Edinburgh first to win 'Oscar' for MTV night

Published on Monday 1 December 2003 00:00

THE Capital was today due to receive a music industry "Oscar" for hosting the MTV Europe awards last month.

MTV was expected to present the accolade to Edinburgh and Scotland at The Hub on the Royal Mile this afternoon, the first time in the ten-year history of the music awards.

The award, normally reserved for pop stars, recognises the warm welcome MTV received when it brought the event to Edinburgh.

Frank McAveety, minister for tourism, culture and sport, and the city’s Lord Provost, Lesley Hinds, were due to accept the award.

Thousands flocked to a free concert at West Princes Street Gardens on the same night as the glittering ceremony. The event was estimated to be worth at least 4 million to the local economy.

It was revealed last month that Edinburgh now expected to enjoy a ten-year tourism boom in the wake of the awards being staged in the city. Experts believe the event will prove to be even more significant to the industry locally than the blockbuster movie Braveheart was for Stirling in the 1990s.

Council chiefs hailed the awards as the biggest single event to raise the profile of the city globally, even more than the Hogmanay celebrations have done in recent years.

A funding package of 750,000 was put together by the Scottish Executive, Scottish Enterprise and the city council to help pay for the erection of the marquee which hosted the bash.