EICC hails securing of three major conferences for 2021

The Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) has secured three major conferences for 2021, as the venue continues to implement extensive health and wellbeing measures in readiness for welcoming back delegates in person.

The conference venue continues to implement extensive health and wellbeing measures amid the pandemic. Picture: Stewart Attwood.

The venue has signed up the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine conference, which is set to take place in September, Cleantech Forum Europe in October and a Society for Endocrinology event in November.

It comes as the EICC, which has been running online events since lockdown, this year celebrates its 25th anniversary, after a record 2019, saying it has produced economic impact of more than £720 million since it first opened its doors. During that time, 3,500 events have been held at the venue with total delegate numbers standing at nearly 1.5 million.

EICC chief executive Marshall Dallas said: “It would be a huge understatement to say we are looking forward to the return of conferences next year, particularly in light of the challenging time our team has faced since the pandemic took hold and we closed doors at the venue back in March.

"There are typically long lead times in the conference and events industry, so we relish the opportunity to plan ahead for these three major conferences, and we continue to take bookings for large-scale conferences for late 2021 and into 2022.”

He added that the “rapid and successful” implementation of the vaccine will be crucial. “We are confident we will see more UK conferences and events feed through next year, with a fuller return to international conferences in 2022. We also know that business events will be a key driver in rebooting the Scottish economy as we come out of the pandemic.”

Cleantech Group chief executive Richard Youngman said: “We are delighted to be bringing Cleantech Forum Europe, Europe’s leading sustainable innovation event, to the EICC in Edinburgh in 2021. It’s good timing since Scotland will also host the postponed [United Nations climate change event] COP-26 next year. Our innovation-focused forum... has not been in the UK, Europe’s largest venture capital market, since 2006.”

Rob Lawson, chairman of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine, said: “The influence of lifestyle medicine is increasingly accepted as an essential component for addressing the growing impact of avoidable 21st century disease globally. [We are] pleased to be bringing [our] 5th annual international conference to the EICC on its 25th anniversary.”

Mr Dallas – who earlier this year was honoured in the Institute of Directors Scotland awards in the in the Small-Medium Business category – added: “Healthcare, health technology and cleantech are among the greatest societal issues for the world as we approach the end of 2020, so it’s fitting we have these important conferences in place next year.”

In March, the EICC led an announcement on the go-ahead for a hotel and hotel school development in Edinburgh. M&G Real Estate is funding the £350 million Haymarket Edinburgh development, which will be developed by QMile Group. The completed hotel will be operated by the EICC under a franchise agreement with Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

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