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Scotland
Innovating the nation
As some leaders prefer to look inwards, Scotland continues to take
a broad global view with a growing offer for events
s some of our politicians look
ever more inward, Scotland is
continuing to look to the global
markets as it presents its
growing meetings menu to organisers.
Growth in airline connectivity to Scotland
from all parts of the world – from the
Arabian Gulf to North America – is
transforming access for business events,
with new direct routes from Delta, Qatar,
Etihad, Air Canada Rouge, and Air France
airlines. Accessibility is the number one
factor when planning an event and new
flight routes are a game-changer
(particularly through new hubs in Doha and
Abu Dhabi) which is opening up business
from the Asia-Pacific region to Scotland.
The expansion of airline routes into
Scotland is equally matched by
investments in infrastructure.
Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness
airports are all seeing significant upgrades
thanks to confidence in passenger
numbers coming into the country.
Business visits and events will certainly
benefit from this growth and investment,
adding to Scotland’s appeal as a
destination.
Scotland’s connectivity with the world is
just one message that VisitScotland’s
Ambassador programme for business
visits and events is taking internationally
under the banner ‘Innovate the Nation’.
Working closely with Scotland’s cities
and centres, the Ambassador programme
identifies and recruits experts in key
sectors who can help to identify, target
and win association and corporate
business for Scotland. The programme
promotes Scotland’s strengths as a
destination, which is at the forefront of
innovation, research and education in
fields as diverse as robotics, renewable
energy and medical research.
Dedicated presentations on this theme
were a feature of Scotland’s presence at
IMEX america and IMEX in Frankfurt and
there are plans to promote the same
message to the North American market in
the near future.
Subvention may be a dirty word still in
some quarters but Scotland’s National
Conference Bid Fund has proved a great
success in bringing association events into
the country. This includes placing
international events into the Highlands
and Islands, as well as the flagship cities.
The number of events secured through
the Bid Fund has increased 44%
year-on-year between 2016 and 2015,
proving its value not just in bringing
economic benefit, but also in positioning
Scotland as a global centre for pioneering
research and development.
“Despite the ever-changing geopolitical
landscape, Scotland continues to remain
an appealing destination for the MICE
market throughout the world, and we
expect growth in 2017 and further ahead,”
says Lindsay Brown, marketing manager
– emerging markets and special projects,
at Visit Scotland.
In this CN supplement we look at some
of the cities, venues and projects that are
driving that growth north of the border. CN
www.conference-news.co.uk
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