8
Scotland
Nine things to
do in and around
Aberdeen
1. Visit a castle – from the
imposing ruins of Dunnottar
Castle sat atop a rocky cliff
over the North Sea to Drum
Castle, which boasts a
unique blend of medieval,
Jacobean and Victorian
architecture, there’s a castle
for all tastes.
2. Go dolphin spotting – the
north east of Scotland boasts
many locations for dolphin
spotting, including the Torry
battery in Aberdeen.
3. Tour a distillery – whether
Royal Lochnagar, in the
shadow of Balmoral Castle,
or the Glen Garioch distillery
in Oldmeldrum, you’ll find a
good dram and insights into
the makings of single malt.
4. Eat local – the area
boasts famous Aberdeen
Angus beef and exquisite
seafood. Restaurants include
Eat on the Green, Café 52
and the Silver Darling.
5. Visit the Maritime
Museum.
6. Talk a walk on the beach
– miles of golden sand awaits
at Aberdeen beach, plus the
quirky fishing village of
Footdee (pronounced ‘Fittie’)
at the mouth of the harbour.
7. Visit Old Aberdeen – a
medieval town forms Old
Aberdeen, a short walk from
the city centre and home to
the University of Aberdeen.
8. Play golf – Aberdeenshire
boasts 50 golf courses within
an hour of the city, including
the Trump International Golf
Links.
9. Enjoy craft beer –
Aberdeenshire is known as
the birthplace of Brewdog.
Aberdeen angles
t has been an exciting
year for the meetings
industry in Aberdeen and
Aberdeenshire, with
several major developments
making headway across the
region and new flight routes
to the USA via Icelandair
opening up.
Ground has been broken
on the new Aberdeen
Exhibition and Conference
Centre (AECC), which will
see the venue move from its
current home in the Bridge
of Don to a new site in
Bucksburn.
Close to Aberdeen
International Airport and
Dyce Train Station, the new
£333m development will be
more accessible.
A 32,000sqm
subterranean space,
9,000sqm arena, 6,000sqm
of divisible halls and an
additional 10,000sqm event
space will allow events of a
larger scale than before. An
additional four suites and
12 meeting rooms will also
cater for smaller events.
On-site Hilton, Aloft and
Premier Inn hotels will
provide 500 rooms at the
AECC, in addition to 2,320
bedrooms already available
at the 11 hotels situated
within a five-minute drive of
the city centre.
Closer to the city centre,
Aberdeen Art Gallery and
the Music Hall are also
currently undergoing
developments, worth £37m,
and will add to the region’s
offering for gala dinners and
receptions.
Jenni Fraser, business
development manager at
VisitAberdeenshire, says
large events on the horizon
include SPE Offshore
Europe 2017, Alzheimers
Research UK Conference
2017 and the 14th
Symposium on Bacterial
Genetics and Ecology. CN
IIFET 18th Biennial
Conference 2016
In July, 400 delegates from
the fishing industries came for
the International Institute of
Fisheries Economics & Trade’s
(IIFET) 18th biennial
conference at the AECC.
Hazel Curtis, chief economist
at Seafish, helped win the
conference for the city. “I had
never submitted a competitive
bid before and received help
from the local councils, who
assisted with accommodation
and organising a fam visit for
the IIFET directors; as well as
from the University of
Aberdeen and the AECC.
“Ours was a conference
about fishing economics so it
was good to be close to the
industry, as well as having
attractions close by.
“We were also able to
demonstrate Scotland’s
quality food and drink.”
www.conference-news.co.uk
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