Top Scottish conference venue sees 79,000 visitors give £78 million boost to economy
“Our focus has always been to position the EICC as one of the world’s leading and most sustainable conference centres” – Marshall Dallas, departing CEO
One of Scotland’s largest conference venues has reported record annual revenues after hosting more than 79,000 delegates.
Releasing its latest results, the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) posted revenues of £16 million for the year to December 31, 2024, up from £12.8m the year before. It generated a profit of £2.1m last year, while recording an “economic impact” of £78m, compared with £58m in 2023.
The economic impact figure relates to the direct benefit of conferences and events taking place at the EICC to Edinburgh and the surrounding region and now totals some £930m since the venue opened its doors 30 years ago.
Last year, major events held at the EICC on the capital’s Morrison Street included the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association Investment Conference, the International Electrotechnical General Meeting, and the 36th International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS) Conference. In excess of 79,000 delegates attended events during the 12 months, up by around 4 per cent on the previous year. In total, 164 events were staged at the venue during 2024, down slightly year on year, with delegate days up at around 180,000 against approximately 146,000 in 2023.
Lezley Marion Cameron, EICC board chair said: “The conference and events industry, and the overall business events sector, continues to be a highly competitive market in which the EICC is competing against cities around the UK and across the world.
“The EICC board is therefore delighted to report another year of increased revenue and economic impact for Edinburgh, led by our chief executive Marshall Dallas, our EICC team and our partners. Initiatives by our EICC sales team have also contributed hugely to this success.”
Stepping down after a decade at the helm, Dallas said: “Our focus has always been to position the EICC as one of the world’s leading and most sustainable conference centres, with a mission to inspire ideas that change the world.
“While the number of events we held last year was moderately down, delegate days were up due to multi-day conferences, with increased attendance at those events, and we see that as the key metric.”
He added: “UK and international association conference business continues to be core, while we have also continued to diversify the range of events held at the venue. Scotland’s leading conference venue also has a strong pipeline of events lined up this year and next.”
As the venue looks to mark its 30th anniversary, Cameron said: “Marshall leaves the EICC following one of the most successful years in our history - a year in which the EICC has also faced serious, significant challenges - testimony to the determination, resilience and resolve of Marshall and the EICC team.
“Meanwhile, our search for a new EICC chief executive is well underway and we shall be making further related announcements in due course. I look forward to working closely with EICC board colleagues and our new CEO as the venue heads into our next exciting decade.”
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