Host City 2021, the world’s largest meeting of cities and sports business events, will take place on 7-8 December in Glasgow with a global, hybrid format that will maximise participation from all regions of the world.
Scotland and Glasgow will host the global event for the 7th consecutive year. Host City 2021 will build on the phenomenal success of last year’s first digital edition, combining face-to-face action at Glasgow’s Technology & Innovation Centre with online connectivity.
The global, hybrid Host City 2021 will be preceded by two regional, digital events: Host City Americas and Host City Asia, set for 30 June and 14 April respectively.
Host City 2021 will also feature online sessions timed for Asian and American participation. The combination of physical and digital elements over an expanded timeframe will take Host City to more of the world than ever before, while enabling the physical content and networking in Glasgow for which Host City is renowned.
Host City 2021 is supported by EventScotland, Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council.
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland Director of Events, said: "EventScotland has a strong connection with Host City, having been a supporter of the conference since its inception in 2014, and we are delighted to be welcoming it back to Scotland and Glasgow for the 7th consecutive year.
"Host City is always a great opportunity for the major events sector to come together and share best practice, and the global hybrid format for this year's conference will ensure attendees, whether they are there in person or online, are able to learn and share knowledge as we continue to navigate through the new normal.
"Events are a force for good and we look forward to working with the Host City team to deliver a conference that ensures a bright future for all events."
Councillor David McDonald, Chair of Glasgow Life and Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “As a proud supporter of Host City, we’re delighted to welcome the event back to Glasgow for the seventh year in a row.
“As a leading host city for festivals and events, Glasgow has keenly felt the impact of Covid-19, and seeing how well last year’s Host City event was delivered on a digital platform was hugely encouraging and the global feedback was fantastic.
“We look forward to working with the Host City team once again to ensure that 2021’s event is even bigger and better than previous iterations, and to share best practice with our colleagues across the world as we all work to create the best possible future for events.”
Ben Avison, Editorial and Conference Director of Host City said: “Since the first Host City event in 2014, we have staged continually growing physical events, two Asian editions, and last December we reached our biggest ever audience by going online for the first time.
“2021 represents a tremendous opportunity to combine all these elements and present the greatest platform for of cities and sports, business and cultural events to participate in a way that works best for them, whether that is meeting in person in Glasgow or participating online on the other side of the world.
“The digital regional events – the third Host City Asia and the first Host City Americas – will also play a huge part in bringing our community together, enabling stakeholders in major events the world over to share best practice and set the global agenda.”
For more information contact ben.avison@hostcity.com or adam.soroka@cavendishgroup.co.uk
