DunDEE nEEDinG ‘OlympiC-sCalE’ amBitions For BiD

THE Dundee 2023 bid has the potential to make the city the number one tourist destination in the country, say campaign leaders.

Three of the brightest names in event management will help to spearhead the city’s campaign to be named European Capital of Culture 2023.

Former Edinburgh International Festival director Sir Jonathan Mills, former producer of the Brit Awards, Helen Terry, and events “guru” Peter Irvine will work on the £40 million cultural programme if Dundee beats its rivals.

The city faces competition from four other UK cities — Belfast, Leeds, Nottingham and Milton Keynes.

Only two UK cities have previously held the title, Glasgow in 1990 and Liverpool in 2008.

Mr Irvine, who staged some of the biggest events during Glasgow’s reign, said Dundee’s programme would be “the cultural event of the decade in Scotland”.

Ms Terry, who spent 10 years producing the Brit Awards said Dundee needed to be “Olympicscale in its ambitions”.

A programme of events, which will include festivals at city parks and venues such as West Ward Works, is being drawn up, although organisers were tightlipped about the specifics for fear of giving their rivals a competitive advantage.

Dundee City Council leader John Alexander said the bid would be as inclusive as possible, bringing people together from across every demographic, age group and background.

He said: “Culture doesn’t have boundaries and we want to make sure that our bid is as strong as it can be.

“It’s not about keeping culture i n i solation, it’s about finding out what it will mean for everyone, what its value will be, the added jobs and opportunities.

“There is an awful lot that we, as a city, can get out of this. We are doing everything we possibly can to nail it and make it a successful bid.”

Mr Alexander said the competition had already focused minds on how to develop the city’s links to other parts of the globe.

“Irrespective of how we get on with the Dundee 2023 bid, we will be looking at how we can connect the airport with other destinations. If there are opportunities then we are going to jump on every single one.”