BEST BUSINESS EVENT

This category opens Monday 17th March at 10:00am and closes Monday 28th April at 23:59pm

This category celebrates business events as catalysts for economic and social transformation. Aligned to VisitScotland’s Journey to Change, Scotland’s National Events Strategy,  Scottish Government’s National Performance Framework, the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET), and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) business events can range from corporate conferences or incentive programmes to annual global congresses with thousands of international delegates.  

Who Should Enter:
Organisers, intermediaries, owners of business events such as Professional Conference Organisers (PCOs), venues, hotels and suppliers to the business events sector. Venues and intermediaries are invited to submit on behalf of or in conjunction with corporate clients where appropriate. Please note that the event must have taken place within the time period from 1st May 2024 – 31st March 2025 and outcomes should be known at the time of submission. 

Please note those not eligible to enter: Events which recur annually in Scotland, Christmas Party Night programmes, Awards Dinners and/or standalone Gala Dinners as part of a wider programme,  Corporate AGMs, B2C exhibitions and business events with no in-person element (100% online). If unsure about the eligibility of an event, please ask.

Entry Questions

Executive Summary 
The purpose of the Executive Summary is to give judges a general overview and better understanding of your business event.  Some examples of the type of information judges will be looking for are listed below.  Your event must have taken place and outcomes collated during the time period of 1st May 2024 – 31st March 2025. This question is not scored and is for general understanding/background knowledge only.   

  • Type of event i.e. Association Congresses at UK, European or International level, Incentive Programmes, Corporate Conferences, or Sectoral Innovation Events.   
  • Number of delegates/participants in person and online 
  • Number of years the event has been operating for, frequency of event and previous locations 
  • Any other information you feel is relevant 


1.  In what ways is your business event unique to Scotland? 

You should provide clear evidence of activity within the time period from 1st May 2024 – 31st March 2025. Please cover any areas you think are relevant, although you may wish to include aspects such as: 

  • Highlight any innovative programming or presentation 
  • Collaborative working with other Scottish businesses and stakeholders, including the “adjacent industries” beyond tourism 
  • How have you developed a sustainable element to your business model 


2.  Tell us about the impact and outcomes your business event generates for the area or location in which it takes place, and what will be the real legacy and ultimate “leave behind” to make it worthy of this award? 

You should provide clear evidence of activity within the time period from 1st May 2024 – 31st March 2025. Please cover any areas you think are relevant, although you may wish to include aspects such as: 

  • How did the event enhance the profile of the town, city or region and Scotland? 
  • Legacy from the event – actual or anticipated. e.g. academic, social, infrastructural, experiential, learnings 
  • For competitive bid scenarios, how did you convince the client to choose Scotland?  
  • How client and delegate objectives were met and exceeded 
  • Alignment to Scottish Government frameworks and Journey to Change 


3.  Please tell us how your event incorporated responsible planning and delivery?  

The judges are looking for you to demonstrate that responsible event planning and delivery was central to your approach and that you excelled in this respect.  Please cover the areas you think are relevant but at minimum you should outline:  

  • How your event has shown ambition and innovation to reduce your environmental impact 
  • How your event promotes and sustains our culture and traditions 
  • What you’ve done to make the event as inclusive and accessible as possible 


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