A spike in European requests for proposals has prompted
Cvent to launch a ranking of the top 25 meetings destinations in Europe, said
Cvent vice president of product marketing Kevin Fliess. It's the first time the
meetings technology provider has built such a list for markets outside the
United States. London, Barcelona and Paris grabbed the top three spots.
“From 2013 to 2014, we’ve seen a 21 percent increase in RFPs
for Europe, Middle East and Africa, along with a corresponding 21 percent
increase in total room nights. That groups a few regions, but the growth in
Europe has been robust,” he said, noting that the increase also underscores the
growth of Cvent’s vendor network and its technology penetration in the region.
Amsterdam and Berlin rounded out the list's top five.
Secondary cities got some play, as well. Manchester,
England, took the No. 17 spot, while Birmingham, England, clocked in at No. 23.
Some of their volume may be the aura from London's bright star. According to
Fliess, though, secondary cities are giving the majors a run for their money. “We
saw some smaller markets challenging the majors. Pricing and availability are
certainly drivers there, but they’ve also invested a lot in infrastructure to
lure some of that business.”
The No. 12 showing of Istanbul, on the periphery of the
European Union and No. 19 for Athens in economically challenged Greece indicate
the intense competition in the European market. “For all these destinations,
meetings business is a critical part of their tourism strategy,” said Fliess.
“What we’ve seen in the [United States] is that destinations are keen to see
where they fall in the rankings to be sure they maintain or increase their
competitive positions.”
Primary among Cvent's ranking factors were RFP volume and
total room nights requested. Other criteria included awarded RFPs, awarded room
nights, percentage of qualified meetings venues and number of profile views.