Glasgow Business . 33 www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com I


t was a whirlwind summer. Te most successful Commonwealth Games in history giving way to a frenetic political referendum campaign that has energised


the Scotish nation. However, it would be remiss not to reflect on the work carried out by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce during the Games in Glasgow. Te consensus among the Chamber’s


organisers: this was the experience of a lifetime. Te Chamber created the Glasgow Business Embassy in Scotland House, the home of Team Scotland, where ecstatic athletes with medals around their necks were meeting friends, family and the media. “Without a doubt, the Glasgow Games


were the highlight of my career,” says Alan Busby, the Chamber’s Head of Events. “On the first Sunday, we got to meet the whole Scotish judo team fresh from their massive success wearing their gold medals. Tere was a great buzz.” Alan and Colum Fraser were among six


Chamber of Commerce colleagues who worked flat out in the weeks before and then found themselves on the go for the whole 12 days of the Games in July and August. More than 1,000 people from Chamber members were guests at some kind of business event during the Games. Te Chamber delivered 13 events at Scotland House, three in the Chamber offices and one at Hampden Park, home of the spectacular athletics. “It was an absolute joy and a buzz doing


something that inspired our members. We will probably never get to experience something like this again,” he says. “It was great to meet so many of our Chamber members. You could sense their enjoyment and excitement about being part of the Commonwealth occasion. Trough the breakfast events alone – when we had over 50 speakers – we touched based with over 500 members. Tis was a huge reach for us. Tank you to all those people who took the trouble to come along. “Tere was this really positive buzz around


the city. Te daily warm-up breakfasts before the Games looked at how business could grasp the opportunities. We were able to show why Glasgow was a great place to do business. It wasn’t just a celebration of the Games, it was a celebration of Glasgow and all it had to offer – not purely in business terms. We could not have asked for a beter response from our members.”


Among the audience were Glasgow City


councillors who were impressed by the flotilla’s success and the pop-up marina, and considered the idea of building a permanent mooring for the smaller ships. “Te councillors had to react to the


success of the flotilla and James Stuart speaking at our breakfast. Te story made most of the local press next day. It helped put this on the agenda.” One of the hits with the Chamber team


was Jamaican visitor Laurence Jones, from JAMPRO, the Jamaica Promotions Corporation, who sponsored one of the breakfast meetings. “He was someone we enjoyed meeting and


Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive David Grevemberg was among those who took part in the Chamber programme


Of course, in the opening days of the


Games, the weather in Glasgow was gloriously warm and continental, giving the whole city a wonderful summer heat. Te Chamber’s programme took large amounts of planning, and included a President’s Club event with David Grevemberg, the Chief Executive of Glasgow 2014, and an Up Close and Personal session with Dame Tessa Jowell MP, who was part of the successful London 2012 Olympic Games. “Te heatwave was very memorable:


people siting in their shirt sleeves and sunglasses and really loving the weather and the whole vibe of summer. Tis was amazing for Glasgow. It made us all very proud to be associated with such a dynamic place,” says Alan. Ten the speakers helped create more news


stories. A flotilla of small ships, yachts and clippers sailed right up the Clyde to Glasgow, cheered on by 10,000 people, as part of the Commonwealth celebrations. Tis prompted James Stuart, Chief Executive of the Royal Yachting Association Scotland, to urge Glasgow to use the Clyde and build a proper city centre marina. He told a Chamber breakfast that Glasgow could benefit economically from such a plan.


”We were able to show why Glasgow was a great place to do business. It wasn’t just a celebration of the Games, it was a celebration of Glasgow and all it had to offer – not purely in business terms”


brought a real sense of the Caribbean to Glasgow. He totally had the Jamaican way of life, and hopefully we showed him some of the famed Glasgow hospitality. But strong business links were created between Jamaica and Glasgow. And, of course, Usain Bolt, was the star of the Games. He loved Glasgow and the Games and really took to Scotland. Tat was star quality,” says Alan. A Jamaican cultural event was held in the


Chamber boardroom with several athletes atending along with the High Commissioner and the team’s chef de mission. Stuart Patrick, the Chamber’s Chief


Executive, said: “In our statement of intent, back in 2012, we said we would maximise the engagement of Chamber members with the Games. I think we did this with great success. Over 1,000 people were involved in some way and we took nearly 290 members to Games events, while over 500 Chamber members atended our breakfasts.” Te media coverage for the Chamber’s


events was outstanding too, with Stuart involved in many radio and television interviews, while our website traffic was 185 per cent above its normal level, and the Chamber Twiter account rose to just over 9,500 followers. Te engagement through Twiter had the potential to reach 350,000 people in mentions and 1.1m in retweets. “Te Commonwealth Games have been a


major success for the city of Glasgow and we are pleased that the Chamber played a small role in helping to plan, in engaging members in the Games as fully as we could and in communicating the success of both the Games and of the city of Glasgow,” said Stuart Patrick.


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