The prestigious ICCA rankings, which measure the performance of countries and cities on the international congress market, sees Italy in 3^rd place and Bologna among the top 3 Italian cities. Its largest convention hub, Bologna Congress Center, offers a calendar of over 100 planned events and will host more than 20,000 international presences in the next semester alone.

Bologna, 7 June 2023 – Again this year Bologna Congress Center, the international convention hub for the BolognaFiere Group, has taken part in IMEX Frankfurt, the most important trade show dedicated to the Meetings Industry. Its presence, in partnership with Bologna Convention Bureau – the business unit of Bologna Welcome – had the aim of promoting Bologna Congress Center and the city of Bologna as the destination for national and international conference, business and incentive events.

It was at IMEX that the updated data on the “Top 20 Destination Performance Index” chosen by ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) were presented, recording an unprecedented performance for our country: Italy indeed reached 3^rd place in the rankings, which measure performance of countries and cities in the international congress market. Satisfaction for Bologna was two-fold: for the first time it came in at number 3 among the Italian destinations behind Rome (14^th) and Milan (18^th) and 35^th on the international level, an outstanding result that meant a jump of 75 positions compared to 2019.

 “Bologna’s excellent ranking is not an exception” - says Donato Loria, CEO of Bologna Congressi and Manager of the BolognaFiere Group – “Since 2018, we have been reaping the rewards of the hard work that began three years earlier. All the indicators were already placing us among the key players of 2020, if it hadn't been for the pandemic that stopped the evolution of our business. Luckily, our date with the success we are experiencing today was only postponed. There is no magic formula but a shared vision and goals that were never abandoned. For this I must thank the great work carried out by the city's Convention Bureau who, with methodical professionalism, succeeded in making the city even more inviting. The meeting schedule with the international buyers of this edition of IMEX Frankfurt are proof of this ability to attract professionals to the city”. 

Even the President of the BolognaFiere Group, Gianpiero Calzolari, has expressed his satisfaction: “I am pleased with the growth of the congress sector of the BolognaFiere Group and I thank the Bologna Congressi team for its commitment towards reaching this goal during these difficult years. The numbers for 2022 should not, in fact, be seen as the classic market “rebound“ following two years of suffering but rather as the litmus test that represents the hard work that all the meetings industry professionals put into promptly responding to the crisis created by the pandemic.

In this respect, Bologna Congressi was able to grasp new market opportunities, working towards constant renewal of the offering and strongly believing in the recovery of the sector, which many thought would be doomed in the post-COVID era” .

Today, Bologna Congressi must endeavour to consolidate its positioning on both the national and international market, a result that can be achieved considering that the mission is to continue to innovate by directing the attention to our clients and their needs, thus creating an even stronger bond between venue and city. In these past years, Bologna Congress Center has been the focus of many investments demonstrating the importance of innovation and product renovation, and will restart with future investments that will provide an outline and a dimension for Bologna Congress Center in the years to come. A venue that is increasingly more international and aims to contribute to the success of the entire BolognaFiere Group, leader in the Italian market and Ambassador of the Made in Italy brand around the world.

“The numbers show that more and more professionals choose Italy as a MICE destination. On the one hand, this is an exceptional driver for Bologna; on the other, it means facing growing demands and, consequently, a proportional increase in competitiveness among sector professionals” – he continues – “Our next objective is to carry on innovating, not just through investments in technology and services but, above all, by offering new spaces: in September, four new parallel rooms will be added to the congress centre's offerings and, for the future, we cannot rule out even more important changes in terms of congress areas” - concludes Donato Loria.

This year Bologna Congressi has announced a 2023 calendar packed with international, national and regional events with over 100 scheduled dates dedicated to the world of science, medicine, and education, just to mention a few. In the upcoming semester alone, we expect over 20,000 international presences.

 Bologna Congress Center http://www.bolognacongresscenter.com/