VisitScotland Business Events have announced the results of the 2019/20 and 2020/21 Scottish Association Survey.
The survey results include events that were planned for 2020/21, all of which were cancelled due to Covid-19.
2019/20
- In 2019/20 Scotland hosted an incredible 330 association events
- In total up to 121,000 delegates came to Scotland, translating into an incredible 412,000 delegate days spent in Scotland.
- Life Science events accounted for 42% of delegate days – down 13%
- ICT and Data events account for 10% of delegate days – up 2%
- The Social Sciences account for 11% of delegate days – up 4%
- The total net additional value of association conferences in 2019/20 in Scotland was £250m
- Primary VisitScotland research has revealed that roughly 4 in every 10 delegates will extend their stay for on average 3 days in Scotland. These extenders contribute an additional £5.1m
- Further VisitScotland research shows that 9 in 10 delegates would return to Scotland in the future, with the potential value of these repeat visits totalling £6.8m.
2020/21
It is important to remember that all results for 2020/21 describe value that was lost due to Covid-19.
- In 2020/21 Scotland would have hosted 271 association events
- 142,000 delegates were projected to come to Scotland, translating into an incredible 555,000 delegate days spent in Scotland – up 35% on 2019/20
- Life Science events accounted for 50% of delegate days – up 8%
- ICT and Data events account for 10% of delegate days – no change
- The Social Sciences account for 3% of delegate days – down 8%
- The total net additional value of association conferences in 2020/21 in Scotland was projected to be a massive £330m – an increase of 33% on 2019/20
- Primary VisitScotland research has revealed that roughly 4 in every 10 delegates will extend their stay for on average 3 days in Scotland. These extenders would have contributed an additional £6.6m
- Further VisitScotland research shows that 9 in 10 delegates would have returned to Scotland in the future, with the potential value of these repeat visits totalling £8.3m.
For full results and even more insight and analysis, please see the full report.
These figures are a timely reminder of the enormous, positive impact association conferences can have for a destination. In challenging times, now more than ever the ability of associations to cross borders and build bridges is vital to our continued prosperity, peace, and growth. Scotland is Open – and we are excited to see the results as we rebound from the impact of Covid-19.
Source: EventScotland
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