Every year, the team at GPM LiveMarketing GmbH travels across Europe on site inspections, fam trips and research journeys. Our ambition: to identify new potential, critically reassess established destinations and find out where live communication will truly be able to unfold in the future.
The Result of a Year Full of Travel
In 2025, we saw a lot, tested, compared – and discussed even more. The result is a clear picture: which destinations will impress in 2026, which narrowly miss out, and which we are already observing as exciting candidates for 2027.
Evaluation framework and criteria
- Accessibility & infrastructure
Travel connections, local mobility, cleanliness, safety, functionality of the city
- Climate & planning reliability
Reliability for outdoor formats and complex productions
- Hotels & venues
Quality, diversity, capacity, state of the art
- Local network
Availability of experienced service providers, partners and materials
- Professionalism on site
Reliability, hands-on mentality, event experience
- Value for money
For participants, clients and project partners
- Overall performance
A Top 5 Ranking Requires all factors to convince – not just individual highlights
Our Top 5 Event Destinations for 2026
Destinations that consistently perform strongly across almost all criteria
Madrid, Spain
Madrid combines excellent infrastructure and first-class hotels with a high density of international headquarters, associations and institutions. This structure ensures well-established processes, reliable partners and a high level of planning security – even for complex conference and corporate formats. The city is active all year round, professionally paced and particularly strong when content, exchange and efficiency take centre stage.
Athens, Greece
Athens has made a remarkable leap in recent years. Modern hotels, new event venues and strong service providers – combined with history, sunshine and an attractive price level. Currently one of Europe’s most dynamic metropolitan destinations for international formats.
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Small, green and relaxed – yet surprisingly professional. Ljubljana impresses with short distances, fair prices and high service quality. Ideal for workshops, leadership formats and events where focus, exchange and atmosphere matter more than maximum staging.
Bergen, Norway
Bergen is not a destination for standard programmes. Dramatic nature, fjords and striking visuals make the city the perfect stage for incentives and experiential formats. Demanding in terms of planning, but unique in outcome – for clients who deliberately think differently.
Düsseldorf, Germany
Unassuming, but extremely solid. Düsseldorf convinces with international connectivity, strong hotels and a very experienced network of event service providers. The city is not a hype destination, but a reliable safe bet that continues to pleasantly surprise international audiences. Especially for multi-day and emotionally driven formats, Düsseldorf is still often underestimated. GPM LiveMarketing Düsseldorf has summarised the particular strengths of the destination in more detail on its website.
Close Contenders: Our Close Winners for 2026
Valencia, Spain
Valencia is back on our list. The city scores with modern architecture, a beachfront location and very good value for money. Valencia offers plenty of space and excellent conditions for mid-sized events and creative formats. For complex international productions, however, it currently still lacks the consistent routine at Top 5 level – a clear close winner with strong potential.
South Tyrol, Italy
Nature, quality, cuisine – South Tyrol is impressive. A real highlight for small, exclusive formats. For larger groups or tightly scheduled productions, however, it involves greater logistical effort, limited capacities and reduced flexibility. Strong, but clearly a special-interest case.
Already On Our Radar: Our Upcoming Stars for 2027
Cádiz, Spain
Cádiz is not yet a classic event hotspot, but that is precisely what makes the city exciting. Its historic old town, Atlantic location and noticeably slower pace create a setting that clearly stands out from established Spanish destinations. Cádiz offers plenty of character for small, curated formats, but currently still has limited hotel capacity and a manageable service provider network. A destination with a strong profile – and development potential for the coming years.
Cyprus
Cyprus impresses with plenty of sunshine, a long season and a growing number of new resorts, particularly in the Greek part of the island. The destination is surprisingly versatile and offers an attractive value-for-money ratio alongside good international connectivity. However, its island location results in longer supply chains, logistical constraints and a still limited network of experienced event service providers. With forward-looking planning, Cyprus nevertheless remains a highly interesting option for 2027.
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Belfast is coming back into focus. The city is culturally rich and multi-layered, shaped by history, music and a very distinctive identity. This depth is exactly what makes Belfast particularly interesting for content-driven formats and curated events. The season remains comparatively short and weather-dependent – nevertheless, Belfast is an exciting destination with character that deserves more attention again in 2027.
Also on our watchlist:
Dublin, Split & Hvar – cities and regions with clear development, growing professionalism and increasing relevance for demanding event formats.
What Truly Defines an Event Destination
“Good event destinations are not created by trends or Instagram moments, but by hard facts. Individual highlights must not disguise structural weaknesses – the decisive factor is always the overall picture on site. That is precisely why at GPM LiveMarketing we assess destinations consistently and objectively: based on real-life experience and professional feasibility. Our ambition is clear – to deliver events reliably, safely and at the highest level. Surprises are only allowed where they are desired.”
Olaf Thiel is Managing Director of GPM LiveMarketing GmbH and has been involved in evaluating European event destinations for many years. He is regularly on site, observes developments directly at the locations and maintains close exchange with industry representatives from hotels, venues and the event sector. On this basis, he classifies destinations and evaluates them according to their practical suitability and long-term relevance for professional event formats.