Convention Edinburgh is recruiting a remunerated chair and up to 16 people with industry experience for two new groups as it rebuilds after years of funding uncertainty.
The recruitment follows years of uncertainty over the convention bureau’s future. In 2024, the EICC, the city’s biggest convention venue, relinquished control of the bureau to the council, which ran it on a budget of just £150,000 a year. Multi-year investment has now been secured through the Edinburgh Visitor Levy, which came into effect in July this year and has promised the bureau £400,000 a year. Additional funding is expected through a tiered membership system, with venues and other suppliers contributing.
Once appointed, the chair will lead the Operational Group, working alongside the senior team and the wider industry. Applications are open until midnight on Sunday 8 November.
The bureau wants four to six people for the Operational Group and eight to ten for a new Strategy Group, with backgrounds across venues, accommodation, suppliers, academic institutions and the wider visitor economy.
Councillor Tim Pogson, convener of the City of Edinburgh Council’s housing, homelessness and fair work committee, said: “Edinburgh is entering a new era for business events. The city already offers organisers a rare combination of global accessibility, cultural reputation, innovation and delegate experience, and the ambition now is to build on that. The new team means more support for planners and partners at every stage, and more news will be announced later in the year as that work develops.”
The groups will also focus on maximising the sector’s contribution to inclusive growth, fair work, climate action, social impact and economic prosperity. The organisation is also participating in the Global Destination Sustainability Index.
The appointments come as Edinburgh enters a period of high international visibility. The city hosts the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in 2027, and its summer festival programme returns the same year. Upcoming major events include the Scotland 2050 Conference in June 2027 at the Assembly Rooms and the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in July 2027 at the EICC.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
