Festivals Edinburgh announced as ECM event sponsor

Festivals Edinburgh has been unveiled as the headline sponsor of the European Cities Marketing (ECM) Spring Meeting, which is to be held in the Scottish capital in February 2019. Edinburgh was announced as the host of the Spring Meeting in June 2018, following Marketing Edinburgh’s efforts to bring the prestigious event to the Capital. The spring event will see around 175 senior destination leaders from across the continent gather in the capital to foster critical thinking and debate on topical tourism issues relevant to Edinburgh, such as destination management and future travel trends. Marketing Edinburgh, which is dedicated to promoting Edinburgh to the world, are liaising with the core ECM team to deliver the event and develop a compelling and thought-provoking programme, under the over-arching theme of ‘Eventful Cities! Featuring Festival of Failures’. Registration to attend opened last month for the two-day conference, which will see leading international experts and event owners provide insights and inspiration needed to cultivate the event scene. John Donnelly, CEO of Marketing Edinburgh, said: “Festivals Edinburgh is the perfect partner for the festival-themed European Cities Marketing Spring Meeting and we’re thrilled to join them in welcoming industry leaders from across Europe to the Scottish Capital. “Edinburgh is a fantastic destination for events and this is a huge opportunity for us to showcase the city’s undisputed standards of excellence. As a member of the ECM we understand the multiple benefits and opportunities this event presents for a city so it’s great to see local support from our key partners – without them, this wouldn’t be possible.” Sorcha Carey, chair of Festivals Edinburgh, said: “There is no better place for European city leaders to discuss events and festivals than our world leading festival city and so we are delighted to partner with and support Marketing Edinburgh in bringing the European Cities Marketing conference to Edinburgh.” The European Cities Marketing Meeting 2019 will take place at The Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa Edinburgh from 13-15 February next year. Registrations to attend are now open and can be completed here.