The survey is based on interviews with senior managers and board directors of 500 of Europe's top companies. It looks at factors that companies take into account when deciding where to locate, and then compares the performance of 30 of Europe's leading business cities on each issue.
"Barcelona and Madrid have both carried out energetic strategic improvements to their cities over the past 10 years, from updating their transport infrastructure to the education of the local workforce," says Roger Cooke, who manages Spain for the firm. "In turn, this has raised the profile of these two leading cities as business centers." Barcelona is also the city perceived as doing the most in Europe to improve itself as a business location, followed by Prague and Madrid.
Two-thirds of European companies interviewed said that holding a major sporting or cultural event would not influence whether they located in that city in the future, but that the Olympic Summer Games was the event that would have the most impact on a city.
"A high-profile event may not in itself lead international companies to locate in the host city, but it does raise the profile of that city," notes Elaine Rossall in the research department of C&W/H&B. "If the appropriate strategic infrastructure changes are made, London will be able to build on its position not only as Europe's number-one business location, but also as a global location for business."
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