'Incredible collective of advisors' will help Edinburgh attract more business and events

An initiative has been launched to help attract more events and knock-on business benefits for Edinburgh.

Convention Edinburgh, the Edinburgh convention bureau that was relaunched last June under the management of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC), has appointed an advisory group comprising representatives working in the capital’s events and hospitality industry. The advisory group appointments are Sue Stuart (Surgeons Quarter), Amanda Ferguson (University of Edinburgh Hospitality & Events Collection), Shona Clelland (cultural venues, City of Edinburgh Council), Elaine Elder (National Museums of Scotland Enterprises), Neil Ellis (Edinburgh Hotels Association), Rob Lang (Edinburgh Airport), Colin Horsburgh (En Pointe Solutions) and Stuart Evans (Fusion Meetings and Events).

EICC chief executive Marshall Dallas said: “The enactment of the advisory group is all about collaboration, pulling together resources, skills and experience from multiple city and national partners with the overall aim of attracting more events to Edinburgh. We want to grow the city’s profile as a world-class destination for business events, and we’ve now got an incredible collective of advisors to help make this happen.”

Led by the EICC’s sales and marketing director Amanda Wrathall, Convention Edinburgh’s remit includes supporting venues across the city with their bids to attract conferences and events to Edinburgh, and assisting event bookers during the destination and venue selection process for their conferences.

Advisory group member Elaine Elder said: “Convention Edinburgh has made fantastic progress since relaunching last summer. It has an inherently collaborative way of working, and the collective hope is that we can really move the dial and bring even more business into the city. The advisory group brings a wealth of experience together to support the Convention Edinburgh team over the months and years ahead.”

Rob Lang added: “Business events are a vital aspect of the ongoing recovery of Edinburgh, and a key driver of future economic prosperity in the city. Effective collaboration amongst city partners is essential to ensure we attract the right events at the right time for the benefit of the city and the communities and neighbourhoods it serves.”

The next Convention Edinburgh breakfast briefing takes place on March 29, with more than 100 city partners registered to attend.