Working with event partners

The Scottish Government 

Led by Scottish Ministers, part of the devolved government for Scotland's role is to: 

• develop policies to achieve its strategic objectives, such as the National Strategy for Economic Transformation 
• provide funding to public bodies to promote, deliver, fund, and scrutinise public services, such as EventScotland (part of VisitScotland), Creative Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Scottish Enterprise   
• provide impartial expert advice to Ministers, the Scottish Parliament, the public and other organisations that deliver public services 

The Scottish Government play an important role in helping to secure and fund the “mega” events that take place in Scotland, such as the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and UEFA EURO 2028 football championship. They also host the Brand Scotland Partnership, a strategic cross-organisational partnership which brings together the marketing and communications efforts of the Scottish Government, key public sector organisations and wider partners. These partners operate behind a shared brand narrative and positioning for Scotland to be recognised as a leading global citizen and a highly desirable country in which to live, work, study, visit, trade and invest.  

A lot of the organisations listed here will be funded by The Scottish Government. With that in mind, it is important to have a basic understanding of these relationships, roles and priorities as this will help you access support and can help provide strategic focus for your event. 

You should also check out Scotland's National Strategy for Economic Transformation. This explains the priorities for Scotland's economy, including the vision for Scotland's wellbeing economy, to which events are a key part.

The Scottish Government can provide more information on their role in supporting and working with events. Find out more about the Scottish Government and their work.

Local authorities 

Local authorities are a critical partner to the event sector in Scotland and it is highly likely that event organisers will need to work closely with their local authority during the planning and delivery of their activity.  

Local authorities have a: 

• critical role in planning, delivery and support for events 
• legislative role in certain aspects of licensing for events 
• public safety role, often delivered through a Safety Advisory Group process.  

Some local authorities have specific event strategies which articulate their priorities. Others have integrated events into their regional economic planning. The approach taken by each varies but their buy-in and active support can be essential.   

See a full list of Scottish local authorities and find out more about each of them.

VisitScotland (including EventScotland) 

VisitScotland is the national agency for tourism and events. Through strategic leadership and industry partnerships, it supports and promotes responsible growth of the Scottish visitor economy. Events are recognised as an important driver of the visitor economy and as such VisitScotland hosts departments specifically focussed on engagement and support for the events sector: 

• EventScotland
• Events Industry Development
• Business Events

The EventScotland team works to make Scotland the perfect stage for events by securing and supporting an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events. Activity is aligned to Scotland’s National Events Strategy, Scotland The Perfect Stage 2024 – 2035. 

VisitScotland’s Industry and Events Directorate offers a wider range of support for the events sector, including guidance, funding, promotion, research, and host of industry training and development opportunities. 

VisitScotland is the lead government agency for Scotland’s National Events Strategy. Familiarising yourself with Scotland The Perfect Stage 2024 – 2035, will help you develop an awareness and understanding of the sector’s priorities and approach.

VisitScotland's Industry and Events Directorate also organises the National Events Conference, Scotland’s flagship industry conference. The conference features a range of speakers from across the industry, helpful workshops for those working in events and provides a forum for discussion around the opportunities and challenges that the sector faces. If you missed the last conference in 2024, there are video recordings of some of the key sessions from the day. Information of the next conference will be added when details are confirmed. 

VisitScotland provide a range of opportunities for people who work in the tourism and events sector on a calendar of event listings. This includes regional engagement workshops providing opportunities for learning and discussion on issues in these areas, industry observer tours, webinars and much more. 

Creative Scotland

A good partner for many cultural events, Creative Scotland is the national agency that supports the arts, screen, and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works, or visits here. It distributes Scottish Government and National Lottery Funding including support for organisations producing or creating work for cultural events and festivals. 

Enterprise agencies 

Enterprise agencies are non-departmental public bodies of the Scottish Government. These consist of:

• Scottish Enterprise
• Highlands and Islands Enterprise
• South of Scotland Enterprise

Their remit is to develop Scotland’s economy and focus their resources on projects with high impact on economic growth. These may include infrastructure, services and opportunities that support events.  

sportscotland 

sportscotland are the national agency for sport, and provide support for sporting events. They invest Scottish Government and National Lottery funding to contribute to delivering an active Scotland. This includes investment in sport through strategic partnerships, including those with local authorities and Scottish governing bodies. The investment made ensures the sporting sector can respond to the increased profile and engagement events can drive.   

City Convention Bureaus 

There are City Convention Bureaus in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee. They work with VisitScotland’s Business Events team and academic stakeholders to lead their cities and regions in the pursuit of Business Events, including bidding, marketing, and research.   

Find out more: 

• VisitScotland Business Events
• Glasgow Convention Bureau
• Aberdeen Convention Bureau
• Dundee City Region Convention Bureau
• Convention Edinburgh

UK Sport 

UK Sport is funded by the UK Government and is accountable to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. As part of its work on major sport events it invests both National Lottery and UK Government funding to enable the bidding and staging of strategically important international sporting events. 

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (UK Government) 

Responsibility for culture and sport (including events) in Scotland is devolved to The Scottish Government. 

The UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) supports culture, arts, media, sport, tourism and civil society in England. There may be opportunities to work in partnership with DCMS where Scotland’s events and festivals drive wider UK impacts eg if event activity is spread over multiple UK locations.

Historic Environment Scotland 

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is the lead public body established to investigate, care for and promote Scotland’s historic environment.  

Many events are held in places of historical importance and on sites managed by HES. HES will be able to advise and support with the necessary considerations in your planning if relevant. HES give special consideration to applications for larger events due to the potential risk to the historic environment, and they recommend contacting them at least a year in advance.  

HES also have a dedicated email address for events enquiries: events@hes.scot.

Forestry and Land Scotland 

Forestry and Land Scotland is the Scottish Government agency responsible for our national forests and land, including a vast range of key sites regularly used for events. They will be able to confirm if permission is required to hold an event on a given site and from whom. They offer a checklist of information you will need to provide to the relevant people/organisations as well as top tips for organising an event. This includes who to contact for the relevant permissions, advice on choosing your venue/site, fees, safety and environmental considerations.