2014: A big year for Scotland

Scotland is set to be thrust into the global spotlight in 2014. That’s when the country welcomes the world as it hosts the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, The Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, and Homecoming – a year-long celebration of Scottish culture.
    
If you’ve never held a conference in Scotland, then now is the perfect time to start making plans. As well as a warm welcome and stunning natural beauty, this country boasts some of the world’s most sophisticated conference venues complete with state-of-the-art facilities.
    
Like Jamaica’s Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Usain Bolt, one of the stars set to appear in Glasgow in 2014, things in Scotland don’t stand still for long.
    
A literal example of this can be found at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre which, following a multi-million pound expansion, is now home to the world’s first hall-wide moving floor system.
    
The building’s stunning glass atrium provides a perfect welcome point to the 1600 sq m Lennox Suite – Europe’s most technologically advanced meetings and events space. The moving floor can be reconfigured into numerous different set-ups, including flat-floored exhibition banqueting for 1,400 guests, a tiered auditorium for 2,000 and arena mode for 1,400.

Landmark properties
After a £24 million investment programme, the iconic Caledonian Hilton Edinburgh was unveiled as the latest edition to the Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts portfolio last September. Following this significant investment, the landmark property, which sits beneath Edinburgh Castle on the world-famous Princes Street, The Caledonian, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, marks a spectacular Scottish debut for the luxury brand.
    
A legend in the hospitality industry, the Caledonian offers a range of meeting and event spaces that are certain to impress even the most well-travelled delegates. The newly restored listed Castle Suite adds a touch of luxury to guarantee a memorable event, while the hotel is also home to a further eight flexible meeting rooms. The Caledonian can host events for up to 250 guests with WIFI access across all meeting rooms. The hotel also features 241 bedrooms, seven suites and a luxury Guerlain Spa. Guests are spoilt for choice with four food and beverage outlets, including two restaurants from the Michelin-starred Galvin brothers with their first Scottish venture.
    
And if there’s an appetite among your delegates for good food, then TV chef Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant, Jamie’s Italian, is a mouth-watering addition to the site of the Assembly Rooms.

Opulent Spaces
The unique, A-listed George Street venue re-opened last summer following a major restoration and refurbishment project. Like the EICC, it is a hugely popular venue, particularly during the Edinburgh International Festival, the Music Hall and Ballroom are large, opulent spaces, ornately decorated with intricate plasterwork and crystal chandeliers. As well as additional space and flexible room layouts, a range of new facilities are available, including state-of-the-art background lighting and sound systems, in-house audio visual, plasma screens in the foyer and a fully equipped finishing kitchen for exclusive use of the event caterers.
    
Another multi-million pound development has recently taken place at Edinburgh’s Sheraton Grand. The hotel now offers a new dedicated meetings and events complex, complete with its own private entrance. With 14 flexible function rooms, the Conference & Banqueting complex is the largest of its kind in Scotland’s capital. The Atrium forms the centrepiece of the new events space, offering over 5,400 square feet of floor space for receptions, exhibitions or break-out sessions. The Edinburgh Suite is the largest hotel function space in Edinburgh, able to accommodate up to 1,500 guests for a reception when combined with The Atrium.

Glasgow Venues
In the west of Scotland lies Glasgow, Scotland’s biggest city which will next year host one of the world’s greatest sporting events – the Commonwealth Games. Superstar athletes such as Usain Bolt and Jessica Ennis-Hill are expected to descend on the city during two weeks of spectacular action, with Glasgow providing a perfect backdrop.
    
The city is one of the best equipped and most competitive conference destinations in Europe – and the world – thanks to its compactness, ease of access and ‘can do’ culture.
    
The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) can be found at the heart of Glasgow city centre, with 6,535 hotel bedrooms within two miles of the SECC campus. There are 9,104 hotel bedrooms within 10 miles of Glasgow city centre while the total number of hotel bedrooms for the Greater Glasgow area (within 20 miles of the city centre) is 11,078.
    
The SECC is a world-leading venue, attracting high-profile events from all over the world, including the 2013 Liberal Democrat conference. The venue is undergoing an exciting expansion with the building of the Hydro – which is due to open at the end of this year. With a capacity of 12,000, the stunning new silver building will play host to around 140 events each year.
    
It has been designed to be flexible, accommodating a wide range of conferences and events, including some of the world’s biggest music stars. It will attract an audience of one million visitors a year, positioning it as the fifth busiest entertainment arena in the world, alongside iconic venues such as Madison Square Gardens in New York and London’s O2 arena. The unique façade of The Hydro, made up of pneumatic translucent cushions, will allow natural light to illuminate the foyers during the day and the arena to ‘glow’ at night.
    
Another superb addition to the Glasgow landscape is the Riverside Museum – a five-star VisitScotland visitor attraction.

Taking visitors through a fascinating history of transport, the museum is also a flexible exhibition space that offers conference organisers a stunning, iconic waterfront location with a number of event options.
    
A unique concept is the museum’s Main Street, which can host bespoke receptions for 120 people in a beautiful re-created 1900s Glasgow street. The entire museum can be hired out with opening times, offering a maximum capacity of 800. Outside, the museum boasts a large plaza, which can host a range of events, from concerts and rallies to formal functions and fairs, while berthed adjacent is The Tall Ship Glenlee, which can comfortably accommodate up to 200 people – again presenting organisers with further venue options.

Dazzling Hotels
Among Glasgow’s dazzling range of hotels is the five-star, £26 million Blythswood Square. Home to a 10,000 square foot Urban Day Spa (the first of its kind in Glasgow’s city centre), the 100-room hotel includes seven suites. The Monte Carlo Suites, beautiful oak-panelled events spaces, offer bespoke private dining menus and a range of flexible room layouts, as well as cutting edge audio visual technology.

There is even a custom-designed 52-seater meeting table for those all-important round-table discussions. The Screening Room, meanwhile, is perfect for product launches and presentations. A unique cinema available for private hire, each of the Screening Room’s 40 seats are finished in a custom Harris Tweed fabric.
    
It is important to remember, however, that expansion in Scotland does not begin and end with the events of 2014. In Dundee, work is under way on a £45 million museum that will add significantly to the country’s appeal among the business tourism community. Featuring more than 1,500 sq m of flexible gallery space, the new V&A, which is due to open in 2015, will boast one of the largest dedicated museum-standard exhibition spaces in Scotland. The facilities at the museum will provide first-class opportunities for conferences and other event events to be held in unique venues. These include the great hall, which will be available to host receptions, while galleries can be hired on a private access basis. There will also be a number of workshops and meeting rooms which will be suitable for the needs of business customers.
    
Also in 2015, Wyndham Hotel Group is creating the company’s first Wyndham-branded hotel in Scotland. Wyndham Grand The Angus, a £60 million hotel and golf development, will be located in Broughty Ferry, Dundee. The luxury facility will boast 187 bedrooms, gourmet restaurant, conference and banqueting suites and a signature Darren Clarke championship golf course.

The Highlands
Further north, a journey into the magical Scottish Highlands may be just the thing to get creative juices flowing. Set within acres of manicured grounds, the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness is the perfect blend of historic grandeur, contemporary design and passionate service. On target for completion this December, The Kingsmills Suite will offer 410 sq m of the newest design-led meeting and events space. A relaxing circulation and breakout area, exclusively for guests of the Kingsmills Suite, enables unsurpassed choice of event schedules.
    
Of course, Scotland has many more hotels and conference spaces available and is home to myriad exciting opportunities for unforgettable events. And with so many things happening in Scotland, from its wealth of historic buildings to an abundance of thrilling outdoor pursuits, there are plenty of reasons for delegates to stick around and extend their stay.

Further information
www.conventionscotland.com