Spotlight annual review looks back on a year of events in Scotland

An annual review has highlighted the impact of a diverse portfolio of sporting, cultural, international, national and business events in Scotland.

The Spotlight Annual Review 2019, put together by VisitScotland’s Events Directorate, has reflected on a busy year of activity which included four core event programmes and a series of major events.

The Solheim Cup at Gleneagles became the highest-ever attended women’s golf event in the UK, with over 90,000 people turning out for the competition in September.

TEDSummit 2019 at Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) attracted over 1,000 delegates from 84 countries and over 60 speakers; the 35th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Glasgow in March and the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships were also awarded to Glasgow and Scotland. 

In numbers, the Events Directorate 2019/2020 highlighted the impact of cumulative statistics and represent EventScotland’s core funded programmes – International, National & Beacon. The data indicated that the programmes supported 2,844 full-time equivalent jobs and generated £95.3m in gross value added (GVA), a measure of economic output.

The data showed audiences of 2.09m, which includes participants, performers, staff, volunteers and spectators and that the event split was 24% culture and 76% sport. Twenty-six percent of events were outside Edinburgh and Glasgow, there were seven new international events, 82% were outside Summer, 75% of local authorities were supported with £4.05m invested in 69 events to date.

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, said in his foreword to the report: “It has been another stellar year of events and festivals across Scotland. From the best-ever Solheim Cup to bringing the global TED community to the country’s capital for TEDSummit, across the board the Scottish events industry has continued to deliver outstanding results both socially and economically for the country. 

“The last 12 months has seen the start of new events like the Women’s Tour of Scotland to the reshaping of others including the Edinburgh International Festival Opening Event. It has also been a year where Scotland has reinforced its reputation as a global leader in event delivery through the securing of the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships, a brand-new mega event to take place in 2023. 

“Over the coming pages we will see what a truly memorable year it has been for us and the wider events and festivals sector while also looking ahead to some of the exciting events we have in store in the years to come. I hope you enjoy our spotlight on Scotland the Perfect Stage.”

For a full copy of the report, visit the link here.