GainingEdge, a global tourism and business events consulting firm, has released the third edition of its Leveraging Intellectual Capital Global Report.
The comprehensive analysis reveals which global destinations are most effectively engaging their local academic and professional leaders to attract lucrative international association meetings, and boost long-term global competitiveness.
The 2025 report significantly expands its scope, examining the governing bodies of more than 7,500 international associations. Moving beyond the 2021 edition, the new methodology broadens the analysis to include associations hosting mid-size conferences (200 to 499 participants) in addition to large congresses (over 500 participants).
By integrating data from the ICCA database and official association websites, the report provides a detailed and inclusive view yet on how destinations leverage their intellectual leaders across all scales of the global meetings landscape.
The findings reaffirm the dominance of major global knowledge hubs, with London, Paris, Tokyo, Beijing, and Madrid topping the world for representation on international association boards.
However, the research also highlights significant regional shifts and rising stars. Southern Europe is gaining strong momentum, driven by cities such as Lisbon, Athens, Rome, Milan, and Barcelona. Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific continues its impressive ascent, with Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore posting strong results.
In addition, Scandinavian cities, including Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, and Helsinki, are strengthening their global presence, underscoring the impact of sustained national investment in research and innovation.
At the core of the report is GainingEdge’s proprietary Harnessing Ratio. This metric measures how effectively a destination converts its intellectual capital – its represented leaders on association boards – into hosted or secured international meetings.
For 2025, the Czech capital, Prague, once again leads globally with an exceptional Harnessing Ratio of 70 per cent across all meeting sizes. Other top-performing cities include Lisbon, Istanbul, Bangkok, Barcelona, Montreal, and Cape Town.
On a national level, the UAE achieved the world’s highest ratio, surpassing 90 per cent, followed by Portugal, Thailand, and the Czech Republic.
The 2025 results also point to an increasingly multipolar global landscape. Several major US cities, including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, have seen a decline, suggesting a more domestically oriented market. Conversely, destinations like Istanbul, Warsaw, Ottawa, Shanghai, and Cape Town have advanced their position, showcasing a broader distribution of global influence in the business events ecosystem.
