GLASGOW: SCOTLAND WITH STYLE


By Chris Berkein

The Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley is one of Europe’s exciting and special destinations, combining the energy and sophistication of an international city with some of Scotland’s most spectacular scenery.

GLASGOW, A CITY WITH PEPS ... AND SO MUCH MORE!
Victorian red & honey sandstone, Italianate steeples and medieval spires sit harmoniously with neo-gothic towers, the sensuous Art Nouveau of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the titanium, glass and steel of the contemporary city. It is remarkable the change Glasgow has gone through in the last decades. What used to be a grey city with a high unemployment figure, has become an effervescent city with trendy cafés, award-winning restaurants and hip hotels. And unemployment has fallen from 46% in 1990 to 8% today, a tribute to the dynamism of this great city. Glasgow has reinvented itself!

The city has a remarkable portfolio of more than twenty museums and galleries – many of them free – including the unique Burrell Collection, the stunning Mackintosh House and the cool and contemporary Gallery of Modern Art.
Gaudi cannot be separated from Barcelona, or Horta and his Art Deco from Brussels, Mackintosh is the name to remember in Glasgow. His genius was only truly appreciated after his death, but anyone interested in cutting-edge design should head to The Lighthouse, a permanent exhibition of this great artist’s work.
For those with a more scientific streak anyone interested in learning about technology and its applications in a fun and interesting environment, a visit to the Glasgow Science Centre’s futuristic complex comprising IMAX, Science Mall, Glasgow Tower, Planetarium and Virtual Science Theatre is a must.

Heritage seekers are invited to tour the Museum of Transport, or the Museum of Scottish Country Life at Kittochside and Clydebuilt, which tells the story of Glasgow and the River Clyde from tobacco to shipbuilding. Lovers of the beautiful game meanwhile should head for the ground-breaking Scottish Football Museum at Hampden.

And last but not least the recently re-opened restored Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum with an impressive main Hall also available for meetings and events.

SHOPPING IS A MUST IN GLASGOW
Not only is it tops for shops, but its compact city centre and grid system makes it easy not to get lost and to plan a first class shopping experience in the city’s many trendy shops and boutiques. High street malls such as the modern Buchanan Galleries and the St Enoch Centre are just a stroll from the elegance of the Italian Centre and Princes Square as well as the speciality shops of the Merchant City. And not worry, there are plenty of cafés and terraces to rest one’s weary feet! Glasgow is for the UK, what Antwerp is for Belgium. More and more artists are settling in Glasgow. Old factories are transformed into lofts where you can find the most trendy restaurants and shops.
A special mention should be made of the friendliness of the taxi drivers; many a city could learn a lesson from them!
With the “renaissance” of Glasgow came also an influx of artists resulting in an incredible cultural offering but Glasgow did not erase it’s past and for those looking for the authentic Scottish touch, kilts, whisky and haggis are never far away!

No surprise that in 2006 ICCA gave the World Award to Glasgow for its “Scotland with Style” Campaign.

GLASGOW’S FIVE STAR PROMISE TO CONFERENCE ORGANISERS
The Glasgow City Marketing bureau (GCMB) was established on April 1st 2005 following the reorganisation of Scottish tourism and the subsequent creation of 14 VisitScotland network offices (replacing 14 area tourist boards).

Glasgow’s City Marketing Bureau (GCMB) proposes a unique Five Star Promise to conference organisers encompassing hotels, transport, convention facilities, an accommodation booking service and marketing support to assist MICE organisers.

A point that makes them the envy of many competing cities is that the hoteliers are committed to giving value for money and undertake not to artificially inflate their prices when major events or conferences are held in the Glasgow area. Surely a very reassuring notion for any organizer as it is monitored by the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau at its regular meetings with the Hotel association.

Glasgow is home to the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre, the UK’s largest integrated conference and exhibition centre, which offers all-inclusive pricing that includes AV equipment and technical support, cleaning and security as standard.

The city offers the “conference travel ticket” which allows delegates unlimited travel on buses, trains, the underground and ferries throughout the metropolitan area, including Glasgow Airport and Glasgow Prestwick Airport.

For city-wide conferences, the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau will work with conference organisers to build delegate numbers through marketing and sales support. Once the city-wide conference is in Glasgow, the bureau undertakes to promote, publicise and support the meeting through banner welcomes, civic hospitality and a range of other services.

The GCMB offers a free accommodation booking service that can block rooms, retain and administer allocations until the convention, or hand the rooms over to the conference organiser after they are reserved. The bureau also undertakes to hold regular meeting with city hoteliers on behalf of the conference organisers to ensure that their needs are met.

A BOOMING HOTEL STOCK
Glasgow is booming and therefore the hotel capacity has been increased by 40% in the past six years, resulting in a total of 8.049 hotel rooms within a 10-mile radius of Glasgow city centre.  As well as expanding the three and four star hotel category, there are also developments at the top end of the market.
Amongst these:

• Radisson SAS, becoming the city’s latest five star property.
• The Glasgow Hilton undergoing a € 2.2 million refurbishment.
• Crowne Plaza returning to Scotland with the re-branding of the Glasgow Moat House.
• A € 2.2 million refurbishment at one of the city’s original style hotels, Malmaison Glasgow.
• One of Glasgow’s premier hotels has recently been re-branded as Hotel du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens.
• The Royal Scottish Automobile Club becomes a five-star hotel this year.

PLANNING A CONFERENCE IN GLASGOW?
www.seeglasgow.com

The professional team at the Convention Bureau is there to assist. A selection of the services proposed to the meeting planner:

• Site visits to venues across the city to put the organizers in touch with the key people  
• Preparation of bespoke bid documents packed with information about the city and of specially-tailored presentations.
• Organizing contacts with all the key decision makers in government and business; from transport providers and destination management companies through to city officials and support services. 
• Working with hotels and venues to provide expert advice about facilities and assistance with logistics and planning. 
• Search for hotels and venues to find the right location.  
• Provide lively user-friendly city information packs about Glasgow for all the delegates.