The shortlist has now been announced for the prestigious E Awards – the country's only night celebrating the country's events and festivals sector. By Agnes Stevenson

The finalists for this year’s E-Awards have been announced and they include some of the most exciting and ambitious event organisers in the country.

EVENTIT, organisers of the awards, has released a list of 35 different companies, organisations and individuals who are in the running for a total of 16 different accolades, including Best Large Festival and Best Sporting Event.

Amongst those who have made it onto the shortlist are Renfrewshire Council, Robert Gordon University and the National Piping Centre

Along with the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel, Field & Lawn Ltd and Carmen Cordero, events and sales assistance with Saltire Hospitality, they include some of the most outstanding venues, organisers equipment suppliers and caterers in this vibrant sector.

Some, such as 21CC Group with Funktioncreep, are experts in fireworks and pyrotechnics, while others, such as Bridge Systems Ltd from Dunfermline, are responsible for delivering on-site communications and security services.

From the elegant refinement of 1599 At The Royal College - the historic home of the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow - to the cheerful atmosphere of Eaglesham Beer Festival,  the shortlist includes venues and happenings  that span the full spectrum of Scotland’s event landscape.

The E Awards are the only awards of their kind that are dedicated to this sector and during the ceremony, which will take place on Thursday, 25 April at the 02 Academy in Edinburgh, all of the finalists will be recognised for their dedication, innovation and commitment to excellence.

This is a thriving sector and so those who have made it this far are amongst the best in the business, capable of delivering both outstanding organisation and creative thinking within a growing and highly competitive marketplace.

Scotland’s events landscape is thriving and 2024 promises to be even more successful than last year, when conference, festivals and delegate numbers in many locations broke industry records. Some of these events, such as the 2023 UCI World Cycling Championships, which is also shortlisted, brought global recognition of Glasgow as a top-level sporting venue, while the work of companies such as Speakeasy Productions Ltd, highlighted the exceptional standards of audiovisual and technical expertise that this country can deliver.

There is no doubt that the industry here has the talent, skills, venues and motivation to fulfil not just home-generated events but also international conferences as well and the regular hosting of medical, scientific and energy-based symposia is a clear indication that Scotland has the infrastructure needed to be a global player.

The host at next month’s award ceremony will be tv and radio presenter Grant Stott, who promises to make the evening lively and entertaining. Afterall, this is the one chance in the year for those responsible for ensuring that Scotland’s huge number of events run smoothly, to dress up, let their hair down and enjoy themselves without the responsibility of making sure that the lighting is bright, the entertainment has turned up and that the champagne is properly chilled.

From amongst the many dates on Scotland’s crowded events calendar, this promises to be the one not to be missed and it will also be a chance for those working in the industry to celebrate with colleagues and friends and to network with their contemporaries.

Tickets are on sale now at a price of  £120 + VAT or £1200 + VAT for a table and booking details, along with information about the evening can be found at https://eventit.org.uk/e-awards/