26 November 2024

Glasgow Events Strategy to 2035 launched

A new strategy aimed at further strengthening Glasgow’s thriving events portfolio and infrastructure has been launched.

The Glasgow Events Strategy 2035 sets out the vision and priorities to take Glasgow and its events through the next decade.

It has ambitions for all of Glasgow to benefit from the events the city will bid to attract and host, across communities and special interest groups, to the commercial sector and event owners.

Glasgow has built an international reputation as a bold, imaginative, progressive and capable host city by delivering unforgettable and exciting experiences for people watching around the world.

We are already recognised as a valued and trusted events delivery partner, willing to innovate and embrace its role as hosts matched by enthusiastic local audiences.

Annual events like Celtic Connections, Merchant City Festival, TRNSMT, World Pipe Band Championships, GlasGLOW, Glasgow Film Festival and the Great Scottish Run all add to the cultural identity of Glasgow, making the city a better place to live in and visit.

We have a track record of hosting world-class and dynamic one-off sporting events including the 2014 Commonwealth Games and more recently the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Glasgow’s Events Strategy 2035 will shape how the city responds to changes in the external environment and in funding availability and reflects the city’s overall priorities.

The launch at The Social Hub, one of the city’s innovative new public spaces, was attended by people working in the events industry.

Many of them worked with Glasgow Life, the charity that leads the delivery of Culture and Sport in Glasgow, to create the strategy.

This 10-years covered by the strategy offer enough time to make and measure change and aligns with Scotland’s National Events Strategy ‘Scotland the Perfect Stage 2024–2035’.

You can read more about the Glasgow Events Strategy at Events Strategy 2035

Bailie Annette Christie, Chair of Glasgow Life and Convenor for International Relations at Glasgow City Council said: “Glasgow has established an international reputation as a vibrant, capable and welcoming host city that matches expertise with passionate audiences that love brilliant events and this strategy will help the industry achieve even more. This generation of Glaswegians has enjoyed events that previous ones wouldn’t have believed we were capable of holding, and the city has built a new global image for itself as a result. We are ambitious for this recent success to continue and for Glasgow and Scotland to continue to get the cultural, social, and economic benefits events bring us all.”

Rebecca Edser, Head of EventScotland, said: “Glasgow has played a key role in helping develop and deliver a strong events sector in Scotland, hosting some of the world’s biggest sporting, cultural and business events over the last 20 years.

“We welcome the launch of the Glasgow Event Strategy 2035 that will build on this success by aligning with Scotland’s national events strategy to deliver events focused on a range of priorities including sustainability, inclusivity and economic value. Through continued collaboration, together we will ensure Glasgow and Scotland remain a global leader in the events industry while delivering socio-economic impacts for the local community.”

Oli Norman, itison CEO and founder of GlasGLOW said: “Events are incredible catalysts for positive and lasting change, particularly recurring events that bring communities together. I’m delighted Glasgow has launched an event strategy that can help further this mission in the same way we aim to achieve at itison with our major annually recurring events.