Aileen Crawford, Head of Conventions, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau

24/05/2011

"We can offer our clients services which they might not necessarily find elsewhere"

Following her appointment as Glasgow City Marketing Bureau’s Head of Conventions, BWMN spoke to Aileen Crawford about Glasgow’s success as a meetings destination and what the future has in store…

BWMN: Glasgow has had a lot of awards success in the last few years: Glasgow City Marketing Bureau has been named ‘Best UK Convention Bureau’ for the last five years by Meetings & Incentive Travel magazine, and past victor Scottish Exhibition + Convention Centre (SECC) took bronze in the ‘Best UK Convention Centre’ category this year. What sets Glasgow apart as a convention destination, both in the UK and on an international level?

Aileen Crawford: The people of Glasgow are famous for their friendly and welcoming nature, and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau is no different. We try to make our clients feel as welcome as possible when they come to the city: for example, we go and meet them when they arrive at the airport and put up banners advertising their event throughout the city.

As well as striving to make our clients feel at home, I believe that we can also offer them a unique range of services that help to make the city a very attractive convention destination. We have 50 members of staff who are all fully focused on organizing fantastic congresses, and we also have very strong ties with Glasgow’s other authorities and organizations, including the council, the Glasgow Hotels Association, the Chambers of Commerce and the local taxi firms, and work with them very closely. This means that we can offer our clients services which they might not necessarily find elsewhere and set up the whole city for their event, or indeed to provide their sponsors with promotional opportunities.

For example, when we hosted the World Respiratory Conference, we were able to put up tents in the city’s main square, where doctors measured the health of the lungs of passers-by, to promote the issue of respiratory health. As it happened, the Great Scottish Run was taking place on the same day, so we came to an agreement with its organizers that it would be diverted through the same square to further promote this issue.

In addition, we pride ourselves on listening to clients and working hard to find solutions for them. Last year we hosted the World Parkinson Conference, which had previously only been held in the USA and whose delegate base had been largely American. As the clients wanted to attract more participants from elsewhere, we went to great lengths to promote the event. We managed to bring in international delegates from 97 countries, and the event was just as well attended as it had been in previous years.

BWMN: What are your plans to ensure this awards success continues?

Aileen Crawford: Our market is very changeable, and as a result we aim to always be very adaptable to the changing needs of convention organizers. For example, social media has recently become very important in the meetings industry, so we have developed an iPhone app for delegates.

While we must be adaptable in the services we offer, I believe it will be important to keep the same team of staff. We currently have a very long-serving, experienced workforce, which makes a big difference to conference organizers: they find that the same staff who originally won their bid are still there when the conference comes around, which allows them to maintain very personal relationships with us. This makes all the difference, and we must ensure that it continues.

BWMN: Glasgow is set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2014. How will this affect the city’s conventions industry?

Aileen Crawford: It will certainly have a hugely positive impact on the industry, as it has sparked a great deal of investment in the city and its facilities. For example, a new arena with a capacity of 12,500 is currently being built at the SECC, and is due to open in 2013. There are also two new hotels due to open this month, and another four over the next few years in the run-up to the Games.

In addition, there is a huge amount of PR regarding Glasgow going out daily, which has promoted the city a lot and helped to further improve its image. This has certainly helped us sell the city to prospective clients, as it has given PCOs and other conference organizers a great impression of Glasgow.

BWMN: Are you predicting a big medal haul for Scotland?

Aileen Crawford: There are certainly a great number of athletes and young people working very hard to achieve success in 2014, but I believe the biggest winners in the Commonwealth Games will be the city of Glasgow and its people. They will serve as a fantastic promotion of the city and will give the local economy a boost, while they will also give Glaswegians the chance to witness a fantastic spectacle.

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