EICC shows you can make money and make a better world too

At the EICC we are focused on promoting a more responsible events industry. Last week's launch of our inaugural Impact Report fits directly with this strategy.

Looking at our performance over the last decade, we disclosed a 60 per cent reduction in carbon emissions Scope 1 and 2, a 41 per cent reduction in electricity and waste, and a 46 per cent reduction in water usage. All while doubling the number of events.

Our commitment to making a positive impact on the environment and society is central to our goals as we strive to reach net zero by 2030. Whilst we’re passionate about being one of the most sustainable conference centres worldwide, our raison d’etre is to generate economic impact for Edinburgh. Last year, the economic benefit of events held at EICC totalled £58 million.

The team at EICC is passionate about delivering world-changing events

To meet global environmental standards, we continuously look at ways to improve. Last year, we partnered with You.Smart.Thing., an online travel platform that provides personalised low-carbon travel plans. This enabled us to chart that 85 per cent of delegates using the tool opted for sustainable travel en route to the venue.

Locally, our partnership with Olio enables surplus food to be redistributed to community groups, which so far has equated to 750 meals for households around the city. Nationally, through our Climate Action Contribution initiative with RSPB Scotland, we have secured around £70,000 to date via delegate and dinner guest contributions, with funds going to peatland restoration.

A series of recent international awards encourage us that we’re on the right track – with the latest this week as the British Chamber of Commerce announced EICC as a finalist in their 2024 awards for Green Innovation. On the financial front, in February we reported record revenues and profits for 2023. I am pleased to report that our pipeline of conferences and events remains strong, thanks to the incredible work of our sales and support teams.

With the support of city partners, including Edinburgh Airport and Edinburgh Hotels Association, we agreed to take Edinburgh Convention Bureau (ECB) out of hibernation and into our guardianship between November 2021 and June 2024. Over that period, 80 new events were confirmed for Edinburgh, generating more than £43m in economic impact.

Marshall Dallas is CEO, Edinburgh International Conference Centre

While we were disappointed with the decision in May to transfer the ECB into a department of City of Edinburgh Council, we look forward to the evolution of the Convention Bureau. Edinburgh competing in a global marketplace is essential, and we will support those who do that important work.

The buoyancy of the hotel sector presents challenges for EICC as bedroom availability decreases while room rates increase. This is primarily due to the popularity of Edinburgh and the vast number of leisure visitors it attracts. Successful cities enjoy a balance of leisure and business visitors. Sustaining this mix over the long-term makes the city less reliant on any single market, protecting it from over-tourism in peak times and maximising occupancy and revenues in trough periods.

According to VisitScotland statistics, an international business visitor to Scotland spends £447 per day versus £182 spent by a leisure visitor. Therefore, it is vital for Edinburgh’s economy that it has sufficient bed stock to meet the demands of a busy capital city.