The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Working together to boost visitors to region
International delegates numbers on the up
There has never been a stronger market for business tourism in Dundee and Angus.
With more than 225,000 delegates arriving every year from all around the world, the industry is worth more than £61 million to the region.
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, recently said Dundee had “experienced an economic rebirth with the redevelopment of the Waterfront area and construction of the new V&A”.
As a result, she added the city “is well placed to exploit opportunities to attract business tourists”.
This is certainly reflected in the conference and events sector.
In recent months, Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau has worked with organisers and ambassadors from an increasingly diverse spectrum of industries – from life sciences and medicine to law and education – to host world-class conferences and events, attracting delegates from all corners of the globe.
And international delegate numbers continue to swell.
In 1998 the recorded number was in the low tens, while in 2016 hundreds of delegates travelled from 29 countries to attend the ninth International Concrete Conference, 22 countries attended the second International Conference on Clinical Sciences and Drug Discovery, and 18 countries were represented at the Young Microbiologists Symposium on Microbe Signalling, Organisation and Pathogenesis.
Dundee has long been known as a city of innovation and the cutting-edge research carried out at Dundee University, Abertay University and the James Hutton Institute gives event organisers the confidence they can capitalise on local expertis.
But it is important to remember that event organisers and conference venues are not the only ones who benefit from major conferences being held in the city.
Hotels and guest houses will reap the rewards of higher occupancy levels, while bars and restaurants will also see a valuable increase in trade.
Even visitor attractions will experience a boost as delegates explore the area during their stay.
By adopting a shared industries involved in vision, all bringing conference delegates and accompanying family and friends to the city can benefit.
As the only UNESCO City of Design in the UK, Dundee has a reputation for creativity – represented not only by the thriving computer games industry but in the fascinating inter-disciplinary collaboration on show.
Conference organisers continue to surprise and enthral delegates by drawing on the city’s unique strengths.
For example, the isamDUNDEE2015 Congress – organised by the International Society of Addiction Medicine – included an art and design exhibition inspired by the academic work exhibited at the conference.
By allowing delegates to engage with their subjects in new and unusual ways, conference organisers in Dundee are cementing the city’s reputation amongst academic communities the world over.
As the number of conferences held in Dundee and Angus increases – and delegate numbers continue to rise – it is vital to look to the future.
New developments and regeneration projects across the region, coupled with strong transport links with Europe and the wider UK, ensure that international conference organisers continue to find the area an attractive destination, but we must not rest on our laurels.
It is important to ensure there is ample accommodation available and venues are fully equipped to provide all that organisers are looking for.
The Waterfront regeneration, V&A development and refurbishment of Caird Hall – combined with the opening of new hotels like the Hampton by Hilton and Sleeperz – are all steps in the right direction.
It would be fantastic to get to the point where Dundee and Angus has a dedicated convention centre that can cater for large-scale events.
While there are no current plans for such a venue, renovations of existing venues like Caird Hall are allowing larger events than ever before to take place in the region.
Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau remains committed to exploring all possibilities to increase large-scale conferences and events in the region.
With a number of events already on the horizon in 2017 across an incredibly diverse range of academic topics, the future is looking bright.