Foreword


Susan Deighan, Director of City Marketing and External Relations

Dear colleagues First of all, I hope you, your families and friends are safe and well as we navigate this extraordinary and challenging period in all of our lives.

We’re currently in uncharted waters but if there’s one thing we can be sure of, it’s that Glasgow is adept at facing, and then responding to, economic challenges with agility, creativity and dynamism.

As the lead agency for tourism and events in the city, Glasgow Life has been working to devise a marketing strategy that dovetails with the Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group’s (STERG) action plan of Respond – Reset – Restart – Recovery as well as share key Covid-19 related information and updates through our own channels.

At this stage, although proactive campaigns are paused, we’re still active across our digital channels, keeping Glasgow front of mind for target audiences and supporting city businesses to keep their profiles high and generate income where possible.

We continue to liaise closely with colleagues at VisitScotland, EventScotland, Scottish Enterprise and Experience Glasgow as well as monitoring market intelligence and insights from VisitScotland, the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA), VisitBritain, UKinbound, the International Congress and Conventions Association (ICCA) and other trade and industry bodies to ensure we’re ready, when the moment is right, to engage in renewed activity across leisure tourism, conventions and major events.

At the same time, Glasgow City Council has initiated an emergency Covid-19 Recovery Group, which will address how the economy of Glasgow and the surrounding city-region can be renewed and rebuilt. The group comprises members of the Glasgow Economic Leadership (GEL), the Glasgow Partnership for Economic Growth (GPEG), the Glasgow Economic Commission (GEC), and external advisors.

Glasgow City Council Leader Susan Aitken speaks more about the Group’s formation here: View film on LinkedIn

Similarly, the Glasgow Tourism and Events Response Group (GTERG) has been established to focus on addressing the impact of Covid-19 on our industry and will feed into the Covid-19 Recovery Group.

A mid-term review of the Glasgow Tourism and Visitor Plan is nearing completion and has included feedback from consultation with both industry and public sector organisations. Although the full impact of Covid-19 on Glasgow’s economy is yet to become clear, its recommendation for a strengthened, collaborative approach between all stakeholders in Glasgow will ensure that tourism’s role as a key driver to sustainable economic recovery is maximised.

We know that many of you have inspirational stories to tell of how you have adapted, refined or remodelled your businesses and we would love to hear more and share where we can across our platforms. In the meantime, the following pages provide a snapshot of recent as well as forthcoming strategic activity by the team at Glasgow Life, working to support you and to engage with the city’s tourism and events economy during this unprecedented time.

We are a city of creators, makers, visionaries and entrepreneurs but perhaps our greatest strength is that we’re also team players and by working together we will continue to show the world why People Make Glasgow. Stay safe and stay well. Best wishes