This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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MTV awards ceremony coming to Leith
12/05/2003
Scotland has the potential, the expertise, the ambition and
the talent to be a first class venue for major events, First
Minister Jack McConnell said today.
He was speaking as he welcomed the news that the MTV Europe
Music Video Awards - an event with an estimated global audience
of 1 billion people - will be held in Edinburgh later this
year.
Mr McConnell said:
"I am absolutely delighted that MTV has chosen Edinburgh to
host this year's European Video Music Awards. They have made
the right decision. Scotland is a first class location for such
an important international event, and Edinburgh will be a great
choice for MTV.
"When we launched our Major Events Strategy we said that we
wanted to make Scotland a major force in hosting top class
events. Today's announcement marks a significant early success
and one that we should build upon.
"We already have a reputation for hosting some of the most
spectacular arts, cultural and sporting events in the world and
have a track record for producing some of the most successful
international bands of recent times.
"We are ambitious and we are hungry for more. I am therefore
delighted that we can now add the MTV awards to a list which
already includes the Edinburgh Festival and the spectacular
Christmas and Hogmanay celebrations. These events showcase all
that is good about Scotland, its music and its people, to the
rest of the world."
The First Minister continued:
"We want to convince many more people to visit Scotland. The
benefits will be felt far beyond the many thousands of people
who work in our tourism industries. Our wider economy will
benefit, our communities will benefit and the people who come
to our country will benefit from being a part of the unique
Scottish experience.
"It is vital that we build on the success of bringing these
awards to Scotland by making sure that many others follow. The
partnership approach used to great effect in this instance is a
model that our new events body, EventScotland, will use in the
future. They will work with private companies, public agencies,
local authorities and contacts around the world to make sure
that when major events are being planned, Scotland is at the
top of the list of venues.
"I am sure the MTV awards in November will be a real
success. The challenge now is to make sure that we can toast
continued success in the future."
The MTV awards ceremony will be held at Western Harbour,
Leith, in November. It is being supported by EventScotland, the
Executive's new major events organisation, as well as by
Scottish Enterprise, Forth Ports and Edinburgh City.
EventScotland is a company, limited by guarantee, and
jointly owned by the Scottish Executive and VisitScotland. It
will operate commercially in the global events world to bring
major sporting, cultural and business events to Scotland which
fit with the Executive's major events strategy. The Executive's
Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport chairs the Advisory
Board of EventScotland.
The post of Chief Executive of EventScotland is in process
of being filled, and an announcement will be made within the
next month.