comparison, in 2023, Krakow hosted 43rd meetings, the city was ranked 47th in the world ranking and 30th in Europe. In 2022, 42 events gave the city 39th place globally and 31st in Europe. Before the pandemic, in 2019, Krakow held 54 association meetings, which earned the city 48th place in the world ranking and 29th place among European cities.

The report confirms Krakow's consistent performance in the highly competitive international events market. The capital of Malopolska is among the top 50 cities in the world, and 30th in Europe, which is a significant achievement considering the number of competing centers - more than 1,000 worldwide, and more than 500 in Europe alone.

ICCA 2024 world leaders by number of meetings - list of countries:

World leaders in the number of organized international meetings in 2024 - list of cities:

Poland in the ICCA 2024 report

Poland as a country also fared well in the compilation, with 191 events allowing it to take 19th place in the global ranking of countries.

Other Polish cities were also included in the list, which shows Poland's activity on the international meetings market:

• Warsaw ranked 31st in the world, 21st in Europe, organizing 62 meetings
• Wroclaw was ranked 135th, having organized 18 events.
• Gdansk ranked 167th, with 14 meetings.
• Poznan was ranked 232nd, hosting 10 events.

The ICCA ranking with one meeting also included cities such as Szczecin, Opole, Zamosc, Gliwice, Serock, Pruszków, Zakopane, Krynica and Krzyzowa.

Key findings

It is noteworthy that most association meetings are held in capital cities, which have the largest national airports and hotel base. However, the report's authors note that an increasing number of smaller cities (so-called second and third choices) in Europe are becoming attractive alternatives due to their flexibility, affordability and strategic alignment with association objectives.

For Krakow, the key to further strengthening its position will be to continue efforts that build competitive advantages - including developing cooperation with universities, supporting organizers and taking a responsible approach to organizing events.
With the global trend toward more conscious and purposeful events, the city's potential to move up in future rankings is significant.

As the ICCA 2024 report concludes, success in the meetings industry is no longer just a matter of quantity, but more importantly of value creation, legacy and long-term strategic impact. These conclusions are consistent with the recommendations of the Kraków Convention Bureau's Sustainable Tourism Policy for 2021-2028.