Liberal Democrats’ Autumn Party Conference 2013

Glasgow has been chosen to host the Liberal Democrats’ annual Autumn Party Conference in 2013.

The city beat off strong UK-wide competition to secure the five-day event, which will take place at the Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre (SECC) next September.

Over 7,000 delegates will travel to Glasgow to attend the conference, which will inject almost £12 million into the local economy and provide a welcome boost to the city’s hotels, restaurants, shops, bars and other businesses.

Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and the SECC have led negotiations with the Party over the past six months to bring the conference to Scotland for the first time in more than a decade. It will be the largest conference held in Glasgow since the 14th Annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society in 2004, which attracted 15,000 delegates.

The announcement further strengthens Glasgow’s reputation for hosting major national and international events and ensures that the city continues to establish itself on the political party conference circuit, having hosted the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) spring conference last month as well as the Labour Party’s spring conferences in 2003 and 2007.

The five days of the conference, which will close with a keynote speech from Nick Clegg, will be packed with lively policy debates, fringe events, receptions and a bustling exhibition.

I’m delighted that we are taking our Autumn Conference to Glasgow, particularly at such an important time in Scotland’s and the UK’s history. Our party has always led the way in campaigning for devolution, and I hope coming to Glasgow will remind Scots that we are committed to continuing that process and securing their future as part of the UK.

Nick Clegg, MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Deputy Prime Minister

I am really pleased to welcome the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference to Glasgow. Glasgow is a vibrant and welcoming city and the SECC is a superb venue. This is a great opportunity for us to get our message out that Liberal Democrats are working hard in Government on the side of hard-working people.

Willie Rennie, MSP, Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats

The decision by the Liberal Democrat Party to hold their autumn conference in Glasgow next year is a clear endorsement of the confidence that the meetings industry has in our city. We’re delighted to welcome this prestigious conference to Glasgow and, moreover, that in the face of stiff competition to host the event, they have chosen us. With 7,000 delegates, influential political figures and the UK’s media set to descend on the city, an event such as this not only has a huge impact on Glasgow’s national and international profile, it also delivers a significant boost to the local economy.

Scott Taylor, Chief Executive, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau

Glasgow is fast becoming a natural choice for large meetings and forums and we’re delighted to be welcoming such a high profile event to Glasgow. Political forums are superb for venues like ours to host; they are dynamic, versatile and will use every part of the SECC’s spaces and services, which means they get the most out of their event both in the venue and in the destination.

Ben Goedegebuure, Director of Sales, Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre