In 2003, EventScotland invested in its first major event – the MTV Music Awards. This event was held in Leith, Edinburgh and was watched by 27 million people worldwide.
Since then, Scotland has continued to build on its reputation as a world-leading events destination.
Looking to the future, we'll continue to work with partners. We want to maintain Scotland's legacy and position as a world-leading events destination.
£63.5 million
invested in key event programmes
100%
of local authorities hosting supported events
£1.6 billion
net economic impact from outside Scotland
Source: EventScotland (2003 to 2023)
Edinburgh Festival City have published their 2030 vision for a resilient and ambitious festival city. This document demonstrates the significant benefits that these international festivals generate. It also highlights their importance to Scotland’s culture, economy, and place in the world.
Read the 2023 vision on edinburghfestivalcity.comFrom 3 to 13 August 2023, the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships was hosted in Glasgow and across Scotland. This was the single biggest cycling event in history. It brought together 13 existing UCI World Championships into one mega event for the first time ever.
Partners were encouraged to help promote both the event as well as celebrate the #PowerOfTheBike. We helped to make the following assets and ready-to-use content available for them to do so.
Published August 2022
The Squiggly Bike logo in various formats. Using the logo was a great way for businesses and organisations to enable and encourage more people to ride more bikes.
Published September 2022
The logo was made available to use for free across promotions, communications and assets.
Published August 2022
This guide was created to keep a clear and consistent message across channels, no matter the audience.
Golf events continue to add significant value to the Scottish economy along with wider benefits. The 150th Open was one of five major tournaments hosted across summer 2022, further reinforcing Scotland’s reputation as the Home of Golf.
Read our news item about the economic impact of The 150th Open.
£300 million
economic benefit generated
290,000 spectators
resulting in a record breaking attendance
Source: Independent study commissioned by The R&A, VisitScotland and Fife Council
In November 2021 Scotland welcomed the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) to Glasgow. It was the largest business event ever hosted in the UK.
The climate talks brought together heads of state, climate experts and campaigners. In Glasgow, these groups agreed to co-ordinate action to tackle climate change under the Paris Agreement. There were close to 40,000 attendees.
The conference was carbon neutral (carried out in line with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol). This was measured using the PAS2060 international standard on carbon neutrality.
The conference not only further showcased Scotland as the perfect host. It also demonstrated how business events can bring significant social and economic change.
22,000 delegates
in attendance at the event
14,000 observers
in attendance at the event
3,800 media reps
in attendance at the event
Source: United Nations
The Solheim Cup at Gleneagles was a legacy benefit from 2014. EventScotland submitted the successful bid for this event. This was backed and underwritten by the Scottish Government.
The event became the highest attended women’s golf tournament ever held in the UK with record crowds of more than 90,000. The 2019 Solheim Cup was hailed as the best-ever hosting of the event.
It also set a benchmark for staging family-friendly and accessible golf events through its partnership with Euan’s Guide.
A sustainability action plan for the event was developed with the GEO Foundation. This was in order to minimise the environmental footprint of the cup and to conserve biodiversity.
The Solheim Cup fulfilled its pre-event promise of equality, experience and innovation. It achieved this through everything from transport planning to on-course infrastructure and more.
10.4 million
global audience
£8.82 million
in net economic impact
£7.83 million
gross value added
257 jobs
full time equivalent jobs
Source: VisitScotland Annual Report 2020
Glasgow and Scotland broke new ground with the inaugural 2018 European Championships. This multi-sport event saw different events take place in both Berlin and across Scotland, chiefly in Glasgow.
This innovative approach to developing new models for event delivery has a bright future. Scotland hosting the 2023 UCI World Cycling Championships is one example of that future.
More information on the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.
565,000 spectators
in attendance at Glasgow 2018
1.4 billion
TV audience across Glasgow and Berlin
£256 million
PR value for Glasgow and Scotland
Source: Square Space
Glasgow welcomed the world to the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup brought more than 250,000 visitors from 96 countries to our shores in 2014. That year, we also celebrated the Year of Homecoming with events taking place across Scotland.
The Commonwealth Games was a catalyst for securing major events for Scotland, both in the lead up to and in the following years. This was key in boosting the local and national economy. It also cemented Scotland's global profile as a world-class destination for events, tourism, and business.
Brand new state-of-the-art venues, such as the Emirates Arena and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome were built. These venues have since hosted the likes of the
In 2008, the game changing National Events Strategy, Scotland The Perfect Stage, was launched. This has been critical to Scotland's success.
Its dynamic Team Scotland approach has ensured that we have continued to develop as an events host year-on-year. This generates economic, cultural and social benefits for Scotland.
In 2023, a public consultation invited anyone with a connection to the events industry to provide feedback on a range of areas, including:
priorities for the events sector in Scotland
event accessibility
working in events
collaboration on and innovation of events
how events can further promote cities, regions, and Scotland as a whole
An update on the National Events Strategy is expected in 2035.