Prague Climbs Higher as Global Meetings Hub While Launching Unified Tourism Brand

Prague has reinforced its standing among the world’s leading meeting destinations, ranking 6th globally in the latest ICCA standings while continuing to position itself as one of the most attractive cities for international congresses and events.

According to newly released data from the Czech Statistical Office (CSO) and the Prague Convention Bureau, the Czech capital hosted more than 5,000 events in 2025, drawing upwards of 850,000 delegates across congresses, conferences and corporate gatherings. At the same time, the city is sharpening its international positioning through a unified tourism identity that, for the first time, fully integrates business events alongside leisure tourism.

On 20 May 2026, the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) confirmed Prague’s 6th-place position among 4,728 evaluated destinations worldwide, based on the number of association meetings meeting ICCA criteria. Despite intensifying global competition, Prague has maintained its place within the world’s top 10 meeting destinations. Lisbon led this year’s ranking, followed by Paris and Barcelona.

Figures from the Prague Convention Bureau’s membership base reveal the strongest growth came from smaller-scale events hosting between 50 and 500 delegates. Prague also welcomed more than fifty large-scale congresses, conferences and corporate events with attendance exceeding 1,000 delegates. Among the standout events were the 47th Congress of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN), which attracted more than 4,700 delegates, and the 25th World Congress of Psychiatry (WPC), attended by over 3,400 experts from 117 countries.

The United States, Germany, Great Britain, France and Switzerland ranked among Prague’s strongest source markets in 2025, while international events accounted for 43% of all meetings hosted in the city. One-day events continue to dominate the market, although the average event duration is now approaching two days.

“Competition among meeting destinations has been growing for a long time, and not only the quality of infrastructure, but also the ability of cities to actively acquire major international events plays an increasingly important role. Today, destinations around the world are investing heavily in acquisition activities and the acquisition of congresses and conferences through their convention bureaus. Therefore, the project of planned expansion of the capacities of the Prague Congress Centre, the implementation of which will begin in June this year and is expected to be completed in 2029, will be crucial for Prague's future competitiveness. Just as much, as the city's ability to succeed in the global competition for the organization of the most important international congresses and conferences in the long term,” says Roman Muška, director of the Prague Convention Bureau.
 

As part of a broader strategy to strengthen Prague’s international competitiveness, the city is now consolidating its tourism communication under a single brand architecture. Business events and MICE activities are being formally integrated into the same destination identity used for leisure tourism, with Prague City Tourism overseeing the rebranding of the Prague Convention Bureau and its first dedicated campaign. The initiative is funded by the City of Prague, with additional investment planned in the coming years.

“A consistent, joined-up presentation is absolutely fundamental if cities want to compete on the world stage these days. A strong identity pulls its weight not just in leisure tourism, but also when you’re going after major congresses, conferences, and the kind of high-value clients cities really want to attract,” says Tomáš Slabihoudek, Prague councilor for culture and tourism.

The unified branding approach builds directly on Prague’s 2024–2027 tourism strategy, which aims to reposition the city as a cultivated, premium destination with strong cultural and intellectual appeal. Business events are seen as a key pillar of that ambition, particularly because of their ability to attract high-spending international visitors and influential professional communities.

“Prague has spent several years systematically trying to shake off its image as a cheap, mass-market destination and to be seen as a city of culture, quality, and exceptional genius loci. Business tourism fits into that naturally. Congress visitors don’t just have a higher spend; they also bring expertise, contacts, and international prestige. If Prague wants to present itself as a premium destination, it has to do that across all tourism segments,” adds Jana Adamcová, vice-chair of the Prague City Tourism board.

On the business events side, the new identity deliberately taps into Prague’s intellectual and scientific heritage. Historical figures such as Kepler, Einstein, Doppler and Mach are being used to frame the city as a longstanding centre of creativity, unconventional thinking and scientific exchange. The message behind the campaign is clear: Prague is not merely a picturesque backdrop for events, but a city where ideas have historically flourished — and continue to do so today.

The first visible outcome of the rebrand is an international campaign by the Prague Convention Bureau promoting the city as a premium destination for congresses, conferences and business events. Built around the tagline “unconventional conventions”, the campaign positions Prague as a destination where meaningful ideas emerge not from anonymous venues, but from a city shaped by history, culture and creative energy.

“Prague starts from a very strong position in the congress industry and has a solid track record of pulling in major international events. But to keep moving forwards, we need to present ourselves abroad in a way that is coherent and easy to read – not just as a well-connected, professionally equipped city, but as one with an extraordinary professional, cultural, and creative pedigree. Bringing the brand together helps us tell Prague’s story more effectively and make the case to organisers and professional communities for why this is exactly where their event should be,” concludes Muška.
 

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