Management Organizations and Agencies Involved - Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre - Essay Example

Write a report which critically analyses a conference of your choice – this needs to be a current conference that is actually happening in Glasgow within the next 12 months or has already happened in Glasgow within the last 12 months INTERNATIONAL CONTINENCE CONFERENCE The 41st annual International Continence Society (ICS) Conference is being held in Glasgow for the second time. It has been 36 years since this conference was last held in Glasgow and it is indeed an honor for it to be held here. Glasgow is one among several cities that have had the honor to hold the International Continence Society Conference within its quarters for the second time and it is indeed a delight that the ICS Conference is being held for the second time in August 29th to September 2nd 2011. The conference will be held at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre known for its large and well equipped conference facilities that are comfortable and excellent for meetings of all kinds. MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATIONS AND AGENCIES INVOLVED As mentioned by Robinson et al (2010, p. 20) ‘events never work in isolation’. There are teams that work together and form networks which then contribute to the success of any event. Similarly, ICS conference also has a team; there will be ICS board of trustees and ICS committee chairs. Moreover, local organizing committee will include scientific committee, education committee and past and future meeting chairs as can be viewed at ICS official website As discussed by Shone and Parry (2004, p. 43) organizations of today are more concentrated on their core activities and hence for their own event management they prefer to hire some outside agency. Reason given by the authors is because the agencies have expertise and time to make an event successful and achieve better results. ICS conference is also organized by an agency namely Kenes International which offers congress organization and management services globally. Kenes International is looking after all the organizing activities for the ICS conference, everything from the administration to its marketing and communications. This annual meeting is submitted according to the standards of the European Board of Urology as well as some similar US boards. The EBU has accredited this 41st annual ICS meeting for 18 hours of CME credits. This is to assure all the attendees that the standards of health in the ICS are acceptable in the UK and the US. The first two days of the program will be dedicated to some educational programs and courses. The European Board of Urology (EBU) and the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME) work according to similar standards. The EBU works according to the rules and quality standards of the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME). CONFERENCE DESTINATION AND FACILITIES Glasgow is known for its rich history and culture. It is also well known due to the many attractions; visitors will not cease to please their eyes once they set foot in the city. The tens of hotels, art galleries, museums and restaurants are just a tip of the iceberg for any visitor to Glasgow and even those who have come for this conference will be amazed at what the city has to offer them. Scotland’s largest city has tens of more facilities to offer its visitors and for those at the conference who want to have a feel of the Scottish culture, Scottish dancing lessons are on offer for them. They will dress appropriately and be trained by the best of dancers. This will be accompanied by a Scottish dinner with Scottish music playing in the background. You will have time to make new friends at the conference while enjoying what Glasgow has to offer. Glasgow is the cultural capital of Scotland and “is one of Europe’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities” as cited on the website Glasgow – Scotland with style. It is the home of tens of art galleries, parks, museums etc. It has a lot of history and its architecture speaks for itself; with Victorian architecture in every street you look. Glasgow is the home of art; namely ballet and opera. This is the capital of the performing arts in Britain. There are tens of museums displaying the works of renowned artists in Glasgow. Sculptures are in their tens in museums all over Glasgow by Scottish and international artists (Li 2005). This is also the city where you will excite your taste buds due to the many restaurants and cafes. First time visitors have loved the laid-back culture of the people of Glasgow which is partly supported by their café culture. You will love the many boutiques and the sense of fashion among the people who live in Glasgow. Anyone who visits Glasgow for the first time will love the culture and the friendliness of the people and of course the breathtaking scenery. It has been said that you have to plan some extra time to visit Glasgow; since you can never have enough of this city. Since the conference will be held at SECC (Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre); which is near the city center, you should expect to get there in about 15 minutes by taxi from the nearest airport; the Glasgow international airport. The SECC (Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre) There are tens of reasons why the organizers of this event chose the SECC. First of all, there could not have been a better place to hold an event of such magnitude and the fact that it is located in Glasgow is a plus. There is a wide range of conference facilities in the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Center (Books LLC 2010) and a hotel in it. The Clyde auditorium which was completed in 1997 for a cost of GBP 38m (Rogers 2003, p. 7) seats more than 3000 people and this makes it attractive for any conference that needs to sit many people at once. The conference center has been well designed for many people, therefore perfect for the ICS conference. Among the amenities that the SECC offers includes Flexibility; there is no other conference hall that offers the flexibility that the SECC offers. In these halls, you can make the ceiling as high as you want and you can make the rooms as big or as small as you want. This means you can accommodate any kind of exhibition you have therefore you will be paying for the exact space you want to use. There is more than 20,000 square meters of space on the ground floor; which no other competitor comes close to Professional staff to assist you whenever you need assistance Medical center, several hotels and restaurants and bars, internet access, and ATM Everyone will love the fact that this is an all-in-one center that takes care of the needs of all its users. The Program The program is well detailed; this ensures that everyone is aware of what will be going on during the conference all the time. Anyone who wants to get a more detailed program is free to get it from the website of the conference. The lectures are divided into three; state of the art lectures, podium sessions and poster sessions. The latter are more involving and have a lot more discussion compared to the state of the art lectures. There will be a moment to cool off, where participants will spend their evenings with fellow participants at the Glasgow science center. This reception will take place after the conference activities on 30th August 2011. The program for the following day will be a Scottish dancing lesson for the participants; also a chance to cool off and enjoy the Scottish culture. It is a great opportunity to bond with the culture in Glasgow too and it was a good idea to involve in these informal programs as part of the conference. There will be a chance to meet the experts at the conference as well for an additional fee of a few pounds. This will be a great opportunity for participants of the conference because there is not always a chance for people to see the experts and discuss whatever they have in mind about the subject. The conference is designed in a best way to accommodate all the participants whether their purpose of attending conference is to get familiar with Glasgow culture or knowing more about the subject matter. It not only caters those who are interested in the conference subject but also those interested in making new friends and spending some time out exploring new culture. This structure is bound to promote tourism of the region. CONFERENCE AND THE LOCAL TOURISM According to Rogers (2003, p. 9) ‘conference and business tourism is a very important sector of tourism industry’ hence the tourism of any place where such activities take place is bound to boost. Wilson & Murphy (2008, p. 18) while discussing tourism in Scotland mentioned July and August as the most preferable months when people plan their vacations. Having a conference during this period would give a good reason to the visitors to choose Glasgow as their destination. Glasgow is hosting the ICS conference for the second time. It is an honor for any city to be hosting the ICS, leave alone for the second time. There is much this city has to offer especially since it will be hosting international participants. There are those who will be visiting Glasgow for the first time even if they will be coming from other parts of the UK. There is a lot that Glasgow has to offer thanks to its medieval past. This is a major attraction that has made Glasgow a huge tourist attraction; for both local and international tourists. The city center is home to the medieval trail which is a few minutes walk from the center. Some of the places of interest in the medieval trail include the archbishop’s sear and the ecclesiastical center. You will see some of the parts that had become of interest in Glasgow in the 15th century. Aside from being one of the places to visit while in the UK, Glasgow is easy to explore and is a favorite of those who want to explore by foot. It is easy to explore when you have little time off the conference schedule. There are tens of things you can do in the city center when you have two hours to spare in the city center. Some of the most popular shopping outlets in Glasgow are within a few blocks from the city center. The Glasgow gallery of modern art is an attraction to local and international tourists. The Visit Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is the most popular museum outside London and with its new refurbishment it is worth a visit (Harrison 2003) when you have some extra time. Some artists’ works on display in these museums include Salvador Dali and Van Gogh. The Hunterian museum and art gallery and Kelvingrove Park is worth a visit as well if you have time and you are within the city center. Lord kelvins works are on display here plus watercolor designs by Rennie mackintosh. From there, you can unwind at the willow tea rooms. There are other attractions like The Burrell Collection and Pollok Park for art lovers, works by William Blan, Glasgow’s New Riverside museum, buildings designed by Charles Mackintosh at the mackintosh trail, the new Lanark world heritage center, the isle of Arran, Loch Lomond and many more for those who love to explore. Glasgow is a destination that caters for tourists all year round and draws tourists from all over the world. Thanks to the open air fine food and beautiful scenery, holiday makers scramble to get here first. Local tourism will no doubt be promoted by this conference, since it brings people to Scotland; people who otherwise would not have come to Scotland. CONCLUSION ICS conference will be a well-organized conference of its scale and the hiring of an outside agency, Kenes International, to take care of all the associated matters is what ensures the event would be a success as experts are there with all their expertise to make it a success. Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre’s selection as a venue is another plus since there could be no other place which could offer facilities as much as this center could offer. As far as tourism of the area is concerned it is bound to boost since the conference not only focus on the subject matter but also on the promotion of art and cultural aspects of Glasgow. REFERENCES Books LLC 2010, Exhibition and Conference Centres in Scotland: Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Scotlands National Arena, Clyde Auditorium, General Books LLC. Glasgow – Scotland with style 2011, ‘Why Glasgow’, viewed 27 July, 2011, http://www.seeglasgow.com/convention-bureau/convention--congress-organisers/whyglasgow Harrison, M 2003, Art treasures of Kelvingrove: highlights from Glasgows Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Scala Publications. ICS official website , 2011, ‘Committees’, viewed 27 July, 2011, < http://www2.kenes.com/ics/meeting/Pages/Committees.aspx> Li, M 2005, Adventure Guide to Scotland – Edinburgh & Glasgow, Hunter Publishing Inc. Robinson et al., 2010, Events Management, UK: CABI. Rogers, T 2003, Conferences and Conventions – A Global Industry, Butterworth Heinemann. Wilson, N & Murphy, A 2008, Scotland, ed 5, Lonely Planet Ltd. Read More