REPORT: CONFERENCING & EVENTS
http://www.insider.co.uk March 2020 INSIDER 55T
HE BIGGEST event that
Glasgow, and indeed
Scotland, has ever hosted
is due to take place in
November this year. The 2020 United
Nations Climate Change Conference
or COP26 is scheduled to take place
in the city for 10 days that month.
The event will bring somewhere
between 30,000 and 50,000
delegates, crowds of protestors and
demonstrators that are expected to
run into six figures and an economic
boost to the city of between £70m
and £75m, according to the current
best estimates.
Stuart Patrick, chief executive of
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
said: “From a Glasgow perspective
COP26 is one of the most important
events to have happened in its entire
history, not just because it is of such a
scale and of such significance by itself- it’s not just the volume and scale of
the event, though large it is - it is also
the centrality of the issue.
“Climate change is the issue of
the moment. It is likely to be one of
the biggest issues that we tackle in
the years ahead and it is fantastic
therefore that it is getting to its next
stage of resolution – we hope – in
Glasgow, allowing Glasgow to be
a symbol, or could be a symbol, of
future progress in tackling that issue.”He says that provides a
tremendous opportunity. “We
obviously want to see the conference
being a success but we are also keen
that it helps us demonstrate the level
of commitment that there is to tackle
the issue in the business community
in Glasgow and beyond in the rest
of Scotland, and that businesses
in Glasgow are genuinely active intackling, not just responding to it,
but innovating and coming up with
solutions to some of the problems
that we are going to face.”
The immediate impact on
the city is going to be felt on
particular sectors. Patrick says:
“The impact is going to be largely
on accommodation, transport,
wider leisure industries, bars and
restaurants. There is clearly that
injection of economic activity and
it’s also happening at a time of year
which is not normally a peak period
for inward tourism to the city, so all
of that is positive.
“From our perspective if such
a thing as a Glasgow Accord was
to come from it, then there is the
incalculable impact of the Glasgow
name being utilised time and time
again at the centre of the major
debate. You just can’t put a figure on
that, if that was your core motivation.
“I’ve not yet seen anybody try and
value what that might mean for long-
term economic impact, nor have we
really assessed what does it mean toI’ve not yet seen anybody try and
value what that might mean for
long-term economic impact
Stuart Patrick, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce (below)By KEN SYMON Above: Scottish
Events Campus as
it now isGLASGOW HAS CHANCE TO
SHINE IN GREEN SPOTLIGHT