Tag: Glasgow

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Meetings in Glasgow: Our top venue picks

Glasgow by night

If you’ve thought about hosting events or meetings in Glasgow, we’d like to share more about the city, plus our top venue picks.

Like many cities, at the centre of Glasgow is a river. From its source in Leadhills to the southeast, the Clyde flows down through the old mill towns of Lanarkshire, widening as it flows past the sites of the shipyards which put Glasgow on the map.

A sharp turn and the Clyde is on its final stretch past the quaintly pretty seaside towns of Largs, Dunoon, and Rothesay where Glaswegians go to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city.

The Clyde is a huge part of Glasgow’s history and the reason why it is such a popular city. Looking forward to the modern day, Glasgow has held many mega-events such as the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and COP26 in 2021.

These events brought masses of important people to Glasgow and increased its profile as an event destination. So, here are some of our favourite venues in Glasgow:

Venues for Events and Meetings in Glasgow

Voco Grand Central Glasgow

Right in the heart of Glasgow is the outstanding voco Grand Central Glasgow. It offers a stunning setting for an intimate private dining experience or an extravagant party for up to 400 guests. Each space offers its character and style – simply choose what works best for you.  The Grand Room is one example of a true showstopper space! It blends rich architecture with 21st-century touches.

voco Grand Central Glasgow offers a warm, unstuffy, and modern place for you to host your meeting. It allows you to focus on the big picture, while the venue team takes care of the details. Your guests will enjoy getting to know each other and learning in an unpretentious and inspirational setting.

thestudioglasgow

The Studio is in central Glasgow. It’s less than one minute’s walk from Glasgow Central Station and within easy reach of the public transport network. There is direct road access to the venue and the venue has preferential rates with the two nearest NCP car parks.

thestudioglasgow has 6 vibrant spaces and panoramic views on offer in their 8th and 9th-floor venue. The 9th floor is an exclusive use space for up to 260 guests. A fantastic spacious private area to dine, exhibit, or network!

Radisson Blu Glasgow

Radisson Blu Glasgow is in the heart of the city, minutes from the Financial District. Facilities include 247 stylish bedrooms. The rooms include 20 business class, 12 spacious junior suites, three luxurious corner suites, and the apartment. Room styles vary between Nordic, City and Modern styles. All rooms have individual climate control and personal bars, iron, and ironing board, personal safe, bathrobe and slippers. 

The hotel boasts Collage Restaurant and two bars – Atrium and Collage Corner Bar. There’s a health club with 15m indoor pool, fitness and spin studios, gym, sauna, and Jacuzzi, plus treatment rooms. The property also has 17 rooms for events and meetings in Glasgow. The largest measures up at 582m2. An additional 14 breakout rooms are also available for any smaller meetings. 

DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Westerwood

The Doubletree by Hilton Glasgow Westerwood Hotel sits on 400 acres of beautiful countryside by the Campsie Hills, 12 miles north of Glasgow’s centre.

Aside from the stunning backdrop and enviable 18-hole golf course, the Westerwood is an ideal conference and meeting venue. Its self-contained conference centre holds up to 400 for a conference and 300 for a dinner dance. And the hotel has 148 contemporary-styled bedrooms.

Interested in the above hotels for events or meetings in Glasgow? Follow the links in the feature to book.

To find out more, check out EDGEVenues.com

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Global Destination Sustainability Index releases 2019 results

The Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index) has published its 2019 rankings, which revealed Glasgow as one of the top five cities for its commitment to sustainable business tourism.

The GDS Index was launched in 2016 and promotes responsible business tourism best practice. Its data analyses 60 cities based on four key criteria:

  • Environmental strategy and infrastructure
  • Social sustainability performance
  • The strategy of the host city’s convention bureau
  • Industry supply chain support

The full list can be viewed below:

Glasgow aims to become the UK’s first carbon neutral city by 2030. The Scottish Government has set a net zero emissions target for Scotland by 2045.

It has also hosted 25 energy, sustainability and carbon reduction related conferences in the 2018 and 2019 financial year, which has increased the city’s economy by nearly £8m.

Glasgow’s ranking recognises the ‘People Make Glasgow Greener’ campaign, which launched by the Glasgow Convention Bureau in 2017.

The campaign identifies the city’s sustainable businesses and aims to simplify the process of organising a sustainable conference in Glasgow.

Aileen Crawford, head of conventions, Glasgow Convention Bureau, said: “Glasgow’s ambition is to be at the forefront on climate action and we are determined to become the UK’s first carbon neutral city by 2030 and a world-leading centre for sustainable policy and innovation.

“Glasgow is home to some of the world’s biggest energy companies and we’re internationally recognised as having one of the healthiest and most diverse energy industries globally; particularly in terms of low carbon industries, which has had a hugely positive impact on the volume of conferences that we’re attracting in these sectors.

Kathleen Warden, director of conferences sales, SEC, said: “This is fantastic news for the city, and we are proud to play a key role in helping to position Glasgow as the world’s 4th most sustainable conference destination. At the same time, being named a finalist for the GDS-Index’s Leadership in Sustainability Award is testament to our ambitious goals as a city.

Guy Bigwood, managing director, GDS-Index, said: “Glasgow as a meetings and events destination has made a significant jump in sustainability performance in 2019. We are delighted to see that a UK city has risen to number 4 in the Global rankings and has a strong strategy to develop even further. Glasgow is in the first division of pioneering cities that is defining what sustainability leadership stands for.”

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Glasgow economy lifted by almost £1m

The Glasgow Convention Bureau has reported an almost £1 million economic boost to the city’s economy after hosting the 27th International Input-Output Association Conference (IIOA).

The IIOA conference, which was held at the University of Strathclyde’s Technology and Innovation Centre, came to the UK for the first time and attracted a record number of delegates from nearly 50 countries.

The week-long conference focuses on the advancement of knowledge in the field of date compilation and economic statistics and its uses across a wide variety of sectors. This year, in particular, the conference concentrated on sustainability and minimising the environmental impact of a conference on its host destination.

“Conferences can be a major contributor to greenhouse gas applying emissions through things like delegate travel, meals and paper use, and the IIOA is developing and implementing strategies that compensate for some of the ecological footprint caused by our international meetings,” said Sanjiv Mahajan conference chair and vice president of The International Input-Output Association.

“This is our first ever UK conference and we were delighted to come to Glasgow, which has established a strong reputation for its commitment to sustainability and promoting responsible business tourism. We asked delegates if they would like to make a small voluntary donation to support the work of local environmental charities and I’m delighted that we were able to split £1,000 between Energy Action Scotland and the Woodland Trust in Scotland.”

The IIOA conference fits in with Glasgow’s goals of becoming one of Europe’s most sustainable business tourism cities after being listed 7th out of 35 countries in the Global Destination Sustainability Index.

“Our sustainability team has worked hard to identify ways that we can support clients like the IIOA to minimise the environmental impact of their meetings,” said Gordon Hodge, head of conferencing and events at the University of Strathclyde.

“Even simple gestures like encouraging delegates to bring their own water bottles to fill up for free; smart menu choices which include more vegetarian or vegan options; or making the most of our city-centre location and connectivity with public transport, can make a difference. We’re committed to doing our bit to reduce the University’s carbon footprint and to prove that people really can make Glasgow greener, even if they’re only in the city for a few days.”