Scottish Government
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Cities Conferences

Enterprise events will showcase Scotland’s cities.

A series of enterprise conferences showcasing the best of Scotland’s cities will get underway in Perth this week.

The Scottish Cities Alliance has launched a programme of Global Excellence Conferences that will showcase the contribution that Scotland’s cities make to the economy, and highlight investment opportunities across key growth sectors.

The programme will run through 2014 and beyond, to create a sustained legacy for business in the year that Scotland welcomes the world to the Commonwealth Games, Ryder Cup, and Homecoming 2014.

The first conference, which took place in Perth yesterday, focuses on the food and drink industry.

Chef Albert Roux, a renowned fan of Scottish produce, will be among the key speakers at the event, which will bring together those from across the industry who are looking to grow their business.

The next conference, which takes place in Dundee in May, will focus on life sciences, and a subsequent event focusing on marine renewable energy will take place in Inverness in September

The remaining conferences will take place next year, in Stirling, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth John Swinney said:

“The Global Excellence Conferences being staged by the Scottish Cities Alliance will bring together key figures from Scotland’s business community to showcase the innovation and skills that exist within key growth sectors in the economy.

“Starting in Perth this week, a conference will be hosted in each of Scotland’s cities, providing a platform for each city to demonstrate their respective strengths, across a variety of sectors.

“Our cities are key drivers of economic growth, and it’s important to celebrate the contribution they make, as well as encourage future investment with the aim of creating sustainable economic growth.

“This is especially vital in the year ahead, when we look to build a legacy for business through the Commonwealth Games, Ryder Cup, and Homecoming 2014.”

Notes to editors

Scottish Cities Alliance - an alliance of Scotland’s seven cities (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth and Stirling) and the Scottish Government, facilitated by Scottish Council for Development and Industry

http://scottishcities.wordpress.com/

Conference Programme

Perth - 5 March 2014 - Going Places with Scotland’s Food & Drink Industry is the first in the series of the Scotland’s Cities Global Excellence Conference Programme 2014/15. It will focus on the industry growth strategy and how through innovation, collaboration, exporting, up-skilling or diversifying, companies can reach new markets both home and away.

Dundee - 20/21 May 2014 - BioDundee has been running successfully for the past 13 years, and is currently the longest standing life sciences event in Scotland. This conference will bring together key people in the field to present and to discuss key aspects of the industry, and showcase the excellence across Scotland in the sector. Investors will be able to see the life sciences opportunities Scottish cities have to offer, from Edinburgh’s BioQuarter, to Glasgow’s life sciences corridor, and Inverness’s cutting edge work on diabetes.

Inverness - 22/23 September 2014 - The Scottish Marine Renewable conference in Inverness attracts delegates from both home and abroad. With support from the Scottish Cities Alliance, the conference will be able to attract more international investors, providing them with the opportunity to see marine energy devices in the water, to meet developers, and to see the research facilities and some of our ports and harbours.

Stirling - February 2015 - Stirling will play host to a Tourism Summit which will provide an opportunity to review the successes brought to Scotland’s cities and the to the country in the second Year of Homecoming, and to build on this key sector to benefit the wider economy.

Glasgow - 2015 – Low Carbon, Advanced Engineering & Education

Edinburgh - 2015 – Financial Services

Aberdeen - 2015 – Oil and Gas

Further details of these events remain to be confirmed and will be announced in due course.

Key stakeholders in the conference series include Scottish Government, Scottish Cities Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, sector representative bodies and academia.

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