Glasgow and big events – COP a load of these!

SO is this what the calm before the storm feels like? Well, going by the weather forecast it certainly is, as Glasgow during COP26 looks set to be wet, wet, wet!

Yes, COP26 has been dominating the news agenda for some time now but come the end of the week it will finally be here, and the eyes of the world will be on Glasgow.

We know it’s going to be an event like no other and will bring some major disruption to the city but all we can do is get on with it and do our best, it’ll soon enough be over, and things will return to “normal”.

Although COP is truly unique in its nature, it does trigger memories of other big events Glasgow has been host to over the years, all memorable and all bringing their own benefits. The most obvious one in recent memory is the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which began in glorious sunshine as the dear green place looked as spectacular as I can ever recall.

Also on the sporting front, Hampden hosting the Champions League Final and UEFA Cup Final were two more occasions when there was a truly carnival atmosphere. Going back a bit and the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988 is still remembered so fondly by the city – who remembers the Coca Cola rollercoaster?!

A couple of years later we were to be named the European City of Culture and that year of celebrations included The Big Day with some A-list musical performances.

Speaking of music, and back to recent times, the birth of the SSE Hydro – now the OVO Hydro of course – was a real game-changer for the Clydeside.

We’ve had a few special visitors over the years too – the Pope, the Queen and Nelson Mandela to name just a few. There, that shortlist should keep everyone happy! It’s an events history that Glasgow can be proud of and fair play to those involved in bringing events and conferences to the city as we really are punching above our weight in recent years.

And I guess that track record is one of the reasons we were chosen to host COP26 in the first place.

The next couple of weeks are going to be full on, to say the least, but all the Glasgow Taxi drivers on the road will be doing their very best to represent Glasgow positively as ambassadors for the city.

And if we just so happen to look back in a few years and know Glasgow was the place where the most important decisions for the preservation of this planet were made – well that’s one hell of a legacy isn’t it. Stay safe!