City scheme brings £650m lift

An initiative aimed at helping to attract international conferences to Glasgow has generated £650 million for the city’s economy since it was launched 30 years ago, according to new figures.

Glasgow’s Conference Ambassador Programme – the first of its kind in the UK – provides a support and advice service to help organisers navigate the process of bringing a conference to the city.

Some 141 conferences were led by a local conference ambassador – drawn from the city’s academic, scientific, medicalandbusinesscommunities – during the last year.

The events attracted 56,000 UK and international delegates whose spend in the city injected £75m into Glasgow’s economy in 2019.

Councillor David Mcdonald, deputy leader of the city council, said: “Glasgow was the first city in the UK to recognise the importance and opportunity of attracting academic conferences; both in terms of growing our international reputation and boosting our fledgling economy.

“This unrivalled cross-sectoral programme has delivered for Glasgow over the past 30 years.

“It has been instrumental in bringing the world’s best minds to the world’s best city.”

Trevor Bushell, a senior lecturer at the University of Strathclyde who is one of the scheme’s ambassadors, said: “Attracting academic conferences to Glasgow is vital to enhancing both the global reputation of the University of Strathclyde as well as the city’s wider research community at large.”

Bushell is involved in bringing the Forum of European Neuroscience Societies 2020 event to Glasgow this year.

Other events being staged in the city this year include the Scientific Meeting of the European and International Society of Hypertension and the Association of Researchers in Construction Management forum.