ICCA Ranks Montréal First (once again) in North America!
Since its founding in 1963, the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has kept tabs on and formed connections between top meeting venues and host cities around the world. And once again, Montréal ranks first in international association meetings in North America. This is their ninth consecutive year ranked as #1.
The city’s unique blend of innovation and joie de vivre outpaced other leading cities like Toronto, Boston, Chicago and Miami. Over the course of 2024, 70 international associations chose Montréal, filling the calendar at venues like the trend-setting Palais des congrès de Montréal, the city’s universities and other unique and innovative event spaces. Those events brought thousands of attendees who experienced Montréal’s cozy hotels and patented hospitality.
Nine years of excellence
At a moment when the tourism industry is surpassing its numbers year over year, Montréal is confirming its place as a leading figure in North America based on the total number of events held. Montréal ranked #28 globally and reinforced its strength in tech-related meetings.
“Our highly engaged scientific community dedicated to hosting meetings makes a huge difference in key economic sectors like life sciences, engineering, AI and clean technology,” says Martine Laberge, Director of Sales, Business Events Montréal.
This resounding success is the result of the close collaboration between Tourisme Montréal and the Palais des congrès de Montréal as well as the common vision shared by all of the city’s stakeholders. Thanks to their dynamism, their know-how and their dedication to service excellence, these teams have contributed to hosting around 25 major events such as the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Connect 2025 with 5,000 delegates, the Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research’s ISPOR 2025 with 5,000 delegates, and the 2025 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Convention with 4,000 delegates.
© Eva Blue - Tourisme Montréal
A city that works for you
Why did Montréal continue to rank so high once again? Because of invested partners like Business Events Montréal and a whole network of stakeholders across the city that works collaboratively to maintain Montréal’s status as one of the top cities in the world for meetings and events. The network includes the convention centre, hotel partners and a few other suppliers. They are called Team Montréal!
The Montréal advantage
Montréal is proud to lead the pack when it comes to international meetings in North America, and there’s a few local advantages that make our city unlike any other that we’d like to make a little noise about.
- Montréal is a student city, ranking as the best city in North America for students for 10 years running
- Montréal is more accessible than ever, with direct flights from more and more cities in the USA and Europe
- Montréal leads the way in science and technology, setting new standards of excellence and invention in fields like artificial intelligence, engineering and the life sciences on the international stage
- Montréal is an award-winning city, ranking at the top of countless international lists for everything from safety to culture to general appeal
Come and see what all the fuss is about.
Published by Meeting Media Group, the publisher of Headquarters Magazine (HQ) – a leading international publication based in Brussels, serving the global MICE industry and association community.
