Earnings before taxation and depreciation (EBITDA) increased 18 per cent to €18.7 million (£16.4m) for MCI in 2016 while gross margins rose 5 per cent to €155m (£136m), in what it's calling a "landmark year".

The international events, conference and association management company has released its MCI 2016 Digital Annual Report, saying strong growth was particularly felt in the Americas, which represented a seven-fold increase in the past five years, and contributed 23 per cent towards gross margin. It comes after the acquisitions of In House in Miami and P2COM in São Paulo, Brazil.

Overall turnover for the company rose 4 per cent to €418m (£367m) in 2016, up from €402m (£353m) the year previous.

Jurriaen Sleijster, president and chief operating officer of MCI, said: "Looking at 2017 and beyond, MCI will focus on strategic acquisitions that aim at fortifying its core service offering while enhancing client value through a wide selection of new digital products and services. Moreover, organic growth is also expected to contribute to the company’s overall positive performance.

"The Americas region will continue to be a pillar of acquisition and organic growth for the company and Europe will maintain its role as a solid financial foundation for balancing regional risk."

The report says its two leading practices, meetings & events and full congress management (PCO), represented 36 per cent and 28 per cent of total business respectively. Digital accounted for 18 per cent, association management for 13 per cent and destination management (DMC) for 5 per cent.

Chief executive Sébastien Tondeur said: "2016 has been a landmark year for MCI. As we progress into 2017 and beyond, we will continue to forge deep client relationships using a strong community-based approach. Additionally we will strengthen our world-class company culture to celebrate entrepreneurial creativity, reaffirm our sustainability principles and focus on results. We will continue to look into structuring and investing in our digital, content and creative services that already represent a quarter of our revenues."