Leiden rises to 4th place in top 5 national congress destinations

In a list of the top national congressional destinations published by ICCA, (International Congress and Convention Association), Leiden ranked fourth. Amsterdam remains in the first spot, followed by Rotterdam and the Hague. Leiden is proud to have made fourth place since it was ranked fifth place last year.  

ICCA ranking 

The ICCA ranks 1000 cities worldwide that have hosted international congresses in 2021. ICCA maintains strict criteria by which a congress can count towards the ranking. For instance, at minimum, there need to be 50 attendees present, the organiser must organise it regularly, and it should rotate between at least three different countries.  

Covid cancelled many congresses, going online or hybrid. To be able to compare cities and countries with each other, ICCA developed the Destination Performance Index (DPI). Within this index, the efforts of congress cities are recognised and awarded in relation to winning the original bid, COVID-policy, adaptability and technical possibilities to convert events on the spot into virtual/hybrid events, as this enables them to maintain company continuity. On a worldwide scale, Leiden was ranked 109th in 2021 to 150th in 2019. On a European level, Leiden made 68th place. On a global scale, the Netherlands does well, being ranked 12th worldwide, with a total of 226 international congresses every year. The USA heads the list.  

Total international congresses in Leiden 

Corine van der Ceelen, manager of Leiden Convention Bureau, is very happy with the result. “Achieving a higher rank on the list is a reward for our efforts. Aside from these 15 ICCA congresses in 2021, Leiden welcomed another 23 (international) congresses. This puts the total count of international congresses in Leiden at 38 in 2021. Of course, it’s very unfortunate for the city that many congresses couldn’t continue because of COVID-19. Thankfully, 2022 is looking to be much better. 2022 has broken all records in the number of congresses so far. Over 70 congresses and 8000 delegates will be expected in Leiden. We wouldn’t have accomplished this without our network of congress ambassadors.”