This ranking puts Lyon in 2nd position in France, behind Paris and in front of Montpellier. These top 3 winners are followed by Toulouse, Marseille, Nantes, Nice and Bordeaux. This second position was won hands down considering the number of participants welcomed during events that met with ICCA1 criteria, as Lyon recorded a total of 17,000 participants in 2016 compared to 11,000 for Montpellier, in 3rd position.

At the European level, the City of Lyon has risen 3 places and is now 35th, and therefore ahead of such towns as Geneva, Frankfurt and Moscow.

These great results are due to an active strategy designed to attract conventions jointly conducted by the Lyon Convention and Exhibitions Bureau and the GL Events group, but mainly due to the commitment of local project promoters (scientists, professors, doctors, etc.). As internationally acknowledged champions in their respective specialities, these local stakeholders make it possible for the City to attract leading international conventions in the medical and scientific field in particular, such as the ISAKOS2 congress in 2015 or the Francophone Diabetes Society Convention in 2016.

The city's increased hotel capacity and greater accessibility by air achieved over the past few years have also helped to reinforce the destination's power of attraction by providing a total of 18.000 rooms3 and more international connections. In 2016, 20 new direct air routes were created, linking Lyon to such cities as Montreal, Moscow, Copenhagen, Stockholm and even Prague. This deployment has resulted in the extension of Lyon-Saint-Exupéry airport, which will double the airport's passenger capacity in 2017.

And finally, the Welcome by ONLYLYON plan, which is unique in Europe and was implemented for 20 leading events (trade fairs and conventions) in 2016, remains a major asset for the city of Lyon when it comes to welcoming, informing and guiding the participants of events that benefit from this plan.

This place on the podium must therefore be shared with all those actively involved in business tourism in Lyon, as well as the city's Universities, which also host a large number of conventions.

These great achievements should extend into 2017 with the hosting of 10 international conventions attracting more than 1,000 participants. They alone will draw in some 26,800 participants from all over the world.

See below for the list of main conventions to be hosted at the Lyon Convention Centre in the coming months.

The main conventions to be held in Lyon from June 2017 (229,56 kB)

  1. ICCA ranking takes into consideration international events that attract 50 participants or more, and has been held in at least 3 different countries.
  2. ISAKOS : International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee surgery and Orthopedaecic Sport medicine Congress. 
  3. Lyon boasts the 2nd largest hotel capacity in France after Paris.