Conference organisers urged to head for the Highlands

Business tourism in the Highlands is being given a welcome boost as conference organisers are being invited to make Inverness their next conference location with the availability of funding support from The Inverness Common Good Fund.

Members of The Highland Council’s Inverness City Committee agreed earlier this year to allocate £40,000 of Common Good Funding available in the financial year 2012/13 to attract conferences to the city with a new maximum grant of £17,500 for any single application.

The Highland Council and its partners including VisitScotland and Inverness Hotel Association hope that the Council’s updated “Subvention Policy” will attract major conferences to Inverness bringing benefits to a wide range of sectors in and around the city area and not just the conference venues.
The council aims to attract conferences representing the creative industries; energy and renewables sector; financial and business services; food and drink (agriculture and fisheries); life sciences; sustainable tourism and further education/universities.

Support for conferences is also provided from VisitScotland’s Business and Tourism Unit which promotes Inverness as a key conference destination and operates a programme for local Ambassadors wishing to bid to host conference to the city.

Convener of The Highland Council, Councillor Jimmy Gray said: “Inverness can be a major player in the Scottish conference destination market. We have a city centre natural environment here that is outstandingly beautiful and coupled with the growing number of quality venues readily available to conference clients the city has much to offer.”

Conference organisers wishing to find out more about The Highland Council’s Conference Subvention and to make an application should contact: David Haas, Inverness City Manager, The Highland Council, Town House, Inverness IV1 1JJ tel: (01463) 724201 e-mail: david.haas@highland.gov.uk