SCOTLAND’S national tourism agency haunderlined its hopes that business events can play a key role in the economic recovery post-coronavirus. It comes as a survey found association events and conferences are worth at least £217 million to the Scottish economy.
The inaugural Scottish Association Survey found that international events accounted for 47 per cent of association events in 2018/19, with UK conferences representing 53%.
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A total of 447 association events, attracting 130,000 delegates, took place over the period, according to the first survey of its kind produced by VisitScotland Business Events. The survey refers to conferences held or organised by academic trade membership organisations, also known as associations, which have at least 50 delegates and are targeted at UK or international members.
Of the £217m such events are found to have generated for the Scottish economy, around £11m is estimated to have come from delegates staying longer and returning for future visits.
The survey found around four in 10 delegates extend their stay in Scotland by three days, while nine out of 10 said they would return to holiday in Scotland.
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Neil Brownlee, Head of VisitScotland Business Events, said: “The Scottish Association Survey reveals, for the first time, trends and data which can help inform businesses 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, attracting huge numbers of delegates; delegates who spend in our cities and towns, and support our key sectors like life sciences and data.”
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