Glasgow Convention Bureau

Aileen Crawford

Head of Glasgow Convention Bureau

aileen.crawford@glasgowconventionbureau.com

07930 128835

www.glasgowconventionbureau.com

Business events will help to lead global renewal

At the time of writing, the Scottish Government has given the indicative date of 14 September for conferences to resume, with physical distancing measures in place. The Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) global manifesto presents the argument for business events to lead global renewal. It sets out a series of arguments as to why business events such as meetings, conventions and exhibitions can and should be used to drive economic recovery and renewal in the post Covid-19 era. The manifesto is intended as a worldwide resource for industry professionals and representatives to assist as they advocate for the reopening of business events in their respective communities.

The manifesto includes:

  • 15 ways business events create strategic advantage towards economic renewal.
  • 5 positive policy implications derived from business events.
  • 10 steps to help deliver the message.

Read the full JMIC manifesto here

Impact of Covid-19 on conference business for the city continues to change on a daily basis

As of the end of July, 127 conferences have considered their options.

Of those 127 conferences, 48 have cancelled that were worth £73 million to the city’s economy.

68 conferences have postponed to future dates in 2021 onwards, worth £98 million to the local economy in delegate spend.

The Convention Bureau team continues to work closely with these clients, the team at the SEC, the city’s hotel community, our Universities and unusual venues, to help with the changing plans, caused by these postponements and cancellations.

Future conference business as at the end of July 2020 (these figures are subject to change):

January – December 2021

  • 88 conferences (many are still confidential, therefore not published).
  • 68,000 delegates.
  • £103 million in economic benefit from delegate spend.
  • COP26 has been postponed to 1-12 November 2021. However, this has not been reflected in the above figures until delegate numbers are clearer.

From 2022 – 2025

  • 40 conferences.
  • 50,000 delegates.
  • £86 million in economic benefit from delegate spend.

New conference business

Between 1 April and 31 July 2020, Team Glasgow has continued to attract and win conference business for the city resulting in 22 conferences being confirmed for future years equating to over 10,500 delegates and £15 million in local economic benefit.

Launch of the new virtual Glasgow conference experience

Recognising the growth in hybrid and virtual meetings, the Conventions team will create a ‘virtual Glasgow experience’ to bring some Scottish flavour with a Glasgow twist to personalise online interaction with delegates. The aim of this content is to: • Encourage the virtual delegate to visit Glasgow in the future. • Support conference organisers by creating personalised content. • Support Glasgow companies by promoting their online sales to a wider, global audience. In addition, the Conventions Bureau has been working on promoting members engaged in hybrid conference activity. In a series of articles spotlighting AV companies, professional conference organisers and venues with hybrid conference capability, Glasgow’s conference organisers are kept updated and appraised on the city’s response to the Covid-19 crisis, by anticipating their needs for the addition of a virtual element to their live meeting. For Covid-19 Information and support click here.

Know before you go

As an aide to both conference organisers and delegates, a ‘Know Before You Go’ guide has been produced. This web-based resource is for clients looking for information on Glasgow’s Covid-19 related health and safety hygiene protocols and the measures in place across transport, hotels, conference venues, retail and social spaces.

This information will link out to members’ Covid-19 hygiene information, gathered in one place for ease of sharing.