Cape Town has jumped up 15 places in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) GlobeWatch 2024 rankings, propelling it to 35th position on the global list. Having hosted 58 qualifying meetings and conferences in 2024, it has also retained its status as Africa’s leading events city.
The annual ICCA report is a global benchmark for international association meeting activity. In 2024, 11 000 qualifying meetings were held around the world. Africa accounted for 3% or 308 meetings.
The global picture
The US was the leading country for meetings hosted in 2024 while Vienna moved up from fourth place in the city rankings in 2023 to nab the global top spot for 2024.
ICCA data shows that medical science meetings accounted for the biggest share (17%) of meetings, followed by tech and science.
The report also details average delegate spend, which has increased by 24% over the past decade. “This is a clear sign of the growing value of hosting meetings,” it said.
The African picture
Cape Town increased the number of meetings hosted from 42 in 2023 to 58 in 2024. In addition to being the top African city for meetings, it also ranks among the global top 10 for the highest average number of attendees per meeting at 717. Kigali (31 meetings) and Marrakech (24) round out the top three cities in Africa for the year.
South Africa, which hosted 98 meetings in 2024, retained its lead as the top-performing country in Africa, followed by Morocco and Rwanda. The report states: “South Africa remains the most mature African business events market with global connectivity and venues like the Cape Town International Convention Centre (ICC), Durban ICC and Sandton Convention Centre continuing to attract major international events.”
Johannesburg, with 12 meetings, secured seventh spot in the African rankings and 199th in the global rankings. Stellenbosch, with its seven meetings, ranked ninth on the continent. Durban and Tshwane each hosted four meetings in 2024, tying for 25th spot in Africa.
Commenting on Cape Town’s performance, Wesgro’s CEO Wrenelle Stander said: “This ranking shows that Cape Town and the Western Cape stand shoulder to shoulder with global conference hubs such as Dubai, Barcelona and Melbourne. We are particularly pleased that smaller towns across the province are experiencing the benefits of business events.”
Wesgro believes Stellenbosch’s ongoing success in the rankings demonstrates that business events are gaining a province-wide impact. In addition, smaller towns like George, Grabouw, Knysna and Paarl all hosted one meeting each, reflecting a broader provincial footprint in the global business events space.
Growth potential
“Africa’s meetings industry is growing and evolving with purpose. By investing in professional development, embracing innovation and strengthening regional collaboration, we are building a meetings ecosystem that reflects Africa’s dynamism, resilience and global ambitions,” said Frank Murangwa, ICCA’s Regional Director for Africa.
According to Wesgro, in the 2024/5 financial year, the Cape Town and the Western Cape Convention Bureau secured 36 new conference bids with a projected economic impact of R745 million (€37 million) and over 27 000 delegates expected through to 2028. “Bid submissions for events as far ahead as 2032 are already underway, ensuring a healthy pipeline of future opportunities,” Stander said.
Among the high-profile conferences secured are the International Communication Association Congress in 2026, the 11th World Congress on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in 2027 and the World Congress of Entomology in 2028.
