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MAY | COVER and wider Scottish events industry , McWilliams says it brought sustainability into sharper focus . Cop 26 was ISO20121 Sustainable Management System certified , and SEC used the paperwork for the standard to implement the management system into its full site and operations .
She says another important outcome of COP26 for the events industry was the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge , which attracted hundreds of signatories .
When Aberdeen ’ s £ 333 million P & J Live opened in autumn 2019 , replacing the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre ( 8,500 ), the new 15,000-capacity venue not only meant the city was able to offer promoters and artists a far larger ticket sales potential but also cuttingedge facilities .
Named after local newspaper the Press and Journal , following a naming rights deal between venue operator ASM Global and publisher DC Thomson Media , P & J Live is owned by Aberdeen Council .
The venue got off to a flying start with sold-out 2019 shows including BBC Sports Personality of the Year and Michael Buble ’ s only Scottish 2019 tour dates ; two all-seated 10,000 capacity shows . It also holds the record for Scotland ’ s largest indoor arena show standing audience , with 15,000 people at a Gerry Cinnamon concert in November 2019 .
P & J Live entertainment sales manager Ross Allerton says the venue was designed to offer promoters a wide choice of show formats , from 3,000-capacity upwards , via a “ touchof-a-button ” retractable seating system .
Rated by sustainable built environment certification system BREEAM as excellent , P & J Live incorporates an energy centre that creates power from food and garden waste from around Aberdeen . The rubbish is digested in an onsite anaerobic plant and the resulting hydrogen gas is harvested and used to power the energy centre which supplies heating , cooling and power to the arena and nearby hotels .
P & J Live may be the most northern arena in the UK but Allerton says its location is an advantage : “ Its geographical position opens artists up to a relatively untapped population that extends from the central belt all the way up to the Highlands and islands of Scotland . Music fans
were having to travel three hours minimum down to the central belt to see global acts previously , which just isn ’ t feasible every time a show is on .”
Edinburgh remains one of the few major cities in the UK to not have an arena venue , but that may be about to change . The Birmingham-based NEC Group , which operates the Resorts World Arena ( cap . 15,685 ) and Utilita Arena Birmingham ( 15,800 ), is partnering with leisure and sports consultancy Lothian Leisure Development ( LLD ) to build the 8,000-capacity Edinburgh
International Arena in Straiton , five miles outside the city centre . Construction is expected to begin this year .
There is already a hugely flexible option for promoters looking to stage shows near Edinburgh . The Royal Highland Centre ( RHC ) is the home of the Royal Highland Show and an increasing number of large-scale concerts and festivals . Among the many live music shows this year are Connect Festival , Terminal V , The Hot Dub Time Machine , gigs by acts
“ We soon realised that things weren ’ t going to be easy on the journey back because there was a shortage of kit and a massive shortage of crew .”
– Shane Grieve
including Rage Against The Machine , and DF ’ s Big Top series that included gigs by Madness , 50 Cent , James and Biffy Clyro .
Located in Ingliston , RHC offers a range of spaces including the South Arena ( 40,000 ), West Arena ( 20,000 ), Highland Hall ( 8,000 ) and Lowland Hall ( 6,000 ).
“ We have got more live music this year than ever ,” says Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland CEO Alan Laidlaw .
He says promoters are appreciating the results of a recent multi-
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