Host Destination: Scotland

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VisitScotland Expo Sees “Record” Appointments

VisitBritain’s flagship business event MeetGB has been held in Windsor, and VisitScotland Expo has said that its recent staging was one of the biggest since the event began life in 1980. The exhibition took place at Glasgow’s SEC over two days, and saw 340 businesses showcasing products to over 550 buyers. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Edinburgh’s EICC Posts Record Results

The Edinburgh International Conference Centre has posted record financial results for 2018 as managers wary of a Brexit downturn target growth opportunities outside Europe. EICC is owned by Edinburgh City Council, which last month cut £300,000 from the annual budget of Marketing Edinburgh, the body that runs CVB Convention Edinburgh. From Association Meetings International…

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Scottish Space Sector Now Worth £4bn

Once famous for ship and train making, Scotland is now building rockets and satellites. Sutherland, the first spaceport in mainland Europe, will soon see its first launches. VisitScotland recently held INNOVATESPACE at the University of St Andrews, right after Data Space 2019 was held at the Technology & Innovation Centre in Glasgow. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Using the Destination, Adding Value for the Community

During a busy European Cities Marketing Spring Meeting 2019 in Edinburgh, meetings professionals debated the successes and failures of city event organisations from all over the continent. Contributors included Iceberg partner ECM’s President, Dieter Hardt-Stremayr. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Leaving a Legacy: ESSKA and MWC

What does leaving a legacy really mean for the events industry? As part of a collaboration with the European Society of Association Executives, here are two perfect case studies: the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy Congress held in Glasgow, and Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress. From Boardroom…

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Dundee and Angus Events Bring in £71m

A 2018 economic impact report published by the Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau shows that £71 million was generated from the thriving business events sector in the Scottish region last year. The figure represents a four percent increase on 2017. The area attracted 257,000 conference and event delegates in 2018. From Association Meetings International…

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Edinburgh Marketing Wins Stay of Execution

Edinburgh Marketing, the body behind the city’s convention bureau, has been dealt an eleventh hour reprieve after city councillors accepted a counter offer to proposed cuts. The council had sought to slash the organisation’s funding by £567,000 next year and by 89 percent over two years. Now it has reinstated £267,000. From Association Meetings International…

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DMO MD Condemns Edinburgh Cuts

Leaders from one of Europe’s most prestigious gatherings of destination marketing organisations have voiced disbelief at proposed budget cuts which could see the end of both Marketing Edinburgh and the city’s convention bureau. Partner of the Iceberg European Cities Marketing’s Spring Meeting 2019 has just been held in the Scottish capital. From Association Meetings International…

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Aileen Crawford

Head of Tourism and Conventions, Glasgow Convention Bureau

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Aileen has worked in the meetings industry for over 25 years and is currently the Head of Tourism and Conventions at Glasgow Convention Bureau, Glasgow Life. Aileen has served on the board of ICCA as Destination Co-Chair. The Convention Bureau focus on attracting and supporting association conferences to meet in Glasgow. The Bureau offer a…

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Knowledge Hub: What Future for Edinburgh’s Ambassadors?

Ambassadors help destinations secure international association meetings. So Edinburgh’s meetings industry has an anxious wait ahead of a council vote on budget cuts that could virtually wipe out the city’s marketing and lead to the closure of Convention Edinburgh and its ambassador scheme. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…

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Edinburgh’s Room Tax: Breach in the Dyke or Bad Idea?

While the Edinburgh Convention Bureau’s future funding lies under threat, so the city has also voiced the idea of a £2 per person nightly “room tax”. Some see this as a welcome source of new revenue, but will any get back to marketing, and what about competitiveness? From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Lesley Williams

Consultant, GainingEdge

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Lesley joined BestCities in 2017 as Market Development Director, and was Managing Director from January 2020 to July 2023, following the decision of BestCities to award extending the management contract to GainingEdge. Lesley is a strong supporter and advocate of the beyond tourism impacts of meetings.  In 2017 BestCities formed a collaboration with ICCA to…

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Edinburgh Ambassadors Slam Proposed Cuts

Academics across Edinburgh have slammed proposed budget cuts that would see an 89 percent drop in the capital’s marketing over the next two years as well as the closure of its ambassador programme. Over 75 Edinburgh ambassadors contacted the City Council objecting to the proposal to slash Marketing Edinburgh’s budget by £790,000. From Association Meetings International…

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Glasgow: Medical Conferences’ Education Legacy

In 2018 three major international medical conferences were hosted in Glasgow: haemophilia, Down’s syndrome and ALS / MND. About 10% of attendees were living with the conditions under discussion. Glasgow Convention Bureau partnered with Glasgow Welcomes and VisitScotland to offer free education sessions to help event stakeholders better understand these delegates’ needs. From Boardroom…

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Scottish Event Campus Plans Expansion

The Scottish Event Campus has applied for planning permission of a major expansion project, with the aim of creating a unique global event campus. The £150 – £200 million build will develop the west end of the campus, constructing a dedicated entrance, and additional meeting, exhibition and networking spaces. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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VisitScotland Business Events Campaign Win

The International Congress and Convention Association announced VisitScotland Business Events as the winner of this year’s prestigious ICCA Best Marketing Award at the closing ceremony of the 57th ICCA Congress in Dubai. The winning low cost, high-impact social media campaign, Ideas Become Legend, united the industry and connected associations with expertise. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Glasgow: Cancer Conference Career Legacy

Organisers of the National Cancer Research Institute Cancer Conference in Glasgow are seeking a long-term legacy with a special event aimed at school students considering a career in science or medicine. Sixth form students from across Scotland considering such a professional future have been invited to hear from researchers at the meeting. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…

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13 February 2019

ECM Spring Meeting 2019, Edinburgh, UK

A fully loaded two-day conference with leading international experts, event owners and select international showcases that will provide you with all the insights and inspiration you need to cultivate the event scene in your city. We proudly present event leaders and creatives from some of the world’s leading happenings and dissect the strategies that made…

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Dundee Opens Doors to Business Events

City leaders in Dundee want to “open its doors to the world” with business events. Scotland’s fourth largest city has won six “major” conferences for 2019 through its Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau Conference Ambassadors. The events are worth £1.6 million and will attract some 1,250 delegates to the city. From Association Meetings International…

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Homeless Hackathon Glasgow: A Legacy of Hacker Action

In 2017 Gallus Events’ William Thomson read in a Scottish newspaper that in his native town of Glasgow, one homeless person dies every week. He created Homeless Hackathon Glasgow, which brought together forty hacker participants, and which has yielded not one, but three projects currently under development, including an app for distributing surplus food. From PCMA Convene…

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Scotland: Fintech Scotland Fortnight 2018

Scotland’s financial services sector is now growing as fast as London’s. So the country is focusing on its fintech future with a major series of business events. Fintech Scotland Fortnight 2018 comprises eighteen conferences and meetings across Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling. It aims to reinforce Scotland’s position in the sector. Photo: Carlos Delgado. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…

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