Scotland's £217m business association events could aid economic recovery

Scotland can harness its attractiveness as a destination for association business events, which are worth at least £217 million a year to the economy, to help the nation’s recovery, a new report from VisitScotland has revealed.

Scotland can remain a very attractive destination for conference organisers, VisitScotland says. Picture: Ian Georgeson.

The Scottish Association Survey is billed as the first of its kind produced by VisitScotland Business Events. It covers conferences held or organised by academic or trade membership organisations (also known as associations) with at least 50 delegates and targeted at UK or international members.Of the 447 association events that took place in 2018/19, nearly half were international.

VisitScotland Business Events said it hopes the survey will create a baseline for future evaluations and “highlights Scotland’s credentials in key sectors, which could play an important role as the industry recovers from the impact of Covid-19”.

Its publication comes as the latest International Congress and Convention Association rankings reveal that Scotland comprised nearly a third of association events taking place in the UK in 2019, with Edinburgh and Glasgow ranked higher than Melbourne, Vancouver and New York.

The VisitScotland survey also found that of the £217m contribution association events made to the Scottish economy in 2018/19, around £11m is estimated to be from delegates staying longer and returning. Around four in ten extend their stay in Scotland by three days, while nine out of ten say they would return to holiday in Scotland. The survey said: “An association selecting Scotland is recognition that [it] is a world leader in its field.”

It found that two to three-day events were the most common (58 per cent combined) while the longest lasted eight days. A total of 80 venues were used across Scotland, with life sciences dominating UK and global events (55 per cent of all delegate days), followed by information and communications technology and data, and social sciences.

Neil Brownlee, head of VisitScotland business events, said the survey shows trends and data that can help inform firms and venues when marketing for associations and how to improve the delegate experience and form a key part of Scotland’s recovery.

“While ongoing restrictions mean 2020 will be a challenging year for business events, these results reveal Scotland can continue to be an incredibly attractive destination for conference organisers… However, the impact of business events goes far beyond venues and accommodation providers.

“They are crucial for supporting social and economic change, and as the world emerges from Covid-19, we want Scotland to be leading those international conversations.”

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