Supplier FAQs

If your question cannot be answered by these FAQs, please contact the VisitScotland Connect 2025 Team and a member of the team will be happy to assist.

Event Registration

When does the event take place?

VisitScotland Connect 2025 will be taking place at the P&J Live Aberdeen on 9 - 10 April 2025.

Wednesday 9 April, from 9am - 5pm BST
Thursday 10 April, from 9am - 3:30pm BST

How do I register?

Scottish tourism businesses are invited to apply for a meeting table or destination space via the registration link on our event website. All registrations are subject to approval by VisitScotland. We aim to approve applications within five working days.

How much does it cost to attend?

Standard attendance fee for Scottish tourism businesses to join VisitScotland Connect 2025 is £1,950 +VAT and includes:

meeting table and chairs
strictly up to two supplier passes
table cloth
table signage
access to one meeting diary to arrange meetings with international and UK buyers

Please note: Access to the meeting diary will only be made available to businesses that have paid their attendance fee in full in line with event payment terms and conditions.

If you are a Destination Management Organisation (DMO), local authority, national partner or Destination Management Company (DMC), you may wish to apply for an enhanced workshop space, which is charged at £3,200 + VAT and includes:

two meeting tables and chairs

strictly up to four supplier passes

table cloths

table signage

access to two meeting diaries to arrange meetings with international and UK buyers

graphic back panels (creative direction given by VisitScotland, imagery supplied by partner)

Who can take part in this event?

Scottish tourism businesses that are offering a tourism product that can be contracted at trade rates. Eligible businesses must either be based in Scotland or have a Scottish office. Businesses will need to have staff at hand that is experienced in working with UK and international trade buyers, and have a listing on our travel trade website.

Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) and local authorities interested in registering will need to have staff that are experienced in working with UK and international travel trade and can fully represent the destination. Eligible DMOs will need to be up-to-date with their region and businesses who are trade-ready and be fully prepared to engage with buyers to help develop relevant programmes for the buyers' clients for the regions.

We anticipate a high level of interest in this event and ask Scottish suppliers to apply early to avoid disappointment.

All buyers are subject to approval by our market teams. Criteria for buyer attendance is that they are a contractor or product developer.

Why should my business consider taking part in this event?

In 2023, international travel to Scotland continued its strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit numbers, nights spent and visitor spending all surpassed the levels seen in both 2019 and 2022. International visitors made a total of 4 million visits to Scotland, stayed for 34.4 million nights and spent more than £3.5 million. Visits were up 23% compared to 2022 and 15% compared to 2019, and number of nights also increased by 20% from 2022 and 25% from 2019. Visitor spending increased in nominal terms by 13% compared to 2022 and by 41% compared to 2019. Read the full details on the International Tourism Statistics 2023.

We advise that you consider working with different routes to market as over 50% of overseas visitors book their leisure holidays through an intermediary channel, e. g. an OTA, high street tour operator, travel agent or advisor. Having a mix of revenue streams is good business practice as it ensures that you will be less vulnerable to economic fluctuation.

There are numerous benefits of working with the domestic and international travel trade. These include:

improving visitor management throughout the year, by extending the season and growing business at times you might usually be quiet

lesser-known attractions and products can be promoted more easily, especially internationally

contracting business up to 24 months before a visitor arrives in Scotland

working with intermediaries will broaden your customer base
increasing your visitor reach beyond your own website and marketing budget capacity

building a regular stream of income from different sources by distributing through intermediaries in addition to the direct business you receive

VisitScotland Connect provides a one-stop opportunity to engage with travel trade representatives from domestic and international visitor markets, build business relationships with new and existing contacts and grow your business via intermediary channels.

What if my business is new to working with travel trade and has never attended a B2B event before?

If you're new to attending this style of event, reach out to your Industry Relationship Manager or contact connect@visitscotland.com. We're happy to schedule a phone call and discuss any questions you may have before embarking on your travel trade journey.

What if I don't qualify to attend?

You can schedule a one to one online meeting through your Industry Relationship Manager (IRM).

Event Days & Meeting Schedules

My event registration was approved. What do I do next?

Once you have been approved for a space at VisitScotland Connect, you will be able to access your supplier portal. Here you can update your company profile, upload digital collateral, e. g. product fact sheets, and add an additional member of staff to join you at the event. You can also pay the event attendance fee, and research and arrange meetings with buyers. The meeting diary will open in February 2025.

Can suppliers meet someone from a VisitScotland Market Team?

Yes, Scottish suppliers can request to speak with a market representative if that would be beneficial. However, we recommend that suppliers use the event to maximise meetings with buyers. If you want to meet with someone from our market team before the event, please email our VisitScotland Connect 2025 Event Team and we can arrange this for you.

How many meeting diaries are there?

There is one meeting diary per Scottish supplier.

Will you offer fam trips for buyers and how can I take part in this?

Yes, as part of VisitScotland Connect 2025 a fam trip programme will be offered to eligible buyers. You can note your interest in becoming a fam trip host as part of your event registration. Please note that due to the expected volume of businesses requesting to support a fam trip, and our logistics and timings, we can't guarantee that all businesses will be added to the fam trip programme.

How long is a meeting?

Every meeting is scheduled to last 12 minutes.

Will there be a networking dinner I can take part in?

Yes, as part of VisitScotland Connect 2025 there will be a networking dinner offered for which tickets can be obtained at extra charge via your supplier portal. Tickets are charged at £110 +VAT per person and are non-transferable and non-refundable.

Can I show videos in my meeting?

You may find it helpful to bring a laptop or mobile device with you to support your pitch to the buyer. However, focusing on a personal one to one conversation will allow you to find out more about what the buyer is looking for and answer any questions they may have. The event venue might also be quite noisy, which may have an impact on video quality.

How do I make an appointment?

Both buyers and Scottish suppliers can request appointments via their events portal. Meeting diaries will open in February 2025 with instructions on how to request and accept meetings with buyers shared in due course.

Can suppliers meet with other Scottish-based businesses?

Scottish suppliers can meet with other suppliers throughout the event days. However, we recommend that suppliers make use of available meeting slots to meet with buyers and network with other businesses during coffee and lunch breaks.

How many staff members can attend from one business?

With a meeting table, up to two staff members can attend from one business and this is included in the event attendance fee. You can register a second staff member via the supplier portal once your application to attend VisitScotland Connect 2025 has been approved.

Can suppliers bring pop-up banners with them?

Due to the logistics of the workshop format, suppliers are not allowed to bring pop-ups with them.  If you do bring a pop-up along to the event you will be asked to remove it by our events team.

How many meetings can I expect to receive?

This can vary, however it depends on how you plan and manage your diary in advance of the event. On average, you could have 18-20 meetings a day. Meeting times just before the lunch and coffee breaks are for non-scheduled drop-ins. During these times interested buyers can meet with you on a first come first serve basis.

Please get in touch with the VisitScotland Connect 2025 Event Team if you need support in finding the right contacts when meeting diaries open in February 2025.

Will I be able to charge my electronic devices at the event venue?

Access to electric charging points needs to be contracted directly with the P&J Live and the estimated cost for this is £100 for the duration of the event. Further information on this will be shared in due course. A limited number of free charging lockers will be available on a first come first served basis.