EICC debuts academic advisory board to help drive conference wins and highlight 'world class' university research

The Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) has launched an academic advisory board to raise the city’s global profile, highlight world-class research coming out of the university sector, and drive conference wins.
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The venture, titled the Exchange Initiative, aims to promote and encourage the “vital” role senior academics play in attracting international association conferences, which the EICC says translates to tens of millions of pounds in economic impact locally every year, and increase the global standing of the university sector and leading academics.

The primary sectors being targeted by the EICC in collaboration with the Exchange Initiative are life sciences, physical sciences, engineering, IT, and energy, and an online portal is set to be launched during the first quarter of 2023, providing a resource and marketing tool to support ongoing bids for international association conferences.

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Elaine Miller, association account business development manager at the conference venue, said: “Associations conferences help position our universities, the EICC, and Edinburgh on a global stage, whilst showcasing the leading research coming out of our universities. There are also significant long-term benefits in attracting these large-scale events… The EICC and Exchange Initiative group recognise these benefits and want to ensure there is more engagement with policymakers, industry bodies, Scottish Government agencies, and other academic research institutions.”

From left: Raffaella Ocone (Heriot-Watt University), Gary Hutchison (Edinburgh Napier), Elaine Miller (the EICC's association account business development manager), Duncan Hand (Heriot-Watt), and Teresa Fernandes (Heriot-Watt). Picture: Stewart Attwood.From left: Raffaella Ocone (Heriot-Watt University), Gary Hutchison (Edinburgh Napier), Elaine Miller (the EICC's association account business development manager), Duncan Hand (Heriot-Watt), and Teresa Fernandes (Heriot-Watt). Picture: Stewart Attwood.
From left: Raffaella Ocone (Heriot-Watt University), Gary Hutchison (Edinburgh Napier), Elaine Miller (the EICC's association account business development manager), Duncan Hand (Heriot-Watt), and Teresa Fernandes (Heriot-Watt). Picture: Stewart Attwood.

Marshall Dallas, chief executive at the EICC, said the new advisory board formalises the venue’s longstanding collaboration with academia, adding: “Overall, we are confident the Exchange Initiative will deliver a step up in the association business we attract to the EICC, an initiative that squares well with our mission to create an environment to inspire ideas that change the world.”

Gary Hutchison, dean of applied sciences at Edinburgh Napier University, and chair of the Exchange Initiative, said: “The academic advisory board gives us a structure, with a clear set of objectives, and platform to go out and identify even more opportunities for the EICC, the university sector, and the city itself. We build from an already strong base, and it’s an initiative we are all very excited about because we know the impact knowledge exchange will have on helping raise the bar for Edinburgh, and the economic and social impact that will result.”

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