How to attract event audiences to your business

Events contribute hugely to the Scottish visitor economy, creating jobs, stimulating investment and sustaining communities across the country.

Your business can see the benefit of many different types of events across Scotland, including:

• Major events such as Commonwealth Games 2026, which attract an international audience to the country, or FIFA World Cup 2026 which generates more awareness and interest in Scotland
• Annual events such as Borders Book Festival or Bloody Scotland – these attract a mix of international and domestic visitors to a certain area
• Community events such as Dundee Pride, attracting local visitors into the city

You may be able to attract passing custom if you are in the direct area of an event, but if we can encourage a visitor to extend their trip around the event, you could benefit from their business even if you’re not in the immediate area of the event.

Upcoming opportunities

• Genesis Scottish Open 2026 (and 2027), East Lothian
• Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026
• ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open, Ayrshire
• Tour de France Grand Depart, Edinburgh and Scottish Borders
• The Open 2027, St Andrews
• Rally Scotland, autumn 2027, Aberdeenshire
• UEFA EURO 2028, Glasgow

For details of national and local events happening in your area, please see VisitScotland.com events and festivals.

The audience for each event will be different – a major international event could attract a different crowd to a local event, while an event dedicated to sport will attract a different range of spectators to a music festival.

Its important to understand the audience, so you know how best to market your business. The audience profile will impact how planning and booking is carried out, and the expectations in terms of quality, service and facilities.

Some of these customers may be open to the idea of returning to Scotland again – but for some, the event is the main attraction and this is the only opportunity you have to gain their business. It’s therefore important to understand who they are, what they’re looking for, and how you can capture their attention.

How to identify the event audience

Search for general information about the event – for example, searching for “commonwealth games audience profile age” brings up results which include a visitor survey completed after the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. It tells us:

“…the largest proportions of visitors on an overnight trip lived in the North of England or London and the South East while the vast majority on a day trip lived in Glasgow or elsewhere in the Central Belt.”

This could mean that an accommodation business might want to market to the North of England and/or London and the South East.

You may want to work out:

• where the audience is coming from – Scotland, UK or international
• the age of the audience
• the make-up of the group – solo, couple, friends, family
• whether they work part-time, full-time, or are retired

How to market to the event audience

Once you have an idea of what markets each event might attract, think about:

• how they book, eg through a online travel agent or direct
• when they are likely to book
• their motivations, eg proximity to a venue
• are they likely to take short or longs stays
• what facilities might they require

You can look at the information we have on the Business Support Hub to work out how to market your business to the audience that is likely to attend the event. We have information on the UK market as well as profiles for France, Germany, US and China.

Find guidance on reaching new visitor markets.

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

The annual Spirit of Speyside Festival brings whisky lovers from around the globe to a series of events throughout Speyside.

Amongst the local businesses that benefitted was exclusive-use venue Rothes Glen.

During the 2026 festival they adapted their approach to attract a wider range of guests. They did this by:

• offering individual room bookings and shorter stays
• adapting booking systems and staffing structure

In addition, they curated whisky related events across the three days to fully embrace the occasion.

As a result of forward planning and their adaptable approach they saw several benefits:

• maintained strong occupancy throughout the festival period
• improved ticket sales for events
• positioned Rothes Glen as an active part of the celebrations
• valuable exposure to both local visitors and international whisky enthusiasts discovering the area

Glen Moray Distillery also took part in the festival. Emma Ware, their Visitor Centre Assistant Manager, said: “As Scotland’s largest whisky festival, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is our biggest event of the year. This year, the majority of Glen Moray Distillery's festival events sold out in record time, highlighting the continued demand for travel, experiences and whisky tourism in Scotland.

“We work closely with the festival to host dedicated events that are marketed directly to our target audience, while also running our own promotions to engage walk-in visitors and local customers throughout the festival period. This dual approach enables us to broaden our reach, attract visitors with varying levels of interest, and maximise the opportunities created by this major regional event.”

Tall Ships, Aberdeen

Allan Henderson is the Managing Director of the Workshop UK, which owns a number of hospitality venues in Aberdeen including the Silver Darling restaurant.

"We were fortunate that our Silver Darling restaurant overlooks the harbour and was probably the best viewing spot in town. This allowed us to offer exclusive high-end dining packages to our customers.

"Aberdeen City Council and the Port of Aberdeen were very co-operative in allowing us to have a pop-up bar and seating area without planning complications which vastly boosted our revenues.

"Our advice for other businesses is to get spend levels up by producing innovative packages.

"The event was a great success for our business but I strongly feel that the Tall Ships gave the city a sense of pride and made Aberdonians feel good about their city again. Haste the event back in the future."

UCI Cycling World Championships

Elle McCann is Brand & Visitor Experience Manager for Stirling Distillery.

"Events like these are a fantastic opportunity to showcase what Stirling has to offer and encourage visitors to spend more time within the area. There is always scope for a stronger connection between major events and local businesses as it can sometimes be difficult to find the right channels or opportunities. 

"Greater collaboration between organisers and local businesses would help ensure the benefits of these events are felt across the wider local economy.

"The UCI Cycling World Championships brought a real buzz to Stirling and we definitely noticed an increase in visitors coming through our doors during that time. We probably benefited from people who were already in the city for the event and were looking to make the most of their trip. 

"We always make sure our visitor experiences are available and visible to those spending time in Stirling during any major events."

Taylor Swift concerts

When Taylor Swift performed three sold-out shows at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh in June 2024 they attracted tens of thousands of attendees to the city.

Discover how local hospitality venues and visitor attractions adapted their products to attract customers and the benefits they saw as a result:

Thousands of Taylor Swift fans made huge impact on Edinburgh - BBC News

Edinburgh Taylored Taste Trail - Forever Edinburgh