Edinburgh to welcome Influential Tourism Leaders

Marketing Edinburgh is celebrating the landmark announcement that the city will host the coveted European Cities Marketing (ECM) Spring Meeting in February 2019. The announcement was made during ECM’s General Assembly meeting in Malmö, Sweden, last week, and is a positive reflection of the city’s status as a world-class tourism destination.

A leading association for tourism organisations, ECM aims to improve the competitiveness and performance of leading European cities. Its spring event will see around 175 senior destination leaders from across the continent gather in the capital to foster critical thinking and debate on topical tourism issues relevant to Edinburgh, such as destination management and future travel trends.

Marketing Edinburgh, who are dedicated to promoting Edinburgh to the world, will liaise with the core ECM team to deliver the event and develop a compelling and thought-provoking programme under the over-arching theme of ‘Eventful Cities’, which will explore the relationship between city development and events.

As the top meeting destination in the UK outside of London, and currently placed 32^nd in industry city rankings by International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), the win presents the perfect opportunity to showcase Edinburgh to an array of influential decision makers. A mix of CEOs and senior executives in Leisure, Business Events and City Marketing will be in attendance.

As a destination that is constantly improving its offering, with developments across the city including the complete renovation of the St James Quarter and a new £200M development near Haymarket, the ECM Spring Meeting 2019 success is testament to Edinburgh’s status as a global competitor.

The ECM event has already received backing from key local partners including The Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa Edinburgh, National Museum of Scotland and Assembly Rooms.

John Donnelly, CEO of Marketing Edinburgh announced the win at the ECM General Assembly meeting. He said:  “The annual European Cities Marketing Spring Meeting is a huge opportunity for host destinations to showcase their city to key industry players so we’re thrilled to be welcoming the meeting to Edinburgh for 2019.

“Edinburgh is a fantastic destination for events and the European Cities Marketing Spring Meeting 2019 will ensure more industry leaders realise Edinburgh’s undisputed standards of excellence. As a member of the ECM we understand the multiple benefits and opportunities this event presents for a city so it’s great to see local support from our key partners – without them, this wouldn’t be possible.”

Dieter Hardt-Stremayr, President of European Cities Marketing and Managing Director of Graz Tourist Office said: “Edinburgh is one of Europe’s leading destinations so it was really only a matter of time before we brought our annual meeting to Scotland’s capital city.

“We want to showcase the beauty and history of Edinburgh to our delegates as well as the expertise in the festival-scene and we’re confident that this meeting will bring nothing but positive impact for the city.

Stewart Elder, Director of Sales at The Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa Edinburgh said: “In collaboration with Marketing Edinburgh, we are thrilled to host the Spring Meeting of European Cities Marketing in February 2019 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa Edinburgh. It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase our hotel and will play an incredibly important role in maintaining the profile of Edinburgh as a world-class destination to visit and invest in.”

The European Cities Marketing Meeting 2019 will take place at The Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa Edinburgh from 13-15 February next year. The city welcomes the meeting following successful events in Reykjavik earlier this year, Gdansk in 2017 and Madrid in 2016.

www.edinburgh.org