Kathryn Mcwhirter

Glasgow is one of the world’s leading conference destinations, and today, business tourism contributes significantly to the city’s economy. Over 530 conferences were held in Glasgow in 2018/19, bringing nearly 160,000 delegates to the city, worth just over £150m in delegate spend. Glasgow Convention Bureau is the city’s primary point of contact for conference organisers, working with partners on more than 100 bids for major UK and international conferences each year. Glasgow Convention Bureau was named the UK’s Best Convention Bureau for a record breaking 14th consecutive year in 2020. Glasgow was awarded the title ahead of strong competition in a UK – wide pill conducted by the influential industry magazine, M&IT. Since first winning the M&IT title in 2007, the Bureau has worked with industry, academic, city and national partners to deliver over £1 billion worth of business to Glasgow. That equates to securing more than 3,500 domestic and international conferences, with some 1.3 million conference delegates having spent more than four million nights in the city’s hotels. A key component of Glasgow’s success is the growing strength of the city’s Conference Ambassador Programme. Managed by Glasgow Convention Bureau, the programme supports in excess of 1,600 influential ambassadors from the city’s academic, scientific, medical and business communities. 2020 marks the 30th anniversary of Glasgow’s Conference Ambassador Programme. In 2016, Glasgow became the first city in the UK to be included in a new sustainability ranking of international conference destinations – the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS_Index). Glasgow is currently ranked 4th in the world on the index.