More than 146,000 delegates visited Scotland in the 2023/2024
financial year, contributing an ‘unprecedented economic contribution' of nearly
£350 million to the Scottish economy.
These findings were published in the latest edition of the annual Scottish
Association Survey, which also found that the association conference sector supported more jobs than ever
before.
Rory Archibald, senior business events manager at
VisitScotland Business Events said, “The results of our latest survey
underscores the significant economic and social value that the association
sector brings to Scotland. A thriving business events sector not only supports
jobs, stimulates local economies, and advances societal ambitions, but also
drives activity during off-peak seasons, contributing significantly to
Scotland’s visitor economy. We’re delighted with these encouraging results and
look forward to welcoming many more business events to our innovative country.”
Key findings
- Record
economic impact: £349.1 million net additional impact to Scotland’s economy
representing a 100 per cent increase from 2022/23 (96% when adjusted for
inflation).
- Significant
rise in delegate attendance: 146,000 delegates representing an
increase of 55 per cent compared to 2022/23.
- Increasing
events: 317 events hosted, which was an increase of 12 per cent from
2022/23 levels.
- Increasing
value per event: Over £900,000 additional spend per event 2023/24.
The average value of events held in Scotland exceeded the recent
historical average, as did average delegates and delegate days generated
per event.
- Relatively
stable event duration: Average event lasted 2.7 days which was
relatively consistent with 2022/23 levels.
- Substantial
activity in low season months: 40 per cent of events took place between
October and March, in typical ‘shoulder’ or ‘low’ months.
The Scottish Association Survey covers the 2023-2024
financial year and gathers contributions from convention bureaus, conference
venues, and hotels to monitor the performance of high-value inbound association
conference events.
Methodology
The
Scottish Association Survey is coordinated by VisitScotland, which invites
convention bureaus, conference venues, and hotels to submit details of relevant
events hosted within their cities and venues. Value calculations incorporate
Scottish Government and industry recognised “Delegate Expenditure Benefit”
multipliers which have been adjusted to current prices using the HM Treasury
Price Deflater. All submitted data undergoes a thorough audit by VisitScotland,
with any non-qualifying events removed from the final dataset.
