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ENERGETICA PROJECT PAVING THE WAY FOR CONFERENCE BUSINESS IN NORTH-EAST OF SCOTLAND

Aberdeen Convention Bureau today said that City and Shire’s ambitious Energetica project, designed to anchor the area’s position as a global energy hub, will help to attract major international industry conferences to the region.

Energetica involves creating a unique business, leisure and residential destination along a 30-mile corridor from Aberdeen to Peterhead which is being built on low carbon, highly sustainable principles and capable of competing with the best locations in the world.

The Energetica concept, which includes the Trump International Golf Links resort currently being built near Balmedie, offers the opportunity for growth, further diversification and continued prosperity within the region, building on the knowledge and technology developed around oil and gas – and attracting conferences that will showcase this expertise.

Aberdeen Convention Bureau hopes to attract new meetings and events linked to the specialities in the corridor such as marine renewables, onshore wind and next generation technology and innovation.

With around 40,000 international delegates expected to attend Offshore Europe 2011 in September, Alesia du Plessis, conference support manager at Aberdeen Convention Bureau, believes the plans will broaden the city’s appeal as a destination for all energy-related conferences.

“Combined with major progress including Donald Trump’s £1billion golf resort, increased connectivity and new hotels and conference venues, the Energetica project is another important development which strengthens Aberdeen’s reputation as a conference destination, particularly for energy-related companies and associations which want to tap into the world-class skills that exist locally,” she said.

“Over the coming years, Energetica aims to establish Aberdeen as the global hub for energy, which will inevitably attract more investment, new companies and in turn, more expertise.

“Along with the work to extend the runway at Aberdeen Airport, which will open up new international routes, this all adds up to an extremely attractive proposition for conference organisers and will help to inject cash into the local economy.”

Alesia added: “Being even more accessible to visitors can only benefit as a region and Aberdeen is becoming a really strong contender in terms of business tourism, which allows us to claim a bigger share of the global meetings and incentive travel market.”

Stretching north from Bridge of Don to Peterhead and west to the airport, the new energy community could generate £750 million in investment in the first 10 years, and would link a string of attractive and distinct business and residential developments within the corridor, and create new transport links, including a unifying green network of coastal and inland footpaths and cycleways, all of which will be energy efficient and low carbon.

The project is being led by ACSEF (Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future) in partnership with Scottish Enterprise and Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils.

ACSEF development manager Rita Stephen said: “Aberdeen City and Shire has the highest concentration of energy expertise, experience, skills and technology in the eastern hemisphere, combined with fast-growing infrastructure and exciting new developments.

“The region’s global energy expertise, intelligence and research capabilities, its high quality, all-energy profile reinforce its position as a global energy leader for the future through a deep-rooted experience and skills base, global network of operations, training and learning facilities and emerging renewable sector.”

• For more information, call Aberdeen Convention Bureau on 01224 288815 or visit www.aberdeenconferences.com or www.acsef.co.uk