Cvent today released a list of top conference and event destinations for 2025, today with a $16.5 billion group business purchased through its supplier network.
The main conference destinations retained their regional leadership positions, while Cvent introduced the New Latin American and Caribbean categories led by the Mexican Cancun/Rivera Maya. Regional leaders are:
- North America: Orlando, Florida
- Europe: London, United Kingdom
- Middle East and Africa: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Asia Pacific: Singapore
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Cancun, Mexico/Riviera Mayans
Although specific weights are not disclosed, the ranking factors of venue popularity, event capacity and customer feedback are still feedback to customers. According to CVENT’s vice president of international sales Graham Pope, planners in the United States account for 44% of the platform’s business. European planners are the second largest area with regional purchases of $2 billion, excluding UK-specific VenueDirectory.com reservations. There will be about $1 billion after the Asia-Pacific region.
The company has also launched a new “Top Conference Vendors and Vendors” list that leverages data from Reperite, a vendor market acquired in June 2024.
Top meeting destination: North America
Washington, D.C. jumped 10 places to finish eighth, the biggest change of the year.
Orlando remains the lead, followed by Las Vegas. Chicago climbed three positions to third, while Nashville fell to fourth. There are two attractions in Dallas, San Diego and Denver. Austin barely missed the top ten, 11th.
- Orlando, Florida (-)
- Las Vegas, Nevada (-)
- Chicago, (+3)
- Nashville, Tennessee (-1)
- Atlanta, Georgia (+2)
- Dallas, Texas (-2)
- San Diego, California (-2)
- Washington, DC (+10)
- Phoenix, (0)
- What Denver (-2)
Top Conference Destinations: Europe
London, Barcelona and Madrid have their top three. Amsterdam rose two positions in fourth place, while Prague raised three positions to ninth. In Olympic preparations, Paris dropped from third place in 2023 to seventh last year, showing signs of recovery.
Dublin continues to move forward, ranking tenth after climbing to 11th place on the 17th last year.
German cities fell across the board: Berlin threw three positions to seventh place, Frankfurt fell to 14th place, and Hamburg fell from 18th to 23rd place. Notable improvements include Warsaw, which soared to 20th place, and Stockholm raised six attractions to 24th place.
- London, UK (-)
- Barcelona, Spain (-)
- Madrid, Spain (-)
- Amsterdam, Netherlands (+2)
- Lisbon, Portugal (0)
- Paris, France (+1)
- Berlin, Germany (-3)
- Rome, Italy (-)
- Prague, Czech Republic (+3)
- Dublin, Ireland (+1)
Top conference destinations: Latin America and the Caribbean
The newly launched Latin America and Caribbean list features Mexican destinations in three of the top four top attractions. Puerto Rico is ranked second, while Punta Cana of the Dominican Republic ranks in the top five.
- Cancun/Rivera Mayans in Mexico
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
- Playa del Carmen, Mexico
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- Nassau, Bahamas
- Guanacaste, Costa Rica
- Grand Cayman
- Aruba
- Punta Mita, Mexico
Top conference destinations: Asia Pacific
While the top five destinations remained the same, China’s largest city made progress, with Shanghai rising to ninth and Beijing entering the top ten. Hong Kong rose to 13th place after rising on the 20th of last year.
Seoul threw two places to eighth place. Phuket has left seven locations to 16. Australia’s Gold Coast fell to the 20th.
- Singapore(-)
- Bangkok, Thailand (-)
- Sydney, Australia (-)
- Tokyo, Japan (-)
- Melbourne, Australia (-)
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (+1)
- Bali, Indonesia (+1)
- Seoul, South Korea (-2)
- Shanghai, China (+1)
- Beijing, China (New)
Top conference destinations: Middle East and Africa
Dubai and Abu Dhabi remained first and third, while Istanbul remained first and third. Cape Town and Marrakech exchanged fourth and fifth places.
Nairobi and Kuwait City made the first place in the Cvent area in eighth and ninth. Cairo fell to 13th place, while Casablanca lowered four positions to 14th place.
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates (-)
- Istanbul, türkiye (-)
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (-)
- Cape Town, South Africa (+1)
- Marrakech, Morocco (-1)
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (+1)
- Doha, Qatar (+1)
- Nairobi, Kenya (New)
- Kuwait City Kuwait (New)
- Johannesburg, South Africa (-1)
Hotel ranking overview
Cvent’s top conference hotel rankings use multiple criteria including sum-granted RFP, room night, market share, conversion rate, year-on-year growth and response time.
North American Hotel: Nashville Rule
Nashville Properties occupies the first four locations, each offering over 500 rooms near Music Downtown. The city’s dominance was when Cvent planned to move its Connection Conference to Nashville in 2026.
- Renaissance Nashville Hotel (+4)
- JW Marriott Nashville (+2)
- Nashville Grand Hyatt (-2)
- Omni Nashville Hotel (-3)
- JW Marriott Austin (-2)
- Fairmont Austin (-)
- Venice Resort Las Vegas (New)
- Princess Fairmont Scottsdale (-)
- Westin Kierland Resort & Spa (-2)
- JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes (New)
European Hotels: New Standards Reshape Ranking
Cvent improved its European rankings to emphasize RFP responsiveness and growth, thus making a brand new top ten. The Empire Horse Riding School reopened in April 2024 after its renovation and led the list.
The company’s European “Top Responder Tag” pilot program highlights the properties of fast response.
Properties can be earned using Cvent’s AI-powered “Smart Custom Proposal” tool, available as Upsell, which can be created with 3D virtual travel automation proposals that require only availability and rate confirmation from the sales team.
- Empire Horse Riding School, signed by hand
- Melina Torre, Gran Meliá Hotel and Palau de Engreesos de Catalunya
- Prague Marriott Hotel
- Revival of Fira Hotel Barcelona
- Dorothia Hotel Budapest, Signature Series
- InterContinental Barcelona, an IHG hotel
- University of Dublin Green Hotel, Signature Collection
- Berlin Hotel, Berlin, Radisson’s personal member
- Mark Dublin Anantara
- Hyatt Regent Barcelona Tower
Latin American and Caribbean Hotels: Mexico City showcases regional strength
Mexico City leads three properties in the top 10, while new resorts in Costa Mujeres and Punta Cana showcase the growing calls for meetings and events in the region.
- JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City Polando
- Secret Playa Blanca Costa Mujeres
- Westin Lima Hotel & Conference Center
- Intercontinental Sao Paulo
- Secret Tide Punta Cana
- Intercontinental President Mexico City
- Andaz City Condesa, Mexico
- Atelier Playa Mujeres
- Hilton San Diego Kennedy’s Doubletree
- Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico
Asia Pacific Hotel: Bangkok Property Leader
Marquis Queen’s Park in Bangkok jumped four locations to lead the area, while Singapore occupied three properties in the top 10. Sydney hotels are among the top in both Hyatt Regency and Hilton.
- Marriott Marquis Queen Park, Bangkok (+4)
- Hyatt Regent Sydney (+1)
- Hilton Singapore Orchard (+7)
- Fairmont Singapore (+2)
- Hilton Tokyo Bay (New)
- Voco Orchard Singapore, IHG Hotel (New)
- Shangri-L (-5)
- Westin Tokyo (New)
- Hilton Sydney (New)
- Intercontinental Singapore (New)
Middle East and Africa: Dubai-led hotel scene
Dubai Property claims seven of the top 10 attractions, reflecting the city’s continued dominance in the conference department. JW Marriott Marquis Dubai rose six positions to lead the rankings, while new entries include the Grand Hyatt Convention Hotel Dubai and the Crowne Plaza Riyadh Riyadh RIDC Hotel and Conference.
- JW Marriott Marquis Dubai (+6)
- Hilton Dubai Al Habtor City (+2)
- Hyatt Regency Dubai (New)
- InterContinental Dubai DFC – Congressional Destination (-1)
- Meridian Dubai Hotel and Conference Centre (New)
- Hyatt Regent Dubai Creek Heights (-1)
- Marriott resort Dubai Palm North (-1)
- Conrad Dubai (-7)
- Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC Hotel & Conference (New)
- Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convertion Center (New)
