£90m boost to Glasgow’s economy from conferences

Hosting conferences is expected to inject up to £90m into Glasgow’s economy, it has been claimed

The Glasgow Convention Bureau brought in more than 140,000 delegates in 2019/2020, worth £140 million to the city's economy.

Now as the conference circuit resumes after the pandemic the bureau has secured future meetings worth nearly £90m to the city through more than 100 events.

Between April 2021 and March 2022, Glasgow secured 71 new conferences, bringing in more than 36,000 delegates and boosting the local economy by £53m in delegate spend.

Within the next financial year, Glasgow will host more than 100 meetings, which will deliver an additional £87m in delegate spend.

More than 50,000 delegates will visit Glasgow for UK and international conferences between April 2022 and March 2023.

It will include those attending the World Congress of Soil Science, which will see 1,500 representatives gather at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) next summer, for a conference worth £4m to the city.

The Bureau, which is part of Glasgow Life, competes globally to secure conference business working on more than 100 bids for major conferences every year.

Aileen Crawford, head of tourism and conventions at Glasgow Life, said: "Despite the significant challenges imposed by the pandemic, the city's positive year-end results show that the global meetings industry continues to have confidence in Glasgow.

"Team Glasgow has worked tirelessly over the past 12 months, supporting clients who were forced to move or adapt their conferences while also winning more than £80m of new conference business for future years.

"Crucially, the long-awaited return of physical meetings will enable delegates to collaborate, exchange expertise and drive innovation in person across an array of specialist subjects

from climate change solutions to the future of healthcare.

"It's wonderful to be able to welcome these events back and support our city's post-pandemic renewal."