Germany is gaining on the United States as the leading choice for international conferences. New figures released by International Congress & Convention Association show Germany hosted a total of 649 international association conferences in 2012; an increase of 72 over 2011. The activity narrows the gap with the United States, host to 833 international conferences in 2012.

For the ninth consecutive year, ICCA ranked Germany as the leading European conference location for international associations. The drawing power of Berlin is one factor driving Germany’s growing presence as a meetings destination. The German capital stepped up the ladder from fourth to third place in the worldwide category in 2012.

When it comes to overall representation in ICCA city rankings, German cities are represented well above average, with Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Dresden all landing in the top 100.

“Germany boasts outstanding infrastructure, an excellent transport network and a wide variety of event venues,” said Matthias Schultze, managing director, GCB German Convention Bureau. “We offer superb value for money and local expertise in key economic and scientific sectors. All of these qualities make Germany’s cities and regions ideal settings for international conferences.”