U.S. News & World Report’s Inaugural Meeting Destination Rankings: Here’s How Cities Stacked Up

U.S. News & World Report is best known for its annual rankings — particularly its college and university ratings, which it has published since 1983.

In its first attempt at ranking meeting destinations, The 30 Best Conference Cities in the U.S. for 2026-2027, the website evaluated 52 U.S. cities with populations of more than 50,000 and a dedicated, city-operated conference center or event space. 

The report’s author consulted with event planners to determine key factors for both conference planners and attendees.

Cities were chosen based on a number of factors important to meeting planners, such as accessibility and affordability. The meeting space score, which was 25% of the total ranking, relied heavily on the size of the exhibit space in the city’s convention center.  

Another factor, destination appeal, which contributed 25% to the score, focused on the appeal for tourists (sights, culture, nightlife, and food), using the same method as the website uses for its Best Vacations rankings.

A Few Surprises

There were some surprises among the results. Las Vegas, Chicago, and Orlando took the top three spots on the list because of the exhibit space criteria. But the rankings then jumped to a resort destination for #4 — Phoenix, a sought-after spot for bleisure but without the walkability of typical convention cities. (Also in the top five was Houston, chosen for its “low-cost lodging and two highly trafficked airports.”)

In Cvent’s Top 50 Meeting Destinations in North America 2026, which uses group business sourcing and booking data from the Cvent Supplier Network, Anaheim was rated as #29. However, in this list it came in as #8, right after Washington, D.C. In part, this was attributed to the Anaheim GardenWalk, a collection of restaurants and entertainment venues within walking distance of the convention center.  

The #12 destination, Salt Lake City, also ranked much lower on the Cvent list (#36). U.S. News & World Report described it as “a thriving cultural hub and an excellent home base for hikers and skiers, more than just a place of great faith.” However, Salt Lake City’s Calvin R. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, which hosts 200 events per year, is slated to close for three years in late 2027 for demolition and reconstruction. Also high up (#17) was Columbus, which Cvent ranked at the bottom of its list, between Aventura, Fla. and Colorado City.

At the opposite end was Miami, which came in last on the U.S. News & World Report list. The city, which averages 143 major events each year and completed a $640 million renovation on the Miami Beach Convention Center in 2020, was named “Best Convention Center & Other Venues” in the 2025 Skift IDEA Awards. Construction has also begun on an attached convention center hotel, the 800-room Grand Hyatt Miami Beach Hotel, slated to open in late 2027.