NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release on Wednesday 23 July 2014
Glasgow plays starring role in business tourism
Top VisitScotland award to SECC and The SSE Hydro is further testament to
outstanding quality of city’s venues
A Glasgow Commonwealth Games venue has become the latest recipient of a five-star
award from VisitScotland, boosting the city’s growing status as a world-class business
tourism destination.
The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) and The SSE Hydro have been
awarded a coveted five star grading, the top accolade a venue can receive from the national
tourism organisation’s Quality Assurance Scheme. This recognition is further confirmation of
the increasing quality of infrastructure in Glasgow ahead of the Games – the biggest sporting
event ever held in Scotland.
During the Games, the venues will be in the international spotlight, hosting the gymnastics,
boxing, judo, netball, wrestling and weightlifting competitions from 23 July – 3 August.
The five-star grading under VisitScotland’s world-leading Quality Assurance Scheme means
that the SECC – one of Scotland’s key conference venues – and The SSE Hydro have
officially been graded as “outstanding”, having been assessed on everything from their décor
and cleanliness to the attitude of their staff.
It comes on the back of the development of several high-profile new venues in Glasgow,
including the £74 million Riverside Museum, the £113 million Emirates Arena and the
recently opened Glasgow Tower.
On Thursday (24 July), Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing will address members of Scotland’s
business tourism industry, including convention bureaus, hotels and venues, at a special
reception at Scotland House.
The celebration of the country’s business tourism industry has been organised by the
Business Tourism team at VisitScotland, who work closely with the industry to attract
conferences and events to this country.
Neil Brownlee, Head of Business Tourism at VisitScotland, said: “Business tourism is worth
nearly £2 billion to the Scottish economy. It is clear that the Glasgow Commonwealth Games
will have a tremendous impact on the industry, both in terms of outstanding new
infrastructure and worldwide exposure. Furthermore, this five-star award for one of
Scotland’s key conference venues, the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and SSE
Hydro, is further testament to Glasgow’s status as a world-class destination in which to do
business.”
Peter Duthie, Chief Executive of Scottish Exhibition Centre Ltd, which owns the SECC
and The SSE Hydro, said: “To be recognised by the industry with a five-star award is
fantastic and further testament of our ability to deliver truly world class events – from
conferences and exhibitions in the SECC to concerts for 13,000 in The SSE Hydro. This
award is a great endorsement of our staff and partners who work so hard to make our
business successful.”
Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing said: “The newly five-star graded SECC and SSE Hydro
will help make Scotland more competitive within the international conference market, while
the Conference Bid Fund has been instrumental in helping to attract prestigious, high yield,
international conferences to this country. The importance of business tourism is proven by
the pipeline of major conferences due to take place over the coming years.”
Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow
City Marketing Bureau, said: “Glasgow has secured more than £1 billion worth of
conference business against incredibly fierce global competition, underpinning why we are
not just the UK’s conference capital, but one of the world’s premier business tourism cities.
“The city’s investment in the award-winning SSE Hydro, which this month ranked in the top
three most popular music venues in the world by industry publication Pollstar, will ensure
that major events and conferences remain at the heart of the city’s economy.
“The growth in business tourism in the city continues unabated with the hotel industry
recording 12 months’ consecutive growth leading to a further increase in supply as we
welcome five new hotel developments opening in Glasgow city centre.”
Situated in Glasgow’s City Hall and Old Fruitmarket, Scotland House will be the place where
Team Scotland will celebrate sporting and medal success, where business opportunities will
be exploited and where the best of Scottish culture will be showcased.
Over the next two weeks, more than 60 different business events will unite Scottish and
Glasgow-based companies with key business contacts, providing a unique opportunity to
highlight Scotland’s business expertise to a global audience. The Glasgow Business
Embassy, based within Scotland House, will host around 40 events to showcase the best of
the city’s economic prowess.
ENDS
For further information contact:
Tom Maxwell
Corporate Press Officer
Tel: 0131 472 2409
tom.maxwell@visitscotland.com
Out of hours media enquiries: 07699 766986
Notes to Editors
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Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the
economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
The organisation has three key roles:
1. To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
2. To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get
the best out of a visit to Scotland
3. To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and
partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone
and ensure the industry continues to grow.
The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres
across Scotland.
2014 is the year Scotland welcomes the world, when it hosts the Glasgow Commonwealth
Games, the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and nearly 1000 Homecoming events throughout the
country.
For more information on Homecoming Scotland 2014, go to www.visitscotland.com
The VisitScotland Information Centre network is a unique face-to-face channel engaging with
around five million visitors and locals each year. Everyone who uses a VisitScotland
Information Centre goes on to spend an additional £5.35, generating over £24 million for
Scotland’s economy.
According to a recent Deloitte study, tourism employs 270,000 people in Scotland in 20,000
diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the industry contributes £11 billion
annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of
employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx,
tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request
(Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig
agallamh)
For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
For more information on VisitScotland’s annual review please go to
www.visitscotland.org/about_us/our_focus/annual_report.aspx