Glasgow Business . 23
www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com N
ext year – 2014 – will be the year of Glasgow, said Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow
City Council. Councillor Matheson said:
“Glasgow will host the best Commonwealth Games that there will ever have been.” Councillor Matheson said
that the city was already enjoying the legacy of hosting the Commonwealth Games in the form of facilities that had already been built. “Next year the people of
Glasgow will lend their facilities to the elite athletes of the world and they will get them back again.” He said that Glasgow
would welcome 6,500
athletes from 70 countries. Councillor Matheson said that it was now quite a short time until the Games took place and that the city and all the
partners involved in the event had already been planning for many months. He said that unlike some cities
whose centres were deserted when they hosted a Games event, Glasgow would be very diff erent. “Glasgow will not only be
open for business during the Commonwealth Games, it will be free fl owing as a city during the Commonwealth Games,” he said. He urged businesses to engage
with Council departments and the organisers to ensure that all of their questions were answered, so that businesses could fully participate in the Games and make the most of the opportunities presented. Stuart Patrick, Chief
Executive, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce said: “Glasgow is working together to make sure the city is well and truly open for business during the Games and that every business has an opportunity to make the most of Glasgow’s year in the spotlight. “I remember well the visit I
“Glasgow will be open for business... there is a chance for every business to feel the impact of the Games on the city economy”
made to Scotland House in London during the Olympics. We were there to support the Glasgow night promoting the Commonwealth Games as the next big event in the UK following the Olympics. “T e Olympics were
spectacular for sure, but the quietness of central London was all over the press and I remember being assured that Glasgow would not have the same issue. “Glasgow will be open for
business throughout the Games. Glasgow City Centre will be busy and there is a chance for every business to feel the impact of the Games on the city economy.” Mr Patrick said that the size of
the audience showed again what enthusiasm Glasgow has for the Games. “I hope I’m not being
presumptuous in saying that while everyone here, of course, hopes there will be good business to be done, there is also a genuine desire to do whatever we can to make the Games a success for Glasgow.” He said that the ambition was
for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games to be the best there had ever been. “We know there will be day-
to-day challenges in mounting Glasgow’s biggest ever international event while at the same time maintaining the normal course of business.” He said that it was vital that
businesses and all the partners involved plan ahead: “Making sure we all understand the practical impact on your business; that we have done all we can as a team to prepare for that impact – both positive and, yes, negative. “In the long run, economic
GET BUSINESS GUIDE TO GAMES
All the information needed for businesses to fi nd the answer to any question on the Commonwealth Games Glasgow 2014 is available on a website which has been developed by Glasgow City Council and the Organising Committee:
www.getreadyglasgow.com This is the place to go to get a special business engagement kit (and
regular updates), for general information and to log questions that you have on behalf of your business. Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce,
said: “We will work with the partners to make sure that the website is successful.”
impact is one essential part of the Games. “We want to see the Games
as a catalyst for faster growth in Glasgow’s leisure tourism economy, for continued success in at racting yet more business conference events – and the SSE Hydro will go a long way in achieving that – and for some businesses we want the Games to be the stepping stone into new international trade.” He said Glasgow Chamber has
commit ed itself to the success of the Games by publishing a statement of intent with four key objectives: » To support access to procurement opportunities for our members and for the Glasgow and Scot ish business base. » To help shape and deliver messages to Glasgow business about the opportunities to trade and the Games time information,
including good notifi cation of the inevitable disruption. » To encourage businesses to actively support the Games and to participate in supporting initiatives such as Our Games Our Welcome that helps hospitality businesses show their support for the Games. » To maximise the engagement of our business community during the Games in showing just how fantastic Glasgow is for visitors, investors and traders by showcasing what Glasgow is good at. Mr Patrick said: “It’s been
encouraging to see the statistics to date – 60 per cent of all tier one contracts from the Games were awarded to local companies. “T e tickets are nearly sold and
the volunteering programme oversubscribed, so there will, without question, be a busy audience at every event. “We know the level of
goodwill in the business community for these Games and we also know just how much appetite there is for information and for engagement with the organisers.”
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