7
Dedicated Venues
Case study:
PCO view
Christine Lawson, founder of Eventage, talks
to CN about the SEC’s Meeting Academy
n 2018, the Scottish Event
Campus (SEC) launched the
Meeting Academy, a
contemporary suite of large and
small meeting spaces, surrounded
by breakout and social areas. The
space offers a new look for
delegates, but also a modern
working space, a stylish meeting and
events centre, and another addition
to the growing campus that exists at
the SEC.
One of the first people to see the
space was Christine Lawson,
founder of professional conference
organiser Eventage. “The first look I
had of the Meeting Academy was a
hard hat tour very early on. The team
at the SEC wanted to get my view on
the space, and how we could use it
for existing and potential events,”
commented Lawson. “I liked the look
from the outset, it offers event
companies like us a great deal of
options. A suite for meetings for
upward of around 100 people, but
also a nice breakout space for larger
events. It has a different feel from
other venue spaces, which is really
important for VIP or speaker zones.”
The SEC Meeting Academy is
situated above the main concourse
at SEC Centre, and presents a fresh
environment for visitors to the
venue. The suite consists of a main
meeting space, smaller meeting
rooms, a lounge area and a
re-charge and work area where
delegates can plug in, connect, and
catch up on other work. Its design is
light, bright and Scandi, with vibrant
colours and statement furniture.
Above: Smart furnishings at
the Meeting Academy
www.conference-news.co.uk
“Delegates these days are looking
for a more complete experience
when they are on site; Wi-Fi, the
ability to charge their phones,
escape, and catch up with other
work or commitments,” continues
Lawson. “These additions have
become a necessity for today’s
delegate, and it’s great to be able to
offer them through the Meeting
Academy; it’s really important.”
Eventage is the professional
conference organiser for the NHS
Scotland Event, a major conference
that has been returning to the SEC
since 2007. For Lawson and her
team, this is an event that has much
to gain from the new Meeting
Academy: “NHS Scotland is a very
large event where we manage
several thousand delegates,”
continues Lawson. “We always take
up pretty much all available break
out space in the SEC, so the Meeting
Academy is a fabulous addition to
these options and we’re looking
forward to offering something new
and distinctive to the delegation.”
The Meeting Academy is just one
of a number of new additions that is
expanding the SEC campus, adding
to the newly launched Clydeside
Distillery and Radisson Red hotel.
“The SEC is well placed next to the
River Clyde, there are some really
good on-site hotels, restaurants and
even a new whisky distillery. It
means conference organisers can
engage their delegates outside of
the main event as well as inside, and
give them access to an entire
campus full of social activities and
local attractions,” adds Lawson.
“We’ve worked with the exceptional
team at the SEC since 2005 and run
many conferences over that period.
It’s been really satisfying to see the
evolution of the venue into more of a
campus for events looking to come
to Glasgow, the SEC Meeting
Academy is yet another sign of this
evolution,” concludes Lawson.