New look at the positive effects of conferences on Edinburgh

Edinburgh event professionals have devised a new way of working out the impact that conferences and business events have on the city.

The tool – Business Events Shaping Tomorrow (BEST) – will be launched at a business breakfast on Tuesday and will calculate the positive outcomes from business events in the capital.

BEST works by inviting people involved in any conference to provide data on the performance in wellbeing, food choices, volunteering levels and social interactions. That information is then collated and the event organiser is given an accreditation based on their positive contribution to Edinburgh.

The tool was created by a group which includes Convention Edinburgh, Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC), The Kimpton Hotel, Edinburgh Airport, The University of Edinburgh Hospitality and Events Collection, Assembly Rooms and the National Museum of Scotland, aiming to deliver community-based calculations for organisations around a number of areas, This will include how Edinburgh can become a more sustainable city.  By sharing good practice, and encouraging collaboration, innovation, and wellbeing, the group believes the initiative will drive positive societal impact. 

Amanda Wrathall, Sales & Marketing Director of EICC and Convention Edinburgh said:  “Business events have the potential to make a significant positive impact to society in the destination that they are held, and Edinburgh is a city with plays host to hundreds of conferences and events every year. Traditionally, we’ve not had the tools to measure values out with the economic impact of an event, so we’re extremely proud to have developed our Business Events Shaping Tomorrow (BEST) tool which will enable us to measure areas including wellbeing and community involvement, right here in Edinburgh.”   

Stephanie Lee, Cluster Director of Sales, InterContinental Edinburgh The George and Kimpton Charlotte Square, commented: “The new Business Events Shaping Tomorrow (BEST) initiative is a platform which awards businesses for contributing to a responsible Edinburgh, through their conferences and events. It has been designed to bolster the city’s business events sector by recognising the positive contribution of events within the community.”

The software was developed by Cenefits supported by Edinburgh Napier University Associate Professor Dr Martin Robertson. It aims to help conference organisers to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development goals which cover things like good health and quality education.

The project was supported by the Scottish Government’s Tourism Leadership and Recovery Fund via Scottish Enterprise.