Europeans grab biggest slice of world meetings - Sep 01

By Jennifer Creevy Amsterdam Europe took the largest share of international meetings in 2000, according to an International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) report. The annual ICCA report, The International Meetings Market in 1993-2002, also cites the US at the top in terms of the number of meetings by country, followed by the UK, then Germany. Australia leaped from seventh place to fourth. London jumped from 15th place to first for the number of meetings by city, ahead of Madrid, Paris and Vienna. Other UK cities also received a boost. Glasgow rose from 37th to 25th and Edinburgh from 13th to 12th. Sydney leaped from tenth place to fifth. ICCA president Ms Tuula Lindberg said the data can be used for marketing campaigns. "Europe took the greatest share of international meetings, despite a drop of 3% to 59%, and the Australia/Pacific share rose by 2%," she said. "Estimates for 2001 and 2002 show more meetings are being held in other continents, especially Australia/Pacific, at the expense of Europe and North America. "It looks as though Australia will continue to enjoy increased business in the next two years." Manager for meetings, conventions and incentives in Europe, South Africa and the Middle East at the Australian Tourist Commission Ms Sheila Ainscough responded to the report. "Australia's future as a leading MICE destination is looking strong. It hosted a record 152 meetings last year, a 37% increase on 1999," she said. "The challenge is to maintain its popularity as a convention destination. We're working with industry partners and destination bureaus to convert this into business travel."