Where Teams Should Meet in 2026: Cvent’s Top Conference Venues

Picking where to host your next conference can feel like a high-stakes guessing game. The right setting energizes your team and makes the whole event memorable; the wrong one leaves everyone counting down to checkout. With so many conference venues competing for your business, how do you know which cities and hotels deliver?

That’s where I come in. I’m Paul Giroux, a lead facilitator at TeamBonding, and after more than two decades of running team building events across North America, I’ve worked inside some truly incredible spaces.

When Cvent released its 2026 rankings of top meeting destinations and hotels, I grinned, because I’ve personally facilitated events at several of the hotels that made this year’s top 10, including the property that claimed the #1 spot.

In this article, I’ll share my insider perspective on these standout conference venues and what makes them special for hosting memorable corporate events. I’ll also highlight the best corporate meeting locations and conference destinations to give you even more options.

The power of conference venues and locations

The venue and the city you choose shape everything about your event. A walkable, well-designed city with thriving business, diverse food and culture, and beautiful scenery makes a real difference for both meetings and team building events.

These are the traits the best event planners look for when they help a Fortune 500 company plan a retreat, conference, or event that people will talk about for years. The same qualities that define great conference venues also define the best team building destinations.

The best conference locations

The best conference locations check a handful of boxes that go well beyond square footage. When I’m scouting cities, I look for places that offer:

• World-renowned attractions and theme parks
• Unique corporate meeting venues
• Plenty of hotels, from luxury to budget
• Spacious convention centers
• Reliable weather
• An abundance of activities
• Exceptional facilities

The best meeting venues

The best meeting venues are the ones where the staff is eager to collaborate with you. After facilitating over 1,000 game shows and countless team building sessions, I’ve learned that beautiful ballrooms and cutting-edge tech matter, but they aren’t the whole story.

The venues that make Cvent’s list create environments where teams connect, collaborate, and leave feeling inspired. If you have your pick, choose a venue that treats you like a celebrity, not a problem.

I’d also suggest following the lead of today’s top event planners and looking for a venue that offers:

• A stylish, inviting atmosphere
• Spacious, flexible event rooms
• A variety of spaces, from ballrooms to outdoor areas
• A great catering team
• Exceptional service
• Advanced technology and reliable equipment
• A walkable downtown or central location

Cvent’s top 10 meeting destinations for 2026

Cvent’s 2026 destination rankings draw on more than $20 billion in global sourcing and RFP activity through its platforms, so they reflect where planners are booking their most important events.

If you’re wondering whether the list is worth your attention, think of it this way: these are the conference destinations your competitors are eyeing for their next big event.

Demand is climbing, too. Cvent reports that 70% of event professionals predicted an increase in in-person events in 2026, and 95% expected their meeting spend to grow.

The complete top 10 list

Here are the top conference destinations for 2026, according to Cvent’s rankings:

1. Orlando, FL: Orlando holds Cvent’s top spot for the 11th consecutive year. It’s a memorable location your team will love.
2. Las Vegas, NV: The entertainment capital holds steady at #2, blending entertainment, luxury, and business.
3. Nashville, TN: Music City rose one spot to #3, and it’s home to numerous incredible conference venues.
4. Chicago, IL: Chicago slipped one spot to #4, but it remains a great blend of business and pleasure.
5. Dallas, TX: A consistent favorite for its central location and excellent facilities.
6. Atlanta, GA: Southern hospitality meets modern amenities in this vibrant setting for world-class events.
7. San Diego, CA: Legendary beaches, beautiful weather, and a laid-back vibe keep it in the top 10.
8. New York, NY: The standout mover this year, surging four spots to break into the top 10. The city’s resurgence as a premier corporate and association destination is hard to miss.
9. Austin, TX: Austin climbed two spots to #9, proof of its growing pull with meeting planners.
10. Washington, D.C.: The U.S. capital rounds out the list, ideal for events of historic proportions.

From world-class experiences in Orlando to the gateway energy of New York, these top conference destinations prove there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to a great event.

This year’s list highlights two trends worth watching. Gateway cities like New York are roaring back, while high-growth hubs like Nashville and Austin keep climbing. Planners clearly want destinations that pair big-city scale with experiences you can’t get anywhere else.

New York’s four-spot jump stood out to me the most. The city’s mix of iconic venues, transit access, and sheer density of things to do makes it a natural fit for large corporate and association events, and it’s a reminder that the meetings map keeps shifting.

Each city is a major business hub with a growing reputation in the meetings industry. They offer a blend of accessibility, culture, and hospitality that makes every event feel special.

Cvent’s top 10 meeting hotels for 2026

This year’s hotel rankings tell a different story from last year’s. Austin’s JW Marriott jumped four spots to claim #1, and the Gaylord brand had a standout year with three properties in the top 10.

That Gaylord showing says something about where group business is heading. These convention-center hotels are built to host large, complex programs under one roof, which is exactly what planners need when they’re moving hundreds of people through general sessions, breakouts, and meals.

Las Vegas showed its depth, too, landing three hotels in the top 10. That kind of range signals properties that can support big, involved events without losing responsiveness or that all-important sense of partnership.

[Image: JW Marriott Austin / Austin skyline] JW Marriott Austin rose four spots to claim the #1 hotel this year.

The complete top 10 list

Here are the 10 best conference venues in the country, according to Cvent’s 2026 list:

1. JW Marriott Austin, Austin, TX
2. Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, Aurora, CO
3. The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
4. Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville, TN
5. Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
6. Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, Scottsdale, AZ
7. Wynn and Encore Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
8. Omni Nashville Hotel, Nashville, TN
9. Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Grapevine, TX
10. Fairmont Austin, Austin, TX

What do these conference venues have in common? They treat facilitators and event planners as partners, not vendors. They respond to RFPs quickly, prioritize collaboration, and offer curated group experiences that hold up throughout the event, not just at booking.

My personal experiences at these elite venues

I’ve worked inside many of the hotels on Cvent’s 2026 list, so I can’t wrap up without sharing a few highlights. The rankings are useful, but the real test of a venue is how the team shows up on event day, when rooms need to be flipped and timelines get tight.

Austin: where innovation meets Southern hospitality

Austin owns two spots on this year’s hotel list, including the new #1, and I’ve facilitated events at both. Austin’s energy is infectious, and these hotels capture it.

JW Marriott Austin

Seeing JW Marriott Austin claim #1 brought a smile to my face. I’ve facilitated multiple events here, many of which are built around local Austin themes. One favorite was a Price Is Right-style event called “C’mon Down” (everyone knows I love a good game show team building event).

We had questions about local food, like estimating the cost of authentic Austin barbecue for a group of 20, plus a bunch of other regional categories. The team’s flexibility helped us connect participants to the location in a memorable way.

Fairmont Austin

The Fairmont Austin has been a consistent partner for our “Tools for Schools” charity programs and high-energy “In It to Win It” events.

Their staff understands the logistics of large, complex events, helping with everything from securing space to pre-sorting donated items to coordinating local pickups. During one Tools for Schools event, we set up stores with supplies for over 100 backpacks, and the venue team executed a seamless room flip in just 20 minutes. Now that’s what I’m talking about.

Nashville: where music meets exceptional meetings

Nashville sits at #3 among this year’s conference destinations, and the Omni Nashville landed at #8 on the hotel list. Both rankings feel right to me.

Omni Nashville Hotel

I facilitated a custom team building event here where participants built musical instruments and wrote company-themed songs. We finished by donating the instruments to children’s charities around Nashville.

The staff was attentive and made sure everyone could relax and have fun with what we were doing. They’re one of the reasons this is among my favorite event memories.

Nashville keeps earning its reputation. I’ve also run events at the Renaissance Nashville, where the team actively collaborated to flip rooms between sessions and support custom programming. Music City rarely disappoints.

 

Ready to tap into TeamBonding’s nationwide network?

These Cvent-recognized venues represent some of the best conference locations in the U.S., but they’re just a sampling of the venues we work with nationwide.

At TeamBonding, we’ve built relationships with preferred venues across the country, places where we know the staff and can deliver exceptional experiences for your team.

We’re not limited to that network, either. We’re happy to bring our programs anywhere your team needs to gather.

The venues on Cvent’s 2026 list earned their recognition through consistent excellence, but the best conference venues for your team are the ones that fit your goals, budget, and vision. A smaller property that bends over backward for you can beat a famous name that treats you like a line item.

Ready to plan an event your team will talk about for years? Contact us to find out how we can help.