Aberdeen Launches Joint Taskforce To Attract Major National & International Association Conferences
Published: 15/10/2026 11:40New collaboration between The Event Complex Aberdeen (TECA), the University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University, NHS Grampian and Aberdeen Convention Bureau aims to grow the region's share of large-scale association conferences.
A new taskforce has been launched today to strategise and secure national and international association conferences for Aberdeen and the North-east of Scotland.
The joint initiative brings together five of the region's leading organisations: the TECA team, the University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University, NHS Grampian and Aberdeen Convention Bureau, in a coordinated effort to identify, target and attract large-scale association conferences to the region.
The taskforce marks a new era of collaboration for Aberdeen, aligning the region's venue, academic, clinical and destination marketing expertise behind a single goal: winning more world-class conferences for the North-east. By pooling resources, skills and experience across the four partner organisations, the group aims to grow the city's profile as a leading destination for business events and compete confidently for conferences against established European host cities.
A collaborative model that already works
The formation of the taskforce formalises a collaborative approach that has already delivered major wins for the region, where bids have succeeded by presenting the destination's combined strengths as one joined-up offer.
In June 2026, Aberdeen hosted the 87th EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition, organised by the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers. The flagship geoscience and engineering gathering brought more than 6,000 participants and 200 exhibitors to TECA and delivered an estimated £13.2 million economic impact for the city - the first time the event had been held in Aberdeen, won against major European destinations that have included Vienna, London, Paris, Madrid, Copenhagen and Amsterdam.
In September 2025, TECA hosted the EUSOBI Annual Scientific Meeting, the flagship event of the European Society of Breast Imaging, attracting around 1,500 delegates from across Europe. The bid drew directly on Aberdeen's pioneering heritage in medical imaging, including the AI breast screening trials at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, made possible through the work of the University of Aberdeen and NHS Grampian and marked the first time the meeting had been held in the city.
In November 2025, Aberdeen welcomed the UK Stroke Forum, the Stroke Association's flagship annual conference, for its 20th anniversary edition, bringing 2,000 delegates to TECA. The bid was developed by TECA working alongside Aberdeen Convention Bureau and a team of local ambassadors including NHS Grampian, with a public engagement programme linking stroke survivors and carers to regional support services helping secure the event for the city.
The new taskforce will build on this proven track record, bringing a more deliberate and sustained approach to targeting associations whose ambitions align with the region's strengths across energy, life sciences, digital & tech, food, drink and agriculture.
Steve Daun, Head of Association Sales at TECA, said: "The enactment of this taskforce is all about collaboration - pulling together the resources, skills and experience of multiple partners with the overall aim of attracting more major conferences to Aberdeen. EAGE, EUSOBI and the UK Stroke Forum were not won by any single organisation; they were won by a team that brought together a world-class venue, leading academics, clinical experts and a convention bureau all pulling in the same direction. Making that collaboration deliberate and sustained means we can go after even bigger prizes and bring thousands of delegates and millions of pounds of impact to the region for years to come."
Laura Wilson, Head of Aberdeen Convention Bureau, said: "Aberdeen has always been an outward-looking city, with connections that reach around the world. What sets us apart as a conference destination is not any one asset in isolation, but the way our partners work together, venue, university, health service and bureau, to present a compelling, joined-up offer to association decision-makers. This taskforce gives that collaborative spirit a formal home and positions the region to grow its share of the conferences that will shape the next decade of our visitor economy."
Dr Rachel Shanks, Interdisciplinary Institute Director – Social Inclusion & Cultural Diversity, University of Aberdeen, said: "Conferences are where research meets practice, where academics and professionals from different disciplines and countries come together to share knowledge and spark new collaborations. By working as a taskforce, we can target associations whose ambitions align with the region's research strengths, across health, energy, education and the social sciences, and make sure the academic community here is a genuine asset in every bid we make."
Dr Izzy Crawford, Associate Dean Research: Aberdeen Business School and Robert Gordon University Ambassador Steering Group Lead, said: “Working together in this way helps to attract major conferences to the region which is great for the North-east economy. It opens up new opportunities for academic collaboration, funding, and research, and strengthens the national and international profile of both institutions.”
Lesley Meldrum, Head of Corporate Communications for NHS Grampian MCIPR, said: "NHS Grampian's clinicians and researchers are already making a difference on a national and international stage, and conferences are a powerful way to showcase that work, attract new talent to the region and strengthen the partnerships that improve patient care. The UK Stroke Forum and EUSOBI both showed what is possible when our clinical expertise is matched with a world-class venue and a collaborative team behind it. This taskforce gives us a platform to build on those successes and bring even more major medical and scientific conferences to the North-east."
The taskforce will now begin work on a coordinated pipeline of target associations, drawing on the combined networks and expertise of its four partner organisations, with the shared ambition of establishing Aberdeen and the North-east of Scotland as one of Europe's most compelling destinations for association conferences.
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TECA Opened in September 2019, the £333 million development, delivered by Aberdeen City Council in partnership with Henry Boot Developments, replaced the Aberdeen Exhibition Conference and Centre (AECC) with 48,000 square metres of multi-purpose event space, and boasts world-class conference and exhibition halls, a superior arena, spacious hospitality boxes and a high-end restaurant. TECA is the largest event complex in the North of Scotland, boasting world-class conference and exhibition facilities for organisers and delegates across the globe, all sustainably powered by local, renewable energy sources.
The site also comprises two hotels including the adjoining 4-star Hilton with 200 bedrooms, the Aloft Hotel with 150 bedrooms and a third budget hotel to be confirmed with a further 150 bedrooms.
With unrivalled public transport connections, the new venue is located right next to Aberdeen International Airport - the UK's most connected regional airport, a few short minutes from the city's new western peripheral route, and in prime position for the improved rail links between Aberdeen and the North of Scotland.
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Aberdeen is the gateway to the North East of Scotland, a region world famous for its award-winning castles, whisky distilleries and golf courses, as well as its stunning natural scenery, from the Banffshire Coast to the Cairngorms National Park.
VisitAberdeenshire: https://visitabdn.com/
University of Aberdeen: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/
Robert Gordon University: https://www.rgu.ac.uk/
Aberdeen Convention Bureau: https://business.visitabdn.com/