Glasgow Scoops Worldwide Marketing Award

One of the most powerful organisations in the world-wide conference industry has given its top marketing award to Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (GCMB) for its Glasgow: Scotland with style campaign.

 

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), whose membership includes more than 770 organisations in almost 80 countries, gave the top accolade to Glasgow at its annual conference in Rhodes, Greece at the end of October. 

 

The Best Marketing Award is a major coup for Glasgow because ICCA’s members represent every section of the conference industry around the globe, including travel and destination management companies, national tourism and convention boards, convention and exhibition centres, airlines, hotels, and professional conference organisers.

 

Delegates who voted for Glasgow came from countries as diverse as Australia, Argentina. Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Russia and the USA.

 

Edinburgh Convention Bureau and Hyderabad International Convention Centre, India, joined GCMB on the short-list but the more than 800 delegates from 68 countries gave the top prize to Glasgow after hearing a presentation by GCMB.

 

Scott Taylor, the chief executive of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “This award is a clear signal that Glasgow has global recognition for brand marketing.

 

“It will increase awareness of Glasgow to the international conference industry which will result in more inquiries for meetings and congresses resulting in further bookings.

 

“The investment from Glasgow City Council, the European Regional Development Fund and many organisations in the metropolitan region to developing the brand underpins the Team Glasgow approach. That is why GCMB is delighted to accept the award on behalf of Glasgow.”

Councillor Alex Mosson, chairman of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “The Glasgow: Scotland with style brand is proving to be immensely successful in raising the profile of the city as a world-class destination to a global audience.

 

“This award has been given by the professionals who have their finger on the pulse of all that is happening in the world of meetings and conventions, and as such, Glasgow could receive no better endorsement for its conference strategy.” 

 

Glasgow is one of the world’s leading conference destinations and has enjoyed sustained growth in the past decade.  In 2005, Glasgow was ranked ranked 22^nd in the world for delegate numbers, according to ICCA’s 2005 Association Meetings Market report, up from 34 in 2003.

 

In 2004-05, convention sales handled by GCMB grew by 8% to £63.1 million and the number of delegates rose by 28.5% to 376,500.

It is the second major award GCMB has collected recently for the Glasgow: Scotland with style brand. On October 2, at the Meetings Industry Marketing Awards in London, Glasgow was given the Gold Award for Best Brand Marketing Campaign. And in September, readers of Condé Nast Traveller voted Glasgow their favourite UK city.

 

Past winners of the ICCA Best Marketing Award include Boston, the International Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa, Perth Convention Bureau, Australia, the Ovation Group, Ireland, the Kursaal Centre, Spain, and the Palais des Congres de Montreal, Canada.

 

As part of its push to reinforce Glasgow’s position as a world class conference destination, last month (October) the city unveiled a unique Five Star Promise to conference organisers. The promise includes a pledge from hoteliers not to inflate artificially room rates when there are major events in the metropolitan area, and it also covers transport, convention facilities, an accommodation booking service and marketing support that is tailored to assist organisers in an unprecedented way.

 

 

Issue by and for further information, contact:

Stephen Breen

Convention Bureau Public Relations

Glasgow City Marketing Bureau

Tel: +44 (0)141 566 0833

Email: stephen.breen@seeglasgow.com

 

(or)

 

Moira Dyer

Senior Manager Public Relations

+44 (0)141 566 0831

Email: moira.dyer@seeglasgow.com

 

Note to Editors:

 

 

1        Glasgow hoteliers are committed to giving value for money to conference and events organisers and their clients, and undertake not to artificially inflate their prices when major events or conferences are being held in the metropolitan Glasgow area.  This will be monitored by Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (GCMB) at its regular meetings with the Greater Glasgow Hotels Association to ensure that the city is competitive.

 

2        Glasgow is home to the Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre (SECC), the UK’s largest integrated conference and exhibition centre, which offers all-inclusive pricing that includes AV equipment and technical support, cleaning and security as standard.

 

3        Glasgow has the UK’s only conference travel ticket, which allows delegates unlimited travel on buses, trains, the underground and ferries throughout the metropolitan area, including Glasgow Airport and Glasgow Prestwick Airport.

 

4        For city-wide conferences, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau will work with conference organisers to build delegate numbers through marketing and sales support, including secondary marketing of the event at preceding conferences and production of bespoke tourist and business information. Once the city-wide conference is in Glasgow, GCMB undertakes to promote, publicise and support the meeting through banner welcomes, civic hospitality and a range of other services.

 

5       Glasgow City Marketing Bureau offers a free accommodation booking service that can block book rooms, retain and administer allocations until the convention, or hand them over to the conference organiser after they are reserved. And GCMB undertakes to hold regular meetings with city hoteliers on behalf of conference organisers to ensure their needs are met.