Manchester climbs higher in ICCA world rankings

Manchester has been ranked the world's 69th most successful conference destination by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).

The city was placed ahead of other leading international destinations including Brisbane, New York and Nice.

ICCA rankings are used as an industry benchmark by destinations, associations and events planners across the world. Cities are positioned based on how many international and European meetings and conferences they held in 2008. Manchester's ranking is a significant leap from last year, when it was placed at 83.

Each city that is included within the listings must comply with specific conditions, which state that meetings must be held on a regular basis, regularly rotate between at least three continents and that each meeting must attract a minimum of 50 delegates.

Andrew Stokes, chief executive of Marketing Manchester, said: "This is an excellent achievement for the city and shows that our business tourism product is going from strength to strength. Manchester has established itself as a world class conference destination and deserves such recognition. The city offers not only wonderful conference facilities but also excellent transport links and a great mix of visitor attractions."

Peter Mearns, executive director of marketing and communications at the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), added: "The visitor economy in the Northwest relies heavily on the performance of the business tourism sector, so it's great to see Manchester's ranking as a business destination go up and up. Business tourism is worth over £2 billion to the region every year and if we continue to drive up quality in this way, we can remain ahead of the competition."

Lesley Tomlinson, chief executive of Manchester Central commented: "We are delighted with the news that Manchester has moved up the ICCA rankings, which confirms our status as a high quality, international destination. It is a tribute to the effort of all partners in Manchester that we have been able to improve our position in this important league table. At Manchester Central, we are confident of securing further high profile, high impact international business following our multi-million pound redevelopment programme. A further example of the vision and commitment the city is demonstrating in order to raise our international profile."

For a link to the full report please go to www.iccaworld.com/cnt/docs/2008-Statistics-Report-CountryCity-Rankings.pdf

For more information about ICCA, please visit: www.iccaworld.com