Eventex Top 50 Cities

Drawn from the results of Eventex Awards, the leading recognition in events and experience marketing, the Eventex Top 50 Cities 2026 ranks the cities that keep hosting award-winning events and experiences. It spans 3,851 entries from 79 countries across three editions.

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Top 50 Cities 2026 – Eventex Awards
Rank	City	Country	Region	Points
1	Abu Dhabi	United Arab Emirates	Middle East	2,015
2	Warsaw	Poland	Europe	1,865
3	Doha	Qatar	Middle East	1,775
4	Dubai	United Arab Emirates	Middle East	1,630
5	London	United Kingdom	Europe	1,435
6	Riyadh	Saudi Arabia	Middle East	1,300
7	Madrid	Spain	Europe	1,155
8	Lisbon	Portugal	Europe	1,110
9	Istanbul	Türkiye	Middle East	930
10	Shanghai	China	Asia-Pacific	920
11	Riga	Latvia	Europe	915
12	Las Vegas	United States	North America	890
13	Cape Town	South Africa	Africa	880
14	Bilbao	Spain	Europe	855
15	Budapest	Hungary	Europe	845
16	Paris	France	Europe	755
17	Heredia	Costa Rica	Latin America	720
18	New York	United States	North America	700
19	Milan	Italy	Europe	695
20	Vienna	Austria	Europe	660
21	Jeddah	Saudi Arabia	Middle East	500
22	Amsterdam	Netherlands	Europe	485
23	Hong Kong	Hong Kong SAR China	Asia-Pacific	480
23	Sakhir	Bahrain	Middle East	480
25	Vila-seca	Spain	Europe	450
26	Mumbai	India	Asia-Pacific	445
27	Osaka	Japan	Asia-Pacific	440
28	Mexico City	Mexico	Latin America	420
29	Bangkok	Thailand	Asia-Pacific	415
30	Belfast	United Kingdom	Europe	390
30	Newport	United Kingdom	Europe	390
32	Hamburg	Germany	Europe	380
33	Barcelona	Spain	Europe	370
34	Poznań	Poland	Europe	360
35	Antalya	Türkiye	Middle East	355
35	Gdańsk	Poland	Europe	355
37	Bratislava	Slovakia	Europe	350
37	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	Latin America	350
39	Beijing	China	Asia-Pacific	325
40	Wrocław	Poland	Europe	300
40	Cortina d'Ampezzo	Italy	Europe	300
40	Livigno	Italy	Europe	300
40	Predazzo	Italy	Europe	300
40	Bellinzona	Switzerland	Europe	300
45	Melbourne	Australia	Asia-Pacific	275
46	Al Khor	Qatar	Middle East	265
47	Orlando	United States	North America	260
48	Athens	Greece	Europe	255
49	Miami	United States	North America	250
49	New Delhi	India	Asia-Pacific	250

At a glance

For the 2026 index, 319 cities earned points across the three-edition window. Ties push the published table to 50 rows across 49 places.

This year's story: Where the events industry wins

The Gulf sets the pace.
Four of the top six cities are in the Gulf, with Abu Dhabi at No. 1, followed by Doha, Dubai, and Riyadh.
Warsaw is the busiest stage.
Warsaw has hosted more award-winning events than any other city, and Central and Eastern Europe holds its own against the big names: Riga and Budapest both rank above Paris.
The US wins on volume.
The United States hosts more award-winning events than any other country, yet no American city makes the top ten. Its excellence is spread across many cities rather than concentrated in one.

How the ranking works

Events

Every award-winning event counts once per edition with its highest award for the host city. Multi-city events count for each host city.

Venues

A local venue's win in a venue category counts three times.

Destinations

A destination award won by the city, or a location within the city, counts five times.

In the case of ties, cities with equal points share the same place, with the next placement moving up accordingly. All entries tied for placement are included in the index.

Points per Eventex award
Points per Eventex award	2026	2024 & 2025
Grand Prix	300	N/A
Platinum	150	75
Gold	100	50
Silver	50	25
Bronze	30	15
Latest update: 14 September 2026

Why a listing matters

A place on the Top 50 Cities goes well beyond just the ranking.

A credential for global event bids.

When organizers compare host cities for a future conference, congress, or festival, an independent record of award-winning work already happening there is a concrete argument, not just marketing copy.
Support for tourism and convention marketing.

The recognition slots naturally alongside a destination’s existing pitch — a proof point a tourism board or convention bureau can use next to its usual case for culture, connectivity, and hospitality.
Recognition beyond any single venue.

A city’s story isn’t just its flagship convention center — it’s the sum of every award-winning event, venue, and destination win across it, which this index is built to capture in one place.

This is also backed by visibility Eventex puts behind the index directly — coverage across our channels, inclusion in our press outreach, and a lasting, linkable record of the achievement.

FAQ

How does a city earn points?

Three ways, added together: the award-winning events held there, any venue-category award won by a venue in the city, and any destination award won by the city or a place within it. A city doesn’t need all three — any one of them can contribute to its total.

Can a city rank well without hosting an award-winning event of its own?

Yes. A handful of cities on this year’s list earn their entire placement through a venue or destination win alone, with no award-winning event credited to the city directly.

Why do destination wins count for more than venue wins?

A destination award recognizes the city as a whole, rather than one venue or one project within it, so it carries more weight in the calculation than a single venue’s recognition.

What’s the difference between this index and the Eventex Top 100 Venues?

The Venues index ranks individual venues on their own record. This index looks at the full picture across a city — every award-winning event, every venue win, and every destination win combined — so a city can rank well even if no single venue in it tops the Venues list.

Why are there ties in the table this year?

Points are awarded in fixed amounts, so it’s common for multiple cities to land on exactly the same total. When that happens, they share a place, and the index lists every city tied for that spot rather than arbitrarily breaking the tie.

Eventex Top 50 Cities

No cities match

At a glance

This year's story: Where the events industry wins

The Gulf sets the pace.

Warsaw is the busiest stage.

The US wins on volume.

How the ranking works

Why a listing matters

A credential for global event bids.

Support for tourism and convention marketing.

Recognition beyond any single venue.

FAQ

Enter. Win. Grow.