VisitScotland’s new conference bid fund reaps success in Glasgow

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VisitScotland’s newly-launched £2m national conference bid fund has already begun reaping benefits for the Scottish economy with Glasgow being the first city to prosper under the new scheme.
 
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (GCMB) has secured seven major domestic and international conventions through to 2020, covering everything from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Healthcare to the Renewables UK Offshore Wind Energy Conference and the World Biomaterials Congress. These recent wins are expected to generate an economic impact of £27m.
 
Collectively, these seven conferences will bring almost 17,000 delegates from across the world to Glasgow, generating 80,000 hotel room nights.
 
“I’m delighted to see the benefits the Conference Bid Fund is already delivering,” Head of VisitScotland’s Business Tourism Unit, Neil Brownlee, said. “Scotland competes magnificently on the global stage and when it comes to the conference market, the fund will not only help Scotland maintain this position but indeed push on and develop further.”
 
Aimed at attracting more business tourism to Scotland over the next three years, the new conference subvention bid fund was launched in March by VisitScotland and is geared at increasing Scotland’s competitiveness within the international conventions market.
 
It is aimed at helping destinations across the country to put together the best possible bids and attract high-yield conferences, linked to Scotland’s areas of expertise in industry, commerce, science and medicine.
 
GCMB says business tourism is worth over £800m to the Scottish economy with business visitors spending 1.5 times that of leisure visitors per night. Conference delegates account for one in five hotel beds sold in Glasgow, underscoring the importance of conventions to the city’s economy.  
 
Any conference-related news? Email sarah@mashmedia.net

6 July 12

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