Host City, the largest and fastest growing meeting of sports, business and cultural events, will return to Glasgow on 28 and 29 November 2017.

With a highly regarded conference programme, Host City attracts hundreds of international delegates and a large and growing number of exhibitors from the world’s event hosting sector.

Host City is now firmly established as the annual one-stop shop for hosts, organisers and owners of sporting, cultural and business events.

Attendees at Host City include host destinations from all continents, major exhibitions, organising and bid committees, venues, sports federations and entertainment and cultural events.

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Host City back to Glasgow in 2017. EventScotland has a strong heritage with this conference and we are pleased to be once again supporting them to bring leading events professionals together.

“With a packed programme of cultural and sporting events already taking place in the coming years, including the 70th anniversary of the Edinburgh Festivals in 2017, the Glasgow 2018 European Championships and the Solheim Cup in 2019, Scotland continues to demonstrate that it is truly the Perfect Stage for events. It will therefore be fitting to have many of the world’s foremost event practitioners meeting in Glasgow at Host City.”

Aileen Crawford, Head of Conventions at Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “As one of the largest gatherings of event professionals in the world, we are delighted that Host City is once again making its home in Glasgow in 2017. Business Tourism and Major Events are key to growing Glasgow and Scotland’s competitive advantage as a vibrant, world-class meetings and events destination.”

Councillor Archie Graham OBE, Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “Recently named as one of the top five sporting cities in the world, Glasgow really is the perfect place to host such a prestigious and world class conference as Host City.

“We’re looking forward to hosting this fantastic event for the third time, and also to welcoming the hundreds of attendees and events professionals from across the world.”

Colin Hartley, Glasgow 2018 European Championships Director said: “We are delighted that Host City is once again taking place during a golden era of sport in Glasgow. We will take the next step on that proud sporting journey in the summer of 2018 when we host the European Championships – an exciting new multi-sport event that brings together some of the continent’s leading sports.”

Ben Avison, Host City Conference Director said: “The quality and scale of Host City continues to grow in Glasgow and we look forward continuing our journey together in 2017.”

The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) has chosen an alternative to Sochi for hosting its 2017 World Championships.

The BMW IBSF Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Championships will now take place in Königssee, home to the oldest permanent bobsleigh, luge and skeleton track in the world, from 13 to 26 February 2017.

Critical factors taken into consideration when selecting the surrogate host were, according to an IBSF statement, “Minimal financial impact on teams regarding travel and organisation; Keep the dates and timing of the original schedule; Experience on the operational and logistic level to host a two-week event at such a short notice; Availability of the track during the two-week time period.”

The federation said it prioritised a European host because most of the teams will be racing in Europe on the BMW IBSF World Cup Series just before participating in the BMW IBSF World Championships.

And as Königssee hosted the IBSF World Cup in February 2016, it will not need to undergo an “international training period” usually required of the host race organiser.

The IBSF said it was “very impressed by the solidarity and commitment shown immediately by the IBSF Race Organisers to support this effort in any possible way.”

The decision to move the event from Sochi was made amid ongoing investigations into the integrity of sport in Russia.

“The IBSF Executive Committee felt that during this difficult time it is prudent not to organise such an event in Russia,” the IBSF said in a previous statement, issued a few days before announcing Königssee as the host.

The IBSF said it was moving the event out of Russia “to allow athletes and coaches from all nations to participate in a competition that focuses on sport rather than accusations and discussions – whether justified or not.”

It said “The Russian Bobsleigh Federation has put a great effort in the preparation of the World Championships, but the current climate would make it nearly impossible to appreciate the efforts of the Organising Committee to host a great event or the quality of the Sanki Sliding Centre as one of the best tracks in the world.”

The IBSF also “asked all members and athletes for fair play and respect, which also includes the assumption of innocence for any athlete, regardless of national affiliation, until proven guilty.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board had in July asked all Winter Olympic Sports Federations to find alternative host nations for any upcoming events.

“Because of the detailed references to the manipulation of samples during the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 the IOC asks all International Olympic Winter Sports Federations to freeze their preparations for major events in Russia, such as World Championships, World Cups or other major international competitions under their responsibility, and to actively look for alternative organisers,” the IOC said.

Adam Pengilly, IBSF Vice President International Affairs, was the only IOC member to raise his hand to vote for a blanket ban on the Russian national team competing in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

“I’m an athletes’ representative, so I don’t want innocent athletes to have a consequence that’s nothing to do with them,” he explained to delegates at Host City 2016 in Glasgow during the panel discussion “Has Sport Lost Its Integrity?” on November 21.

“But in a bigger picture of what’s right for the long term of clean sport and the Olympic movement – and to protect that 12 to 14 year old Russian athlete that would in previous system have been forced to take drugs at some point in their career – based on the information I had, I was of the view that there should have been ineligibility for the whole team.”

All other IOC members – close to 100 – voted in favour of passing on to international federations the responsibility of deciding whether to allow Russian athletes in their sports to compete at Rio 2016.

“I can certainly accept the idea to give international federations the opportunity to look at individual athletes, and find out which ones had been part of a robust anti-doping system outside of the Russian one – I thought that was a reasonable approach,” Pengilly said at Host City 2016.

“But when someone abuses the Olympic Games, which as a movement is held so dearly, it in the way that it was abused in Sochi there should be some sort of symbolic consequence. For me, that was that we let those athletes that we deemed to be clean to come in, but not allow the Russian flag to be flown.

“I was in the minority within the IOC. I had a lot of people come up to me afterwards, both fellow members and within the sporting movement, to say well done. Some said: well done, I don’t agree; others said I do agree – and I’m like, OK you could have put your hand up as well! We need to develop our systems so it’s OK to disagree.”

For Sochi, the loss of the IBSF World Championships will be another blow to the legacy of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games – already said to be the most expensive Games in history due to reports of expenditure of US$51bn on infrastructure.

The Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, met with International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach in Lausanne on December 11 to discuss how China can strengthen its cooperation with the global sports organisation.

On his visit to Switzerland Wang also met with the director-generals of the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), as well as the president of Switzerland.

According to China Daily, Wang told Bach, “China is willing to strengthen cooperation with the IOC while upholding the Olympic spirit.”

Wang also expressed his confidence in the Beijing and Zhangjiakou’s ability to stage the Winter Olympic Games in 2022, highlighting the success of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

"With the all-out efforts of the Chinese people and the substantial help of the IOC, I am confident that the 2022 Winter Olympics will be another huge success," he said.

According to Yutang Sports Marketing, Wang stressed the importance of sports in human and national development, recognising the great contributions the IOC has made to promoting global sports development and strengthening the friendship among people from different countries.

Bach reportedly said China’s plans for sports development are at one with the IOC’s, noting the tremendous contributions China has made to the IOC and expressing gratitude to China for its cooperation with the IOC.

The IOC also looks set to strengthen this cooperation beyond the hosting of the Winter Games. "The IOC will be a full helping hand in delivering a fruitful 2022 Winter Olympics, while expecting to team up on further cooperation with China," Bach said.

In the meeting with UN Director General Michael Moller, Wang said "Against the backdrop that the global situation is continuously becoming more complicated, the role of the United Nations can only be strengthened instead of weakened."

Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, told Wang "China has set an excellent example in poverty alleviation and health undertakings, and I believe it will contribute more to improving global public health and sustainable development."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Executive Board (EB) today approved the venues for the five sports - baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing – that had events approved during the IOC session in Rio de Janeiro this year for the Tokyo 2020 programme only.

These additional events were proposed by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee using the new flexibility given by Olympic Agenda 2020 for host cities to propose events only for their edition of the Games.

The IOC EB agreed to the following venue proposals from the Tokyo 2020 organisers:

The baseball/softball competitions will be held in the Yokohama Stadium (Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture), which is one of Japan’s best-loved baseball venues.

Karate will take place at the Nippon Budokan (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo), which is already hosting judo in 2020 and, as Japan’s mecca for martial arts, is a legacy venue from the 1964 Games.

Skateboarding and sport climbing will be hosted at the Aomi Urban Sports Venue, which will be a dynamic and innovative temporary facility situated in a spectacular location with Tokyo Bay as a backdrop.

Finally, surfing competitions will be located on Tsurigasaki Beach, which is situated at the southern end of the Kujukuri Beach in Chiba prefecture. The beach is a popular surfing destination and has hosted a number of international and national surfing competitions.

This brings the total number of venues for the Tokyo 2020 Games to 39, including 8 new permanent venues, 22 existing sites and 9 temporary venues, most of which are located in two zones of the city -the Heritage Zone and the Tokyo Bay Zone. These two zones will offer a unique look at Tokyo and Japan to spectators attending the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

In addition to updating the EB on operational matters and the new venues, the Tokyo delegation also spoke about the success of their participation in the Olympic Games Rio 2016, with 300 staff taking part in the observer programmes run by the IOC and IPC; Japan House with its 82,000 visitors; and an acclaimed handover segment. The homecoming parade of Japan’s 87 Rio medallists was also seen by a record 800,000 people on the streets of Tokyo, which underlined further the support of the Japanese people for the Games.

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee made its first presentation to the IOC EB since the “Marvellous Games” came to a close this August. In particular, they spoke about the legacy of the Games with 200,000 passengers per day now using Metro Line 4 and 450,000 being carried on the three new BRT lines built using the Games as a catalyst. In addition, according to reports published after the Games, Rio 2016 also delivered an economic impact of USD 21.66 billion, created 1.79 million jobs and had an important tourism impact with 1.2 million visitors during the Rio Olympic Games, who spent USD 304.1 million.

With 428 days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, the President of the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee (POCOG), Hee-beom Lee, presented the status of Games preparations in the next Olympic host city. President Lee reported about the large number of activities taking place in PyeongChang this winter, including the World Press Briefing, the World Broadcaster Meeting, the Chef de Mission meeting, the One-Year-to-Go celebrations, the numerous visits by the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs), and the 24 test events that will see some of the world’s best winter athletes take to the snow and ice already this season in the Republic of Korea.

Finally, Beijing 2022 gave an impressive report on their progress, as the Organising Committee takes shape with 176 staff now in place - 50 of whom participated in the Rio 2016 Observer Programme. The Committee underlined the efforts being made to develop winter sports in China and promote the Games. One example of this promotion was the figure shared by the Beijing organisers that last winter, the number of residents practising winter sports in Beijing and Zhangjiakou alone increased by over 30%, reaching 6.8 million people.

Source: International Olympic Committee

The 2015 FIG World Gymnastics Championships, hosted by Glasgow, received the award for Sports Event of the Year, one of several awards issued at the International Sports Awards 2016 in Geneva.

The 2015 FIG World Gymnastics Championships had already been hailed as superlative by the most influential figures in world sport. In his keynote address at Host City 2016 in Glasgow in November, WADA President and IOC member Sir Craig Reedie CBE – who was himself the recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement” award – described it as “the best presentation of indoor sports that I have ever seen”.

FIG President Bruno Grandi described the event, which sold more than 55,000 tickets, 60 per cent of which were sold outside Scotland, as “even better than the Olympic Games”.

This award marks a hat-trick for the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships, as the event already collected The Sunday Mail Scottish Sport Award for Event of the Year 2015, and the West Regional Scottish Thistle Award for Best Sporting Event of the Year 2016/17. 

Other awards at the International Sports Convention included: International Equestrian Federation (FEI) for “International Sports Federation of the Year”; STAIRS for the “Sports Community of the Year”; IMG Productions for “Sports Media”; Laureus for "CSR Campaign of the Year"; and Parc des Princes Stadium for “Sports Venue of the Year”.

The 2015 World Gymnastics Championships were held in The SSE Hydro from 23 October – 1 November 2015 and delivered in partnership between Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), Glasgow Life, Glasgow City Council, EventScotland, British Gymnastics and UK Sport.

Not only was the Championships one of the largest single-sport events ever to be hosted in the UK, with a record 594 gymnasts from 87 nations travelling to Glasgow to compete, but it also provided a number of historic moments for gymnasts including record All-Around titles for both Japan’s Kohei Uchimura and USA’s Simone Biles.

Following the event, Glasgow cited a dramatic increase in participation levels at gymnastics clubs and development programmes across the city. Attendances at pathways programmes went up by 15% between 2014/15 and 2015/16, and participation at the city’s seven gymnastics clubs increased by 28%. 

Councillor Archie Graham OBE, Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “To win the International Sporting Award for Sports Event of the Year only reinforces what we’ve known all along – that the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships truly was one of the best sporting events Glasgow has ever seen. 

“Bringing more than 50,000 spectators and a massive £4.9million economic benefit to our city, it’s safe to say the event was one of a kind and more than worthy of the many rewards it has received to date!

“Here in Glasgow we’re still feeling the benefits of the 2015 World Championships, with participation in our gymnastics classes and programmes significantly increasing since the event – showing that major sporting events really do deliver lasting legacy benefits for the local community.”

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “The World Gymnastics Championships was supported through EventScotland’s International Programme and is without doubt one of the most successful events that Scotland has ever seen. 

“Not only did the event promote Scotland as the perfect stage for events to a worldwide audience through widespread broadcast and media coverage, it raised the bar in terms of the championships’ delivery, speaking to Scotland’s ever-strengthening capacity as an elite host of major events. 

“I am delighted the event now has the International Sports Awards Sports Event of the Year to add to a growing list of accolades and would like to congratulate all partners on their outstanding contribution to the historic success of the event.”

Jane Allen, CEO of British Gymnastics, said: “The 2015 World Gymnastics Championships, held in Glasgow’s SSE Hydro, was a historically successful event for British Gymnastics and for the sport as a whole. It is also a breath-taking example of an excellent world-class event that was so successfully held in Scotland, with the help of many, including the FIG, UK Sport, Glasgow City Council, through Glasgow Life, and EventScotland. 

“We delivered an event that has propelled gymnastics into a brand new and exciting era in the UK. We also delivered an event that has set such a high standard for future World Gymnastics Championships events to aspire to.”

Simon Morton, Chief Operating Officer at UK Sport, said: “The 2015 World Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow was genuinely a pioneering event that set new benchmarks in the way this inspiring sport is showcased.

“Its success demonstrated the enduring power of hosting big sporting events in the UK, with packed crowds, outstanding British athletes, many of whom went on to make the nation proud at Rio 2016, and an incredible economic impact."

Leading figures from the world of sport governance and major event ownership convened in Glasgow on Monday and Tuesday for the Host City 2016 Exhibition and Conference to discuss how to attract and host secure and engaging sports, business and cultural events.

It was also announced that an additional “Host City Asia” event will take place in Beijing on 18 October 2017. 

“In its third year, Host City conference and exhibition is firmly established as the leading international meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events. We are delighted to see Host City continuing to grow in Glasgow, Scotland,” said Matthew Astill, CEO of Cavendish Group.

“In response to incredible market demand, we are pleased to launch an additional Host City Asia event in Beijing in 2017, where international event owners and suppliers will meet Chinese and Asian hosts and investors.”

Speaking at Host City 2016, Wang Dong, Vice President of Chinese sports media company Alisports: said “This is the spring of the Chinese sports industry… we want to get more people involved in the beauty of sport.”

Host City is the largest and fastest growing international meeting of its kind. At the third edition, the topics of future major events and integrity of sport were high on the agenda.

In his opening keynote address heading up a list of world-class speakers, Sir Craig Reedie CBE, IOC member and president of the World Anti-Doping Agency talked about how in an ever-more competitive field, hosting events is a “very active place” in contrast to the major multi sports events like the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games who, he said, have struggled to attract bid cities in recent years.

During the first panel discussion on the topic “What does future hold for major events?” Dimitri Kerkentzes, deputy secretary general, BIE (World Expos) said: “World Expos cannot be viewed from home. They must have participation and support from the public… We need to ensure that the event will benefit people from the host cities, and that it doesn’t leave white elephants behind.”

Simon Clegg CBE, Chief Operating Officer, World Expo Dubai 2020 highlighted the large ticket sale expectations and expansive physical set-up of World Expo Dubai 2020.

Francesco Ricci Bitti, President, ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations) said: “The tangible and intangible impacts of sporting events on the community are very important.

"We need to be cautious about the fairness of the bidding process.”

He also commented that the level of flexibility afforded by the new bidding rules set out in IOC’s Agenda 2020 programme of reform needs to be carefully considered, saying “Changing venues from the bid book is taking it too far."

Sarah Lewis, Secretary General of the international Ski Federation (FIS) and the Association of Olympic International Winter Federations (AOIWF) said: “It is necessary to maximize the usage of existing facilities that would change the focus on having compact events. Compact events are convenient but don’t offer the best legacy opportunities”. She said “multi-city and multi-country events may be the future”.

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland said: “The benefits of hosting major events are both hard and soft. The soft benefits, which you have to articulate very carefully, are becoming very important.

“The importance of transparency in the bidding process is crucial right now and is growing every year”.

The issue of good governance was further explored in the following panel session on “Has sport lost its integrity and how can it win confidence back?”

Dr. Bridget McConnell CBE, Chief Executive, Glasgow Life said: “A city’s values must shape and drive what you bid for and how you do it. If you lose public confidence in sport integrity you lose countries and cities bidding.”

When asked whether cities would turn their back on hosting events that can’t prove their integrity, she said “I can certainly say this of Glasgow. We would not want to be connected to any sport that had major controversy associated with it”.

Yves Le Lostecque, Head of Sport, European Commission said “In Europe we are defending values and we have to promote them. Integrity and governance are key parts of the EU mandate for sports. Our member states are keen to have the values maintained and we can help through policy cooperation and financial support.”

Adam Pengilly, IOC Member, VP of International affairs, International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) said: “Sport has an inherent value. The Games is loved all over the world… but sports politicians are sometimes lowly viewed.”

He also said "the perception of sport as a utopia needs to be changed. We need to be more realistic when looking at it".

Risto Nieminen, President, Finnish Olympic Committee said: “We need to create standard for doping control that spans across all countries” and added “business and entertainment are not the basis of sport. Instead, inspiration, well-being, optimism, and happiness.”

Ignacio Packer, Secretary General of children’s rights charity Terre des Hommes said: “The sport sector is opening up increasingly to the human rights sector”. He also questioned the tendency to limit the definition of “success” in hosting events to financial outcomes. “We believe that success is about people”. Ignacio also commented on his participation at the Host City Conference saying “I like coming to Host City because I am not with usual colleagues. I learn a lot here.”

The delegates, which included several IOC members, were also addressed by senior figures involved in bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games from Budapest, Los Angeles and Paris.

The Host City brand began life in China in 2003 as a bilingual magazine for the Beijing Organising Committee of the Olympic Games. The Deputy Mayor of Beijing in 2009 presented the CEO of Cavendish Group with the “Great Wall Friendship” award in recognition of Host City’s role in bringing foreign technology content to China and creating an Olympic infrastructure partnership.

Cavendish Group is also known as the owner of the ICC (www.internationalcapitalconference.com ), China’s largest outbound investment event that is now in its seventh edition.

Host City’s Editorial and Conference Director Ben Avison said: “China is investing $850bn in sports by 2025 and is looking for global partners to develop its entertainment and cultural sectors. Host City Asia provides the platform to connect the international industry with this booming market.”

All the Host City 2016 Conference keynote addresses and plenary session content be streamed at www.hostcity.com/hc2016/audio – provided by sound-sharing platform audioBoom.

Glasgow prepares to welcome a unique collection of city and government leaders, cross-sector rights holders, event owners and suppliers to explore the challenges and benefits of bidding for major global events on 21^st and 22^nd November.

Sir Craig Reedie CBE, President of the World Anti-Doping Agency will give a keynote address on Monday morning followed by other headline speakers Jean-François Martins, Deputy Mayor of Paris and Angela Ruggiero, IOC Executive Board Member.

Prof. Dr. Ugur Erdener, President of the World Archery and NOC of Turkey and Vice President of the IOC will give a keynote address on “Rio 2016 and Beyond: How Events Showcase Cities” and Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy, Chairman of Budapest Olympics Foundation will address the topic “Creating Safe and Engaging Events”.

Other speakers include Francesco Ricci Bitti, President, ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic Sports Federations); Sarah Lewis, Secretary General, FIS and AOIWF (Association of Winter Olympic Sports Federations); David Grevemberg, CBE, CEO, Commonwealth Games Federation; Dimitri Kerkentzes, Deputy Secretary General, BIE (World Expos) and Yves Le Lostecque, Head of Sport, European Commission.

The format of Host City 2016 is structured into separate segments with Day One dedicated to panel discussions and keynote addresses including ample opportunities for networking and a dinner reception in the evening. After three opening plenary sessions on Day Two, participants will split into concurrent roundtables discussing “Hosting Opportunities: How to Make Your City and Event Stand Out” and “Delivery and Legacy: How to Maximise Sustainability, Security and Revenues” which will be interactive sessions actively encouraging audience participation.

Other topics on the agenda include:

• What Does the Future Hold for Major Events?
• Has Sport Lost Its Integrity And How Can It Win Confidence Back?
• Building Sports and Entertainment Brands; China’s Investment Strategy
• Transformations in Multi-City and Multi-Sports Events
• A Safe Pair of Hands: How Cities Can be Secure Hosts
• Creating Entertaining Experiences for Visitors
• Making Event Infrastructure More Sustainable
• Business Events and Economic Development

For further information about Host City 2016 please visit www.hostcity.com or contact Ben Avison, Editorial and Conference Director, Host City ben.avison@hostcity.com.

Host City 2016 takes place in Glasgow on 21 and 22 November and it’s not too late for you to join the most important gathering of cities and sports, business and cultural events.

Just when you thought the line up couldn’t get any better, new VIPs continue to come on board, including:

• Adam Pengilly, IOC Member and VP of International Affairs, International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation
• Angela Ruggiero, USA IOC member and Chair of the IOC Athletes Commission
• Jean-Francois Martins, Deputy Mayor of Paris
• Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy, Chairman, Budapest Olympics Foundation
• Mike Lee OBE, Chairman of VERO

At Host City 2016 Cities, Event Owners and Suppliers will exhibit alongside a truly outstanding conference programme that includes top-level speakers from some of the most influential organisations worldwide, alongside representatives from businesses with experience of all aspects of event hosting. 

These new speakers join a star-studded cast that includes city leaders from New Zealand, Odense, Rotterdam, Paris, as well as: Sir Craig Reedie CBE, President, World Anti-Doping Agency; Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, Visit Scotland; Francesco Ricci Bitti, President of the Association of Summer Olympic Sports Federations (ASOIF); Sarah Lewis, Secretary General of the International Ski Federation (FIS); Ugur Erdener, Vice President, IOC; David Grevemberg CBE, CEO, Commonwealth Games Federation; Bridget McConnell, CEO, Glasgow Life; Dimitri Kerkentzes, deputy Secretary General, BIE (World Expos); Simon Clegg CBE, Chief Operating Officer, World Expo Dubai 2020;  Reinhard Pfeiffer, Deputy CEO, Messe Munich; and many more.

View the full speaker line-up on the Host City website.

Don't miss this opportunity to attend Host City 2016! Get your pass today to attend the leading meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events in Glasgow on 21-22 November. Register online

For further information please contact Ben Avison on +44 (0) 7876 682072 or ben.avison@hostcity.com

Over the years I have listened to dozens of marketing experts talk about how to effectively promote and sell your product or brand in the face of stiff competition. Undoubtedly there are various techniques and tactics that marketeers can deploy but for me, the conversation has always seemed to end up back at one place – the unique selling point.

Working out what it is that differentiates your product from all others on the market is the key to not only standing out from the crowd but maintaining credibility in an environment where everyone is trying to shout louder than you.

In Scotland, our golfing USP was forged many centuries ago when the humblest beginnings of a game now played by more than 60 million people worldwide first took root. Few countries in the world have such a close association with a single sport than Scotland does with golf.

It is known around the world as the birthplace of the game, where every legend of the sport has played, where the rules were first established and where the game’s greatest championships were first played.

It is the place where golf clubhouses are the hubs of local communities, where a love of the game is celebrated in families and passed down through generations and where the finite elements of the game are regularly dissected over a few drinks in the 19^th hole. In short, Scotland is the Home of Golf.

This USP represents the basis of all Scotland’s activities in golf, from promoting the country globally as a golf tourism destination to instilling it into the minds of Scotland’s schoolchildren as a game for everyone.

It has also been a catalyst for Scotland’s success in bidding for and securing the world’s most prestigious golf events. Don’t get me wrong, there are many factors that go into securing major events, not least past experience and an engaged and supportive Government, which we also have in abundance in Scotland.

But there is no doubt that when it comes to hosting a major golf event in Scotland, event organisers are drawn to the Scotland, the Home of Golf message and the added value it can bring to events.

A key example was The 2014 Ryder Cup, an event which was undoubtedly a huge success for Scotland, delivering economic impact, legacy and huge media profile in our key markets. But what was also apparent was the benefits that The Ryder Cup derived from being hosted in a country synonymous with the game and respected worldwide. Record numbers of overseas spectators at Gleneagles, including a larger proportion from the US than previous Ryder Cups, is indicative of that.

I don’t believe any other golf tourism brand can stand alongside that of The Ryder Cup and add value in the way that Scotland, the Home of Golf did in 2014. And in the current market with global golf sponsors and government support in shorter supply, in traditional markets at least, there is an even greater premium on a country being able to add brand value in this way.

When hosting a major event in Scotland, we endeavour to hand it back to organisers in a stronger position than when it came. This was a key element of our bid for The 2019 Solheim Cup and we firmly believe that Scotland, the Home of Golf can play its part in continuing to elevate the profile of not only The Solheim Cup but the women’s game globally.

There is an obvious quid pro quo in this equation. Our ultimate objective is to encourage more visitors to Scotland and we use our hosting of major golf events as a vehicle for achieving that. This event-led marketing strategy allows us to reach more potential visitors than we could through traditional marketing techniques and a limited budget, while adding further credibility to Scotland’s golfing proposition.

If you look closely at the golf events we support and the golf marketing we undertake, you’ll rarely see a VisitScotland logo when targeting golfing consumers. Instead, you’ll see the Scotland, the Home of Golf message because we know this resonates strongly with golfers around the globe.

This event-led technique also allows us to be innovative in the types of event we target, while also supporting the Scottish Government’s social inclusion and equality agenda. The 2019 Solheim Cup and the European Golf Team Championships – the world’s first mixed men’s and ladies professional event – in 2018 is further testament to that.

The golf tourism market is more competitive than it has ever been with golf tourists presented with more choice than ever before. Each destination has its proposition whether that be warm weather, cost, ease of access, new courses or luxury resorts. But among them Scotland continues to stand unique, as the only Home of Golf.

Paul Bush is speaking at Host City 2016, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events. For more information visit www.hostcity.com/events/host-city-2016