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 the Americas. This is our sixth consecutive year ranked as #1.
Once again, our city’s unique blend of innovation and joie de vivre outpaced other leading cities like New York, Chicago, Toronto, and Vancouver. Over the course of 2021, 68 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 venue spaces. Those events brought thousands of attendees who experienced Montréal’s cozy hotels and patented hospitality.
Back on track
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no ICCA rankings for the year of 2020. Exceptionally for the 2021 rankings, ICCA took into account all meetings — in-person, hybrid, and virtual. Not only did Montréal rank first in the Americas for the number of meetings (68), but it’s also worth noting that Montréal ranks 7th in the world for the number of participants.
And all of these meetings occurred despite stricter health measures than most other destinations in the Americas. To help event professionals understand the shifting landscapes during the pandemic, we created a health committee to serve as a bridge between the health standards issued by the government and public health agencies and by the meetings and events industry. Simply defined, Our 720° Safety Protocol has been a list of vital information pertaining to planning meetings and events in Montréal.
A team that works for you
Why did Montréal continue to rank so high once again? Largely due to a team that worked hard to postpone or rebook meetings. And when we say “team” we don’t just mean Tourisme Montréal, but 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 local convention centre, hotel partners, and a few other suppliers. We’re called Team Montréal.
The Montréal advantage
We’re 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 four years running
- Montréal is more accessible than ever, with Air Canada launching (and relaunching) service to 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 and neuroscience on the international stage
- Montréal is a sports city, taking first place on the champions podium as Canada’s top sport city for a third straight year
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