For the second year running, corporate travel planners have hailed London as the best destination in the world to hold a conference. As well as winning Best Conference Destination, the UK capital was also voted Best Incentive Destination in the Conference & Incentive Travel Magazine (C&IT) Hot List 2010.
Voting took place across an eight week period, with more than 400 event planners representing some of the biggest brands and their corporate travel budgets casting their vote.
London continues to be a focal point for global business – despite economic challenges. The number of business visitors to London in the first three months of 2010 grew by 5% over the same period last year, and the capital’s event infrastructure has been further strengthened in 2010 by the launch of South Bank Venues, a marketing collaboration of 21 member venues who have joint forces to actively promote meetings, conferences, incentives and events on the South Bank.
C&IT Editor Yasmin Arrigo said: “London was the clear favourite for conferences for a second year.
The capital, which also topped the Best Incentive Destination category, won more than three times the votes of its nearest competitor.”
Once again, ExCeL London won gold in the Best Conference Centre category, while Scottish hotel Gleneagles was voted Best UK Incentive Hotel and Welsh retreat Celtic Manor took gold in the Best UK Conference Hotel category for the second time.
London also topped the Best Unusual Events Venue category with Altitude 360 scooping gold, Natural History Museum receiving silver, and Sealife London Aquarium taking home the bronze.
The winners were unveiled at Altitude London’s River Room on 30 September.
The full list of Gold winners is as follows:
Best Conference Destination: London
Best Incentive Destination: London
Best UK Conference Hotel: Celtic Manor
Best Overseas Conference hotel: Hotel Arts Barcelona
Best UK Incentive Hotel: Gleneagles
Best Overseas Incentive Hotel: Atlantis, the Palm
Best Conference Centre: ICC London Excel
Best Unusual Events Venue: Altitude 360
Best DMC: Green Route
Best Venue for Sustainability: ACC Liverpool
Best Transport Provider: Virgin Atlantic
Best Hotel Chain: Marriott
