City’s Convention Bureau smashes £120 million target four months early.
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (GCMB) has smashed the £120 million of conference sales it achieved last year.
Within the first eight months of the current financial year, the city’s official destination marketing organisation has surpassed its total sales for 2011/12 and is on track for a bumper year-end come March 31, 2013.
Between April 1 and November 30 2012, GCMB’s Convention Bureau – which competes worldwide to bring conference business to Glasgow – confirmed 347 new international and UK conventions through to 2020.
Collectively, these conferences are worth over £141 million in local economic benefit and will bring around 140,000 delegates to the city staying for more than 450,000 nights in Glasgow’s hotels.
Moreover, this already represents an 18% year-on-year growth in conference business won by GCMB in the face of continuing tough trading conditions. And with four months of the financial year remaining that figure is forecast to grow to as much as 60%.
Business tourism won by Glasgow City Marketing Bureau since its creation in 2005 has been worth almost £965 million to the city. Conference delegates now account for one in five hotel beds sold in Glasgow, underscoring the importance of conventions to the local economy.
Among the major conferences booked by GCMB this year are:
• The European Association of International Education in 2015
• The World Conference of the International Society for Music Education in 2016
• The Congress of the International Society of Haematology in 2016
• The International Congress of the World Federation of Haemophilia in 2018
• The World Biomaterials Congress in 2020
Together, these five conferences will bring more than 16,000 delegates from across the world to Glasgow and provide a near £30 million boost to the local economy.
In winning these major meetings, the city beat off strong international and domestic competition from San Francisco, Tokyo, Paris, Guadalajara, Gothenburg, Lausanne, Manchester and Liverpool.
Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “Glasgow City Marketing Bureau has been at the forefront of bringing together venues, hotels, support services and creative industries in the city to present a united meeting and incentive product to conference organisers across the world.
“To have exceeded our total sales for last year with a quarter of the financial year remaining and at a time when competition in the global marketplace is incredibly fierce, is a clear endorsement of the confidence that the meetings industry continues to have in Glasgow and further strengthens the city’s reputation as one of the world’s premier business tourism destinations.
“As a city, we specifically target those conferences that strategically match our economic aspirations and we will continue to do so going forward. GCMB has confirmed business on its books through to 2020 and is bidding for new conventions business as far out as 2024.”
The news comes as GCMB has launched a new partnership with ScotRail aimed at making it easier and cheaper for conference delegates to explore Glasgow.
The rail operator’s new Conference Rover Ticket provides delegates with a five-day pass for unlimited travel on all ScotRail services within a designated ‘conference zone’ – covering eight stations between High Street and the Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre (SECC) – for a flat price of £5. Delegates can use the pass to travel at any time and will also receive a 50% discount on journeys outside of the conference zone.
