VisitAberdeenshire, the lead tourism agency for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire has confirmed the appointment of Laurie Scott as its first head of Convention and Events Bureau.
Laurie joins VisitAberdeenshire from Visit Belfast, the official tourism marketing agency for the Belfast City region, and brings over 15 years of tourism experience to the position. Laurie previously held positions at VisitBritain in New York heading up business tourism activity for North America, before moving into a trade partnership development role. Laurie has also worked within Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and Glasgow-based conference and association management company, Meeting Makers Ltd.
In his most recent role as director of business development at Visit Belfast, Laurie is a valuable part of the senior management team where he leads its business development team across conference, meetings, cruise and travel trade sales as part of an ambitious growth strategy.
Chris Foy, chief executive of VisitAberdeenshire says, “Laurie brings a wealth of business events experience to the role from both a strategic and operational focus, which is vital if VisitAberdeenshire is to continue to position the region as a leading conference and exhibitions destination in Europe. The creation of this new role supports Aberdeen City Council’s significant investment in the new Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre which will allow us to compete for larger, more valuable business events. The bureau will also support major leisure events in the city. Laurie is highly regarded within the tourism industry and his experience and leadership of the convention bureau will further strengthen the VisitAberdeenshire team.
Commenting on his appointment as the head of the convention bureau of VisitAberdeenshire, Laurie Scott said, “There is a real excitement about what is going on in Aberdeen at the moment in and around the UK. It’s clear that VisitAberdeenshire has big ambitions and a clear strategy on how to deliver it. I’m looking forward to joining the team and hope my experience can further strengthen Aberdeen’s proposition as an international conference, meetings, and events destination.”
VisitAberdeenshire is the lead tourism agency for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. It promotes fantastic visitor experiences in North-east Scotland to targeted audiences in the UK and overseas. VisitAberdeenshire also works to develop the visitor economy through initiatives that help tourism businesses to understand and meet demand from an ever-changing market to strengthen the region’s position as a world-class tourism destination. It supports bids for major business events and works with partners across the region to deliver a great delegate welcome. VisitAberdeenshire is funded by Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Scottish Enterprise and Opportunity North East.