On 20 May 2015 the third annual Edinburgh Tourism Showcase will be held at the Assembly Rooms.  The showcase is the biggest industry event of the year, and this year’s event has been expanded to mark the 2015 Year of Food & Drink and celebrate Edinburgh’s increasing reputation as a “foodie” destination.

The traditional image of Scottish food and drink being all about “deep fried everything” and whisky has been blown away in recent years by Michelin star restaurants, award winning cafés, super star baristas, locally brewed gin and a great selection of local food markets.   Almost £1m per day is spent on food and drink by visitors to Edinburgh.

The event will feature over 80 exhibitors from all areas of the tourism sector.  Some highlights will include:

  • A replica gin distillery by Pickings Gin
  • A mini climbing wall from Ratho
  • 3D printer

The Edinburgh Tourism Showcase was created by ETAG in response to industry demand for a ‘one stop shop’ industry-facing event where the tourism sector can showcase the best of what’s on offer to Edinburgh visitors.  It is not a traditional trade show or business event – its ethos is to be ‘fun, friendly and informative’.

It aims to reach:

o   Exhibitors – great chance for the exhibitors to network, see what the latest product offers are, identify opportunities for collaboration

o   Businesses – provides a platform for tourism operators, suppliers etc to meet with a wide range of the best tourism businesses in the city and discuss opportunities to work together

o   Frontline staff – a key objective of the ETS is to give tourism frontline staff the opportunity to come along and learn more about the Edinburgh visitor offer

The first event was held in September 2013 with a target of 25 exhibitors and 200 guests. Over 55 exhibitors and 500 guests attended.  The second event was held in May 2014 – 60 exhibitors and over 500 guests – in the feedback, 100% of exhibitors felt that the tourism showcase should be repeated.

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.