A host of international speakers was unveiled today as the inaugural Business Events Leaders’ Summit launched in Scotland.

Registrations opened for a brand new event aimed at bringing together leaders in Scotland’s MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) industry alongside the country’s key economic sectors.

The event, which is among the first of its kind in the UK, will take place at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) on Wednesday, 21st March, 2018, and is proudly hosted by EventsBase magazine.

“This is the first time Scotland will have played host to the Business Events Leaders’ Summit and I very much welcome this new addition to the MICE landscape here,” said Neil Brownlee, Head of Business Events at VisitScotland.

He added: “We are at a critical juncture in the business events industry where we must be more innovative in the way we seek to host and attract international business events to our shores. Hence our re-booted national ambassador programme, Innovate The Nation and our social media campaign Legends.”

Two leading academics from Australia – whose research helped inform the business case for the $1.5bn (AUS) ICC Sydney – will fly in as keynote speakers at the one-day conference.

Associate Professor Deborah Edwards and Associate Professor Carmel Foley, from the University of Technology Sydney, are co-authors of The Power of Conferences, published this year, which explores the long-term impacts of conferences through the stories of 10 prominent Australians. They are also  collaborating with the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) on the Event Case Study Program, an international project that is redefining the value proposition of the global business events industry.

They will be joined by Jeannie Lim, who has led the Conventions, Meetings & Incentive Travel division of the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau, a group under the Singapore Tourism Board, since 2011.

In this role, she has been responsible for attracting quality association congresses and corporate-driven events to Singapore, and ensuring Singapore’s competitive positioning as a Top International Convention and Meetings City. She also champions the development of the local industry to strengthen Singapore’s position as a business events destination.

The inaugural Business Events Leaders’ Summit will be held at the SEC on March 21st 2018 

Sam Johnston, Manager of Dublin Convention Bureau, will also fly in to tell the story of how Dublin has become such a magnet for technology events – such as the Dublin Tech Summit – and how the city’s convention bureau works with key economic sectors to attract international conferences.

Hamish Miller, Summit Director, said: “We are excited to be creating a new proposition for the business events industry in Scotland. We have watched closely to see how international destinations have pivoted towards working not only closely with the economic sectors in which they are strong, but also how the industry is waking up to the fact that it must put in place robust metrics which demonstrate its real value to itself, the wider community and also government.”

He added: “We are thrilled to be hosting this event at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, which is the crucible of our national conference and exhibition industry, and to be welcoming such a stellar line-up of international speakers to visit these shores and share their stories. Watch this space, as we will have some more important contributors to announce in due course.”

Visit www.businesseventsleader.com for more information and follow @eventsbase_news on Twitter for regular updates.