Destination
G
lasgow has long been leading the
way as a UK MICE destination.
With the continual expansion and
evolution of the SEC and a productive,
cooperative city-wide offering from
venues, attractions, hotels and local
government, there’s a lot for organisers
to love in Scotland’s biggest city.
“The city is invested in the success of
its major events and meetings industry
and offers a cohesive, supportive and
can-do working environment,” Aileen
Crawford, head of conventions at
Glasgow Convention Bureau, tells EN.
In 2013, the SEC opened the SSE
Hydro, a 13,000-capacity arena which
has seen the city host a wide range of
acts and major sporting events.
“Glasgow is inherently aware of the
benefits events bring to the local and
national economy,” says Dan Thurlow,
director of exhibition sales at the SEC.
“The SEC contributes over £1m per day
to the Glaswegian economy, putting
events at the heart of the city’s strategy.
“The award-winning Convention
Bureau and Glasgow City Council
provide exceptional levels of support,
subvention, infrastructure, marketing,
hotel bookings and a network that can
add value to events either as speakers
or ambassadors. The venue and city
complement each other, some of the
large event wins and successes really are
the result of a broader team effort.”
In 2014 the city hosted the
26 — March
The
friendly
city
EN heads to Glasgow to check
out the city’s growing events
offering and discover why People
Make Glasgow
Commonwealth Games, giving Glasgow
a chance to show off its chops as a truly
global events destination. The Games
also saw the launch of the ‘People Make
Glasgow’, campaign, with Glasgow being
voted ‘World’s Friendliest City’ by Rough
Guides readers shortly after.
“As a newcomer to Glasgow, you
notice signs all over the city saying,
‘People Make Glasgow’, not only is this a
great thing to incorporate into an event
advertising campaign, but also very
true,” comments Greg Cherry, MD of
Glasgow-based QD Events. “Glasgow
is the cultural hub of Scotland. As a
destination city and venue, it provides
a real alternative to London and
Birmingham.”
Thurlow adds: “Glaswegians love
events and organisers find the audiences
here are second to none.”
For both Crawford and Thurlow,
sustainability is high on their list of
priorities: “In Glasgow we recognise that
for organisers and delegates alike, being
sustainable at conference is as important
as being sustainable at home,” says
Crawford. “Glasgow in Old Scots means
‘Dear Green Place’ and the city continues
to live up to its name.”
In 2016, Glasgow became the first city
in the UK to join the Global Destination
Sustainability Index, ranking in the top
10 of green conference cities.
“All of our developments are
considered with sustainability at the
front of our minds,” adds Thurlow.
“Our reduction in paper use has seen
us replace traditional poster sites and
signage with over 200 digital screens.
The network provides more flexible
wayfinding, engaging advertising
sites and a media channel that can be
monetised by our customers.”
Looking to the future, the SEC
has recently submitted a planning
application for an expansion which will
deliver a state-of-the-art conference
and exhibition space. The new SEC will
be larger, more flexible and with the
potential to add an additional £123m of
economic benefit to Glasgow per year.
“Above all, the SEC will continue to
invest in the development of our teams,”
concludes Thurlow. “Our people are the
key to us delivering on our vision – the
best people, best events, best venue.” EN