Glasgow to host symposium on ALS/MND

Glasgow is getting ready to welcome over 1,300 of the world’s top researchers and clinicians working in the field of motor neurone disease to this year’s International Symposium on ALS/MND. The Symposium is organised by MND Association and this year is hosted by MND Scotland. It will take place from 7-9 December 2018, and hopes to put Scotland on the map as a world leader in Motor Neurone Disease clinical care and research. To ensure Glasgow gives the warmest welcome possible to all attendees, Glasgow Convention Bureau has partnered with Glasgow Welcomes (supported by Scottish Enterprise) and VisitScotland to launch the People Make Glasgow Welcome initiative. A crucial element of this will be the free educational sessions designed to help taxi drivers, staff at the transport hubs, Scottish Event Campus, hotels, restaurants and visitor attractions better understand the requirements of delegates who will soon be arriving in Glasgow. Aileen Crawford, head of conventions at Glasgow Convention Bureau, said: “Glasgow has been cited as one of the world’s friendliest cities and the People Make Glasgow Welcome initiative epitomises how Team Glasgow supports and works with our conference organisers to gain a fuller understanding of our delegates’ needs. “The educational sessions, led by our clients, have prepared the city to give a warm, educated and appropriate welcome – this will leave a lasting legacy on the city which will benefit both Glaswegians and future visitors living with Motor Neurone Disease. “We are delighted to be the first city in the world to offer such training and city-wide preparation for this prestigious meeting, and we will be sharing the video of these sessions with the MND Association, so that they may take this to their next conference destination.” Craig Stockton, CEO of MND Scotland, said “As well supporting people with MND, and funding research for a cure, we want everyone with MND to be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. The awareness sessions we ran for Glasgow’s hospitality industry will give people an understanding of what MND is, how it affects people, and how best to accommodate someone with the illness.”