The Portuguese capital thus moves up one position in the table with a total of 153 congresses.

The ICCA annual ranking is led by Vienna, with the difference of one congress compared to Lisbon, and the world's top 5 is completed by Singapore, Barcelona and Prague. At a national level, Lisbon represents more than 50% of the events held.

The AIP Foundation, which owns and manages the Lisbon Congress Center (CCL) and the Lisbon International Fair (FIL), hosted 53 of the 153 international events held in the city of Lisbon, which represents 35% of the total recorded by the ICCA. Between fairs, congresses and events, the AIP Foundation spaces hosted, in 2024, a total of 142 events, both its own and third parties, which were attended by around 589,000 participants, the highest number ever.

For the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, “this award positions Lisbon in the world as a major capital of organisation and management” and he considers that the city “establishes itself as a preferred destination for holding events and congresses, due to the quality and diversity of its infrastructures and the professionalism of the sector”.

According to the mayor, “Lisbon is increasingly attractive today because it maintains its identity. The authenticity of Lisbon combined with the innovation of the sector makes Lisbon an increasingly differentiated city on the world stage.”

The ICCA 2024 world ranking considers congresses and events in destinations that demonstrate excellence in infrastructure, support services, accessibility and the ability to host events on an international scale.