ICCA GlobeWatch 2026: The Destinations Behind Iberia’s Global Standing
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ICCA GlobeWatch 2026 ranks Spain fourth and Portugal eighth globally, with 79 Iberian destinations recognised for association meetings.
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1st Jun, 2026
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Launched during IMEX Frankfurt 2026, the latest ICCA GlobeWatch rankings place Spain and Portugal among the world’s leading destinations for international association meetings. The results highlight a network of 79 ranked destinations, linking globally established congress hubs with a growing group of cities attracting international association business.
Lisbon’s position at the top of the global city ranking, Barcelona’s third-place finish and Madrid’s continued presence among the world’s leading destinations underline Iberia’s strength in the international association meetings market. Spain ranked fourth globally and Portugal eighth, placing both countries among the top 10 worldwide.
The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) unveiled its GlobeWatch: Business Analytics report during IMEX Frankfurt 2026. Based on more than 12,400 international and regional association meetings held across 162 countries and 1,603 cities, the report provides one of the most comprehensive snapshots of the global association meetings landscape.
The ICCA Iberian Chapter, which shared its analysis of the results with HQ, points to a collective achievement reflected across both countries. Alongside the performance of Lisbon, Barcelona and Madrid, the rankings include 55 Spanish destinations and 24 Portuguese destinations, illustrating the breadth of Iberia’s meetings ecosystem.
Lisbon, Barcelona and Madrid Maintain a Strong International Presence
Europe accounted for 53% of all ICCA-qualified meetings recorded in 2025, reinforcing the competitiveness of the region’s meetings market. Against that backdrop, Lisbon secured first place globally, Barcelona ranked third and Madrid 13th.
Country-level results reinforce that position. Spain ranked fourth worldwide and Portugal eighth, placing both countries among the sector’s leading destinations for international association meetings.
Long-term investment in venue infrastructure, accessibility, international connectivity and engagement with association communities continues to support that performance. International visibility remains an important asset for destinations competing to attract recurring association meetings.
A Network of 79 Destinations
The rankings also highlight the geographical depth of Iberia’s meetings market.
A total of 55 Spanish destinations and 24 Portuguese destinations appear in the GlobeWatch rankings. The combined figure of 79 destinations reflects a level of representation achieved by relatively few countries worldwide.
Porto, Valencia, Sevilla, Coimbra, Granada, San Sebastián, and Bilbao form part of a wider network of destinations contributing to national performance. Each brings a distinct combination of expertise, institutional assets and local communities to the international association market.
The same principle is visible within the ICCA community itself. Porto hosted the 64th ICCA Annual Congress in 2025, while Coimbra welcomed the ICCA Iberian Chapter Annual Meeting in March 2026. Both events demonstrated how destinations with distinct identities can shape the delegate experience in different ways.
For associations, a broader destination network creates more than geographical choice. Different cities bring access to different research communities, industry sectors and institutional partners. They also create opportunities to experiment with event formats, engage delegates with local knowledge ecosystems and introduce fresh perspectives to recurring meetings. Porto’s congress programme, spread across multiple venues and integrated into the city's urban fabric, offered one example of how destination characteristics can influence the design and experience of an event.
Knowledge Sectors Strengthen Iberia’s Position
Data becomes even more revealing when looking at the sectors and themes associations meet around. Medical meetings remain one of Iberia's strongest assets within the international association market. Spain ranked third globally in the discipline, while Portugal also secured a place among the world's top 10 countries.
The strength of those communities is equally visible at city level. Barcelona ranked second worldwide for medical meetings and first in Science. Lisbon appeared among the leading destinations in both categories, while Porto entered the global top 10 for Science.
Such results rarely emerge by chance. Research centres, universities, hospitals and professional communities create the conditions that attract international associations and sustain long-term meeting activity.
Collaboration Shapes the Next Chapter
A panel session and conversations during the ICCA Iberian Chapter Annual Meeting in Coimbra highlighted another area of growing interest: stronger connections between Iberia and Latin America.
Participants explored opportunities linked to association communities operating across the Ibero-American space, particularly in sectors such as healthcare, education, science and technology. Shared professional networks, institutional partnerships and meeting rotation patterns offer potential avenues for deeper engagement between destinations in both regions.
Porto’s role as host city of the ICCA Annual Congress 2025 and Panama’s selection for the 2026 edition place successive global events within the Ibero-American community. The sequence reflects longstanding connections that continue to influence collaboration across the association meetings sector.
GlobeWatch captures where international association meetings took place in 2025. The results also reflect a network of destinations connected through research, professional communities and long-term collaboration. Discussions in Coimbra suggested that the network may create new opportunities across the wider Ibero-American community in the years ahead.
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ICCA Congress 2025 in Porto - Explore HQ's coverage of the congress and the conversations shaping the future of international association meetings.Interview: Luís Pedro Martins - The President of Associação de Turismo do Porto e Norte – Porto Convention & Visitors Bureau reflects on Porto's role as host destination and the city's long-term meetings strategy.ICCA Iberian Chapter Annual Meeting 2026 - Read HQ's on-site report from Coimbra, where destination leaders, convention bureaux and association professionals discussed collaboration across Iberia and opportunities within the wider Ibero-American community.Coming soonHQ will be reporting from the ICCA Congress 2026 in Panama, continuing our coverage of the ideas, partnerships and destination strategies shaping the global association meetings sector.Bilbao will host the ICCA Iberian Chapter Annual Meeting in 2027.
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