VisitScotland has launched a new marketing campaign: Scotland Is Now. The country's tourism bureau says that while the Scotland is Now campaign is primarily focused on consumers, it builds on the Legends campaign launched late last year that targeted the meetings, incentives, conventions, and events (MICE) industry.
"The goal is to inspire and engage as many MICE buyers as we can," says Richard Knight, director of marketing - the Americas, of VIsitScotland. The ongoing Legends campaign focuses on innovation, drawing on the business and research sectors Scotland is known for and excels at, such as life sciences and technology, among others, he adds.
As for Scotland Is Now, Knight points out that "all the people who talk to meetings and incentives are all consumers, too," and that the business and development focus of both links to the conference and association market.
The MICE market remains top of mind for VisitScotland, and there has been a great deal of investment in the sector in the last 18 months. That includes the recent announcement that a W hotel and a Virgin-branded property are coming to Edinburgh, to say nothing of the half-billion-pound convention center being built in Aberdeen. Last year, Glasgow's Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre rebranded itself the Scottish Event Campus to reflect the presence of the Clyde Auditorium -- better known as the Armadillo -- and the SSE Hydro arena.
And even St. Andrews is not only about golf, Knight says. "It has a great choice of conference centers and hotels, and the fifth-oldest English-speaking university in the world."
It's getting easier to get to Scotland, Knight adds. "In the last 18 months, Scotland added 90,000 new direct seats," he says, noting that next month United will begin direct service from Washington, D.C.