Cvent Announces Top Meeting Destinations and Top Meeting Hotels in the Middle East & Africa for 2026

The annual rankings highlight hotels that have gone above and beyond in securing MICE business, and the destinations that are driving economic growth through a strategic focus on meetings and events

“Dubai is proud to again be recognized as the leading meetings destination in the region. Through innovative platforms such as Cvent, we continue to enhance Dubai’s visibility and strengthen meaningful connections with planners worldwide.” – Ahmed Al Khaja

DUBAI, UAE, 18th May 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — Cvent, an industry-leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider, today unveiled its 2026 rankings of Top Meeting Destinations and Top Meeting Hotels for the Middle East & Africa (MEA). Cvent’s rankings have become indispensable for event planners, highlighting top-of-the-line cities, hotels, and venues for all their event needs. The annual lists are also issued regionally for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America & Caribbean.

The destination and hotel rankings are determined based on insights gleaned from more than $20B of global sourcing and request-for-proposal (RFP) activity through Cvent’s sourcing platforms in 2025, including a record-breaking amount through the Cvent Supplier Network, one of the world’s largest venue sourcing marketplaces. The unparalleled volume of business sourced in 2025 underscores the high demand for quality, in-person touchpoints. Amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, planners across the region remain engaged and continue to prioritise face-to-face meetings, underscoring the enduring value of in-person connection.

Cvent Top Meeting Destinations | The Middle East & Africa

The top three destinations remained unchanged: Dubai, UAE (#1), Istanbul, Türkiye (#2), and Abu Dhabi, UAE (#3), maintaining the strong positions they have held in recent years. Marrakech rose one spot to #4 and Riyadh climbed one place to #5, while Doha moved up one position to #6. The biggest movers were Cairo, which surged five places to #8, and Casablanca, which climbed four spots to enter the top 10 for the first time — reflecting the growing international appeal of North African destinations for MICE events.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, part of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) said, “Dubai is proud to once again be recognized as the leading meetings destination in the MEA region, reaffirming the city’s position as a global hub for business events and innovation. This achievement reflects the visionary leadership and ambitious strategy that continue to drive Dubai’s growth and global competitiveness. International planners choose Dubai for its world-class infrastructure, seamless connectivity, advanced technology ecosystem, and proven ability to consistently deliver large-scale, high-impact events with excellence. Our integrated network of venues, hotels, airlines, and service partners enables us to create exceptional experiences that meet the evolving needs of the global business events industry.

“Through strategic collaborations and innovative platforms such as Cvent, we continue to enhance Dubai’s visibility and strengthen meaningful connections with international planners and stakeholders worldwide. This recognition is a testament to the strength of our partnerships and Dubai’s ongoing commitment to shaping the future of the business events sector while delivering long-term economic impact and sustainable value.”

Cvent Top Meeting Hotels | The Middle East & Africa

JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai retained the #1 position, reinforcing its position as a premier venue for large-scale meetings and conferences. Conrad Dubai made a strong move, rising six places to #2, while Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights climbed three spots to #3. A notable development this year is the significant representation of Istanbul in the top 10: InterContinental Istanbul (#6), Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus (#8), Swissôtel The Bosphorus (#9), and Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center (#10), reflecting Istanbul’s rapid growth as a MICE powerhouse and the strength of Türkiye’s group business market.

Methodology

Across all Cvent Top Lists, sourcing activity was tracked between January 2025 and December 2025.

For Top Meeting Destinations, Cvent evaluated 14,000+ cities worldwide listed on the Cvent Supplier Network. Rankings were determined by a set of qualifying criteria, including total room nights booked through the Cvent Supplier Network, unique request-for-proposals (RFPs) sent through the marketplace to venues within the city, the total value of the RFPs submitted, and awarded value for meetings booked.

For Top Meeting Hotels, Cvent evaluated hotel properties that generated business through the Cvent Supplier Network. The properties were ranked according to various criteria, including total RFPs, total awarded room nights, major metropolitan area market share, response rate; and new to 2026, bid rate, which calculates the percentage of total CSN RFPs received that a hotel responds to by submitting a proposal.

About the Cvent Supplier Network

The Cvent Supplier Network features nearly 340,000 hotels, resorts and special event venues, serving as one of the world’s largest and most accurate databases of detailed venue information. Event planners sourced more than $20 billion of MICE business through Cvent’s sourcing networks in 2025 alone. The Cvent Supplier Network is part of Cvent’s suite of solutions that 17,000 hotels, venues, CVBs and destination management organisations worldwide rely on to reach more planners, attract MICE business, and directly engage with Cvent’s global network of nearly 160,000 event professionals. Cvent technology enables hotels and venues to efficiently manage their MICE and corporate travel business, increase revenue, and deliver more profitable results.

About Cvent

Cvent is a leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider with 5,500+ employees and 30,000+ customers worldwide as of December 31, 2025. Founded in 1999, the company delivers a comprehensive event marketing and management platform and offers a global marketplace where event professionals collaborate with venues to create engaging, impactful experiences. Hotels and venues use Cvent’s supplier and venue solutions to win more group and corporate travel business through Cvent’s sourcing platforms. Cvent solutions optimise the event management value chain and have enabled clients around the world to manage millions of meetings and events. For more information, please visit cvent.com.