BRIEFING
CONFERENCE AND EVENTS PROVIDE £71M BOOST TO DUNDEE AND ANGUS ECONOMY
Conference and events boosted the economy of Dundee and Angus to the tune of £71m last year, an annual business tourism report has found. Te figure represents a four per
cent growth in delegate numbers compared to 2017, with a 10 per cent hike in international visitors to events. Te 2018 increase in delegate
numbers resulted in a combined direct expenditure of over £14 million; an increase of 6% com- pared to 2017. Over 257,000 delegates,
both from the UK and abroad,
travelled to the area to attend a conference or event held in the city in 2018. Karen Tocher, Business Tour-
ism Manager at Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau, said: “Te 2018 figures demonstrate that business events continue to be a growing asset for the local Dundee and Angus economy. Te conferences and events held in Dundee in leading industry sectors continue to attract large numbers of delegates to the re- gion, marking a positive impact on the direct expenditure. “Te work of the Dundee &
Angus Convention Bureau and all of our partners is attracting increasing numbers of interna- tional events to the area and this is resulting in higher numbers of international delegates who spend more during their trips than UK delegates.” A business events strategy for
Dundee and the wider region of North East Fife, Perthshire and Angus is set to be launched in 2019. Te ambition is for the region to move from a traditional tourism model in terms of busi- ness events value derived from visitor spend to a policy-driven
TECH GURU CALLS FOR DEDICATED EVENTS VENUE FOR DUNDEE
One of Scotland’s most renowned tech entrepreneurs has called for a dedicated events and entertainment arena for Dundee. Chris van der Kuyl, Chairman of
4J Studios and the man behind the hit computer game Minecraft, said the city, famed for its videogame industry, needs a purpose-built arena to help project itself onto the world stage. Van der Kuyl was speaking at
a FutureScot regional economic development and digital confer-
8 | EVENTSBASE | SPRING 2019
ence at the V&A Dundee earlier this month, and credited the new design museum with lifting the city’s reputation internationally. He said: “So, why don’t we
repeat it in a conference and entertainment venue that’s better than anything out there. Scale, we can debate that, but this shouldn’t be a refurbishment of a bingo hall, this should be an iconic facility that shows the world that Dundee believes in itself.” He said the vision should be for
the city to create a conference and entertainment venue that makes the Hydro in Glasgow “look a bit last century”. He added: “The economic
impact of that [in terms of] the bedroom nights, the hospitality, will be monumentally and forever transformational for this area and if we do that at the right scale, we’ll win and if we half-bake it and be apologetic, and aim down here, we’re all screwed and none of us will be here in 50 years’ time.”
model which will align with the ambitions and strengths of the economies in the Dundee City Region and Scotland as a whole. A business case is also being prepared for a dedicated confer- ence venue in Dundee, which is a key improvement based on feedback from delegates and has already been explored in a Scot- tish Enterprise-backed feasibility study. Te recommendations for a venue accommodating up to 1,500 delegates will go before city councillors in May.
www.conventiondundeeandan-
gus.co.uk
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