The next few years heralds a period of unlimited opportunity for Glasgow; the arrival of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, has seen dramatic changes to the business landscape of the city, and with the new Hydro Arena on schedule at the SECC, there has never been a better time for business travel in the city.
It’s easy to see why the city is the ideal place to host anything from top-level management meetings to large conferences with more than 20,000 delegates. With ready access not only to world-class facilities but also to the right people to make outstanding conferences happen, Glasgow has built a reputation as a top business destination and, since it first opened its doors, the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre (SECC) has been integral in putting Glasgow on the business destination map.
Sales Director, SECC, Ben Goedegebuure explains: “Glasgow needed a venue to accommodate large international conferences while at the same time being flexible enough to cater to local businesses’ needs; and that’s something we can deliver. However, the venue is not the only consideration when it comes to attracting conferences: international organisers especially tend to look beyond it and choose a truly exciting destination. It is important to them to find a venue capable of delivering a flawless event set in a location that offers delegates plenty of activities for their spare time making Glasgow a perfect choice.”
The city’s ‘Team Glasgow’ approach, pulling together expertise from Glasgow City Marketing Bureau’s convention bureau, local hotels and restaurants, as well as transport providers has helped the SECC attract high- profile and high-value conferences despite the challenging economic environment. Welcoming conference delegates has been hugely beneficial to Glasgow, with the SECC contributing approximately £342m to the city’s economy in 2009 alone.
Generating repeat business for Glasgow has become a specialty of the venue’s sales and marketing teams and a number of events are returning to the SECC this year. The city’s increased profile has been recognised internationally too, allowing the SECC and its partners to attract events from countries including the USA, Belgium and Italy.
Ben Goedegebuure: “As business is getting tougher, it’s never been more important to have face-to-face meetings and build close relationships with partners across all industries. Nothing beats a personal conversation when it comes to business, even in this age of technology and digital communication. At the same time, buyers are looking for exceptional value and keeping a meeting within the city of Glasgow could allow a local company to save on accommodation and transport.”
Buyers won’t have to compromise on delivering a flawless, professionally organised event with both facilities and expertise available in the city in general and within the SECC in particular.
Ben Goedegebuure adds, “state-of-the-art facilities and technical capabilities are more important than ever before to host a successful meeting and we are able to offer them under one roof. More importantly, though, we have an exceptional team here that is well versed in organising any size of event and always willing to go the extra mile to turn an annual conference into a memorable event.
There really is no reason for local businesses to travel further to organise successful events. Instead, they could play a crucial role in attracting new people to Glasgow, thus becoming true ambassadors of this fantastic city.”
For more information on the secc, please contact:
SECC
Exhibition Way
Glasgow, G3 8YW
Tel: +44 (0)141 248 3000
Email: info@secc.co.uk
Website: www.secc.co.uk
