At long last, big events are back with a bang in Scotland.
Events organisers across the country have been desperate to get revenue back to pre-pandemic levels and it looks like they may now be on track.
In Glasgow, confidence is high that the sprawling Scottish Events Campus (SEC) will continue to deliver a stellar array of events, from major conferences like COP26 to live music from internationally acclaimed artists.
Glasgow City Council recently green lit planning permission for a £200 million expansion to the current estate which plays host to the huge OVO Hydro arena and the iconic architectural oddity that is the Armadillo. The proposals will see a major overhaul of the north bank of the Clyde including enhanced capacity and a facelift for the civic realm, which hasn’t changed much since the 1980s.
The jewel in the crown of the Scottish Events Campus is the OVO Hydro. Its Director of Live Entertainment, Debbie Williams, says the venue has enjoyed record-breaking performances this year, including the Hydro’s biggest selling show, My Chemical Romance.
She even said tickets and selling were almost back to pre-Covid levels and, despite concerns about the cost of living, fans were continuing to spend on live entertainment.
The events mecca is clearly confident in future sales, given it has planned a 16-night-run for local comedian Kevin Bridges in September. I hope the sales momentum will continue to the end of the year and beyond.
On the other side of the country things are also looking up. The Edinburgh Festival is a major moment in the Scottish events calendar and earlier this month I applauded the move by the organisers to give out 35,000 tickets to thank locals for their support.
After cancellation in 2020 and a modest attempt to stage some socially distanced shows in 2021, it’s all systems go for 2022 and the organisers are pulling out all the stops.
Although it’s often talked about as though it’s one big event, the Edinburgh Festivals are actually a collection of festivals that all coalesce around about the same time in August. This year two of the originals – the more high-brow Edinburgh International Festival and its disruptor sibling, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – are turning 75-years-old so it’s a nice milestone year to get back on track.
You’ve heard me wax lyrical about the phenomenal contribution these festivals make to Scotland’s economy. Not only do they attract people and generate a phenomenal amount of direct spending – this injection of extra income fuels a “multiplier effect”, stimulating more spending and more income, that pumps even more cash into Edinburgh’s economy and beyond. It is hardly surprising therefore that the city is so excited to get the show back on the road.
Some aspects of recovery were looking dicey for a while.
While revelers are often encouraged to choose greener options when travelling to big events, journeys were made considerably more challenging in the wake of industrial action from train drivers. You might recall Glasgow TRNSMT festival goers forced to leave headliner Lewis Capaldi’s show early.
So I’m sure commuters and businesses alike breathed a collective sigh of relief when an agreement was reached between Scotrail and the train drivers’ trade union ASLEF. I was so pleased to see the rail operator announce last week that the network timetable was returning to normal. It’ll certainly make that travel to the capital (and everywhere else for that matter) much easier.
There’s even more good news for the capital too. Prestigious listings magazine, Time Out, recently declared Edinburgh as “officially” the best city in the world in 2022. The Time Out Index is an annual survey that seeks reactions from thousands of local people about what it’s like to live in their city.
Edinburgh scored 95 per cent for being a beautiful place to live and visit and 88 per cent for its acceptance of people expressing their identity. It also rated really highly (93 per cent) for walkability.
Endorsement like these can give a real bounce to the tourism economy.
The chief content officer at TimeOut, Dave Calhoun, reckons the Best Cities in the World list will provide the ultimate travel bucket list at a time when many people will be planning their first city break in a long time, so I’m delighted to see Edinburgh on there.
Side
[Blockbuster Business: Scotland’s Star Role in Global Cinema]
I love the fact Glasgow has become a hub for the filming of major Hollywood blockbusters.
Scotland’s second city has been transformed into Philadelphia for World War Z, Gotham for The Batman and New York for the latest Indiana Jones movie.
And it isn’t just Hollywood that has come to Scotland – Bollywood is also using Glasgow for some of its biggest movies. The latest is thriller, Tehran, which stars millionaire movie star John Abraham.
I think that it’s a great thing to see these leading industries, actors and directors using Scotland as a backdrop for films that will be seen on the world stage.
And of course when big movies are filmed here, it can bring fans flocking to the country in their wake to catch a glimpse of the filming locations, so the benefits keep coming.
A new study has shown that the filming of blockbusters in Scotland has helped generate almost £215 million to the Glasgow economy alone.
That same study also highlighted the fact that filming here gives our creative industries a chance to flourish. It gives all of the fantastic freelance talent we have here, from camera operators to actors and craft staff, a chance to shine.
And it’s not just Glasgow that is seeing a slice of the action. Parts of Aberdeen were recently transformed into Soviet Russia for the filming of a movie about the classic video game Tetris, starring Taron Egerton.
I think it’s truly fantastic that these blockbusters are coming to Scotland – and hopefully there are many more to come.
It Made Me Laugh
Something that put a smile on my face during the heatwave was the fact Showcase Cinemas were letting red-headed customers in for free.
With temperatures reaching over 30C, it’s no wonder those with fairer complexions in particular were seeking shelter from the blistering sun.
The cinema chain introduced Sun Protect Flicks (SPF for short – see what they did there?) inviting ginger-haired Scots to enjoy to keep cool and enjoy a movie without paying a penny.
It was a clever move, and a business-savvy one too. Most people go to the cinema in groups so chances are they’ll have still taken in revenue from others in the party – as well as through those cinema snacks!
It Made Me Weep
Scotland’s fintech sector is booming and, incredibly, we are the UK’s largest fintech hub outside of London.
Growth has accelerated through changes brought on by the pandemic, like a boom in use of contactless payment and improvements in mobile banking systems.
But while the pandemic offered opportunities, when combined with Brexit, it has also led to shortages in staff at a time when some businesses really need to be scaling up. For example, Fintech companies are facing an unprecedented skills shortage which could hamper sector growth.
A recent study by Dealroom and Adzuna found that Edinburgh had more than 2,000 tech job vacancies – an increase of 85 per cent since last year.
Plans are already in place to encourage Scottish secondary school pupils to consider a career in fintech but we need more action to help plug this gap and support continued sector growth.
