Conference News Supplements Scotland | Page 4

4 Scotland Venue focus We look at three key Scottish event venues here is no shortage of dedicated event venues across Scotland. However there are three venues that reaffirm Scotland’s ambition to be a leading destination for business events. Edinburgh International Conference Centre Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) was opened in 1995 and since that time has become a mainstay for large events. The venue boasts a colourful history, indeed becoming the first conference venue in the world to utilise revolving auditoria to optimise events space. In another first, the Lennox Suite has the world’s first hall-wide tension wire grid and moving floor combination designed to deliver an array of different event set ups. In 22 years, the EICC has welcomed more than 1.3m delegates from 120 countries and has generated £545m of economic benefit for the city. With the venue pointing towards 66% repeat business, its popularity is obvious. The EICC is able to tap into a large delegate housing supply. Accommodation in Edinburgh and the surrounding area provides more than 20,000 beds, with over 50% within a 2-mile radius of the EICC. Edinburgh has more restaurants per head than any other UK city - and it has more Michelin star restaurants than any other UK city outside London. The Pentland Suite can hold up to 1,200 delegates, while smaller rooms such as the Sidlaw and Fintry Auditorium’s hold 300. Scottish Event Campus The Scottish Event Campus (SEC) is Scotland’s busiest events venue, offering space for conferences and meetings, exhibitions and live entertainment for events of all shapes and sizes across three main facilities – the SEC Centre, the SEC Armadillo and The SSE Hydro. The venue is nestled between the hippest area i